Hello Friend,

With spring finally in the air, you will likely be thinking of pulling your telescope out and
putting it to good use.

    Due to the harsh Winter, even some seasoned amateur astronomers decided to hibernate.

And that's perfectly understandable.

     After having your instrument in storage,  you might want to utilize some of the following
tips, that I have found in my experience, to be useful.

Tip #1:  Be sure to clean any marks and residue left on your Schmidt corrector plate or
              your refractor objective.    Use a good quality cleaning fluid for this purpose, not
              something from the dollar store.  If you are not careful, you can permanently damage
              the coatings on your instrument. This is a bit trickier with newtonians and dobsons
              so if you aren't sure how to do it, find someone who does.

Tip #2:  Be sure to check the collimation of the instrument.  Now this is not as critical in most
              refractor type telescopes, but it is with Newtonians, Dobsonians, and Schmidt-Cassegrain.
              Your operating manual will usual have detailed instructions on how to do this, as the
              technique varies from model to model, and brand to brand.  
              A simple method of checking the collimation  is to do what's called a star test.
              Use a good quality collimation device, some of the really cheap ones do not do a proper job.

              Here is a good article on how to do just that.

Tip #3:  Upgrade your firmware.  If you have a computerized telescope, then you can usually
              download any firmware updates from the manufacturer's website.   Updates are usaully
              free of charge.   (note: you will require some cables to do this, so if you don't have them
              give us a call 1 800 580 7160  and we can help you out).

Tip #4:  Test all your power supplies.  Make sure they are working properly, and if it's a rechargeable
              battery of some sort, ensure it can still hold a charge.

     Finally, if you are having any other types of issues,  our technician can certainly look after most
     problems, regardless of brand. 

     You can bring your instrument in, without an appointment, during regular business hours for an
     assessment.

We are open 7 days a week.

Clear Skies,

Ray Khan

PS When I was out for lunch today, I saw in sign in a health food restaurant that said: "Kale is the new Beef"!
      Imagine if you will, digging into a bunch of Kale (a highly overrated "superfood "btw) with a steak knife and fork.