As with just about every hobby out there, amateur astronomers employ a wide range of equipment in the pursuit of their hobby. Along with a plethora of optical instruments such as binoculars, telescopes, and filters, there is an endless supply of gadgets one can purchase from the many vendors that serve the astronomy community. Additionally, some enterprising and talented amateur astronomers design and build the instruments they use to view the cosmos. Whether you build or buy your equipment, knowing the choices available can make the hobby a rewarding experience or a source of frustration.

In this section, I have written about my experiences with the various instruments and gadgets that I have used over the years, some good and some not so good.

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Today the UPS delivery person left a box of astro-goodies on my doorstep. Like a kid at Christmas, I tore open the package and inside lay a Meade 12mm Astrometric eyepiece and a Unihedron Sky Quality Meter. The astrometric eyepiece is slated for some double star measurements I plan to start later this summer. The Sky Quality Meter (SQM) readings will augment the naked eye limiting magnitude estimates I make using the IMO limiting magnitude charts. Eventually, the SQM readings may replace the naked eye estimates once I can calibrate the readings with my visual estimates.

Of course, we all know what happens when you get new astronomy gear. You guessed it. The weather turned south today with lots of clouds and scattered showers predicted for the entire weekend. At least that allows me plenty of time to read up on my new toys before I try them out in the dark.

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