One of the largest misconceptions about using telescopes is that they should have a stronger magnification power, as if heavenly objects were very "tiny" in the sky and needed to be enlarged for viewing. In actuality, most objects of interest to astronomers are NOT small, but rather very DIM in the sky. This means that a telescope is a "rheostat", a light-intensifying device. The larger (or wider) the main aperture is on any given telescope, the more "light-gathering" it is capable of, and the more you can see in the night sky. We suggest some of the below items for the budding astronomer (young or old!) to make an outing more complete...