Copyright;Credits; About the Authors; Contributors; Acknowledgments;Preface; Why Astronomy Hacks?; How This Book Is Organized; How to Contact Us; Got a Hack?;Chapter 1: Getting Started; 1.1 Hacks 1-10; 1.2 Don't Give Up; 1.3 Join an Astronomy Club; 1.4 Safety First; 1.5 Stay Warm; 1.6 Don't Violate Observing Site Etiquette; 1.7 Be Prepared; 1.
8 Measure Your Entrance Pupil Size; 1.9 Choose the Best Binocular; 1.10 Choose the Best General-Purpose Telescope; 1.11 Equip Yourself for Urban Observing;Chapter 2: Observing Hacks; 2.1 Hacks 11-32; 2.2 See in the Dark; 2.3 Protect Your Night Vision from Local Lights; 2.4 Describe the Brightness of an Object; 2.
5 Identify Stars by Name; 2.6 Identify Stars by Catalog Designations; 2.7 Know Your Constellations; 2.8 Understand Celestial Coordinate Systems; 2.9 Print Custom Charts; 2.10 Keep Your Charts at the Eyepiece; 2.11 Locate Objects Geometrically; 2.12 Learn to Star Hop; 2.
13 Learn to See DSOs; 2.14 Observe Shallow-Space Objects; 2.15 Slow Down, You Move Too Fast, You've Got to Make the Evening Last; 2.16 Learn Urban Observing Skills; 2.17 Sweep Constellations; 2.18 Maintain an Observing Notebook; 2.19 Develop an Organized Logging System; 2.20 Plan and Prepare for a Messier Marathon; 2.
21 Run a Messier Marathon; 2.22 Photograph the Stars with Basic Equipment; 2.23 Discover and Name a New Planet;Chapter 3: Scope Hacks; 3.1 Hacks 33-43; 3.2 Center-Spot Your Mirror; 3.3 Clean Your Primary Mirror; 3.4 Eliminate Astigmatism; 3.5 Eliminate Diffraction Spikes and Increase Contrast; 3.
6 Build a Film Can Collimating Tool; 3.7 Tune Your Newtonian Reflector for Maximum Performance; 3.8 Collimate Your Primary Mirror Quickly and Accurately; 3.9 Star-Collimate Your Scope; 3.10 Counterweight a Dobsonian Scope; 3.11 Improve Dobsonian Motions with Milk Jug Washers; 3.12 Upgrade Your Dobsonian Bearings;Chapter 4: Accessory Hacks; 4.1 Hacks 44-65; 4.
2 Dark Adapt Your Notebook Computer; 4.3 Dark Adapt Your Vehicle; 4.4 Use a Barlow; 4.5 Determine Actual Barlow Magnification; 4.6 See More of the Sky; 4.7 Optimize Your Eyepiece Collection; 4.8 Chart Your Eyepiece Characteristics; 4.9 View Dim Objects in the Same Field as a Very Bright Object; 4.
10 Clean Your Eyepieces and Lenses Safely; 4.11 Install a Unit-Power Finder; 4.12 Upgrade Your Optical Finder; 4.13 Align Your Finder; 4.14 Determine Your Optical Finder's Field of View; 4.15 Determine Your True Field of View; 4.16 Enhance Lunar and Planetary Contrast and Detail; 4.17 Enhance Nebular Contrast and Detail; 4.
18 Please Be Seated; 4.19 Stash Your Gear in a Photographer's Vest or Fanny Pack; 4.20 Use a Voice Recorder for Logging; 4.21 Build or Buy an Equatorial Platform; 4.22 Make Your Computer Work for You; 4.23 Astronomy Software in the Palm of Your Hand;Colophon;.