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...

You've probably seen a very bright yellow-orange star rising from the East as the sun sets. That's Mars! October 13th is the Mars opposition—the best and brightest Mars will be for two more years. Don't worry if you can't get out to see Mars on the 13th though—it will still be extremely bright and brilliant for the next several weeks, through mid-November, when it will begin gradually dimming as the planet moves further away again in its orbit.  How Big Will Mars Be? This tends to get exaggerated every opposition. As we perceive them, Mars and the other planets are all tiny compared...

July is bringing us some hot days, and a hot new target for amateur astronomers! Comet 2020 F3 NEOWISE is now a naked eye comet, presently visible in the pre-dawn sky! How to See It You'll need a clear North-Eastern horizon to make out the comet. By 4:AM, it's several degrees up, and with a good horizon, is clearly visible by the unaided eye. You'll note Venus shinning brightly off to the right, and the bright star Capella above the comet itself, providing a good location aid. The below chart reflects 4:30 AM on July 9th. The best window for...

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,...