Twin Cities Business Daily

What research projects can an amateur observer do with a telescope?

I just bought a Meade ETX and live in a dark area. What research projects can I do with it to help push back the horizon of knowledge?

Public Comments

1. Congratulations ot the purchase of your ETX. I know a lot of people own ETX's and love them. The best place to start is with your local astronomy club. You need to begin learning about the night sky and how to navigate in it. Yes, you have a go-to scope but you still need to recognize when you've actually found an object and how to work in the dark. Many Astronomy clubs are Astronomical League (AL) members. You should go to the AL website (see below) are start executing the observing challenges (See observing clubs). This is another way to build up your skill set as you will now need to not only locate but also record your observations. After that, AL and NASA both ask for amateur contributions. Also the International Occultation and Timing Association (IOTA) is always looking for volunteers to contribute to science.