Astronomy RSS

We are happy to announce Mile High Astronomy is now a dealer for Pentax! Pentax eyepieces have a strong reputation in the astronomy community. With a consistent 20mm eye relief, they are excellent for eyeglass wearers and are comfortable for just about anyone to use. The wide field of view of the XW eyepieces makes them ideal for a range of instruments including large dobs. Clear, comfortable viewing assured by 85° or 70° apparent angle of view and 20mm eye relief 85-degree apparent angle of view eyepieces, XW23 and XW16.5 is newly added to the smc PENTAX XW-series line up...

When you’re selecting a new eyepiece, the first and most important consideration should be how it fits in with the eyepieces you already have – particularly, your magnification scheme.  To figure out the magnification of your eyepieces, you take the focal length of your telescope (1200mm for an f/6 8-inch dob) and divide it by the focal length of the eyepiece.  For example, if you have, say, 25mm and 10mm Plossls that came with your 8-inch dob, they’re giving you 48x and 120x respectively. So, the first analysis is to fill in magnification “gaps” you have – like a high-powered eyepiece,...

It’s fall in Colorado, and that means more humidity in the air, and, if you aren’t mindful, dew on the telescope. This is particularly important for refractors and Cassegrain telescopes - SCTs and Maks, which have a large lens at the front that is highly susceptible to dew buildup. Here are some tips to prevent and in the worst case, remove that dew.  Passive Prevention Lens Hoods and Dew Shields Dew shields are the first line of defense. These work well when you keep your objective pointing far enough towards the horizon that the lens isn’t exposed to the dew coming down...