The MoonshotMastery Academy
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SHELF II · TELESCOPE

“My charts say the galaxy is right there and my eyepiece shows nothing at all.”

Star-Hopping to the Deep Sky

The technique that finds faint objects without a computerised mount: chart scales, finder fields and short hops between stars, then averted vision and dark adaptation so the faint smudge actually appears.

A telescope silhouetted against the band of the Milky Way

What you will be able to do

  1. Plan a hop from a bright star to a faint target on any chart
  2. Find Messier objects with a small telescope and a red-dot finder
  3. Use averted vision to see detail you missed at first glance

Night log: the units

  1. UNIT 01 Charts, scales and finder fields 7 lessons · 1 h 24 min
  2. UNIT 02 Your first hops: bright clusters 7 lessons · 1 h 24 min
  3. UNIT 03 Galaxies in spring 8 lessons · 1 h 36 min
  4. UNIT 04 Nebulae and globulars in summer 8 lessons · 1 h 36 min
  5. UNIT 05 Autumn and winter targets 7 lessons · 1 h 24 min
  6. UNIT 06 Dark adaptation and averted vision 5 lessons · 1 h

What is included

  • Chart reading: scales, limiting magnitude and matching the finder view
  • Thirty star-hops recorded with the eyepiece view shown at every step
  • Averted vision, dark adaptation and red light, explained and demonstrated
  • A season-by-season list of Messier objects for small telescopes
  • 18 months of streaming access

Who it suits

Telescope owners who have seen the Moon and planets and want galaxies, clusters and nebulae.

Questions about this course

What do I need before I start?

A telescope, Binoculars. Nothing has to be bought in advance: the course opens with what to choose and why.

How long will it take me?

There are 42 lessons, 8 h 24 min of video in all. At about 3 hours a week that is roughly 3 weeks, but the pace is yours: clear nights decide more than the calendar.

How long can I watch it, and is there a tutor?

You can stream every lesson for 18 months from when access starts. The lessons are recorded: there is no live tutor and no marking, and the videos cannot be downloaded.

Pairs well with