My first telescope was a 2.5-inch Gilbert reflector my parents bought for me in about 1964. It wasn't easy to use, but I remember looking at the moon, Mars and Saturn with it.

Going to use that new telescope? Here's some practical rules to follow Sometimes a new telescope can seem like a fun tool, but to get the most out of it, you'll need to use it safely and correctly.

Hardly! In a past column (April 2011), I sang the praises of my first astronomical telescope, Edmund Scientific’s Space Conqueror, a 3-inch f/10 reflector.

How do scientists determine who gets to use the most powerful space telescope ever launched? A practice called dual-anonymous peer review has shaped the process.