[ATMoB-discuss] Helping a new telescope user

[fourthside at gmail.com]

Hi everyone. I seem to have found myself in a situation many of you 
have probably run into a few times. Earlier this afternoon a friend of 
mine excitedly reported the acquisition of a new scope. Congratulating 
him, I asked for further details and struggled a bit to get them 
("Well, does it have a lens in the front, a big mirror down in the 
bottom of the tube, or both? Where does the eyepiece come out?"). 
Eventually we identified it as a Meade DS114-AT, a 4.5inch f/8 
newtonian with their autostar system. This will be a first telescope 
for someone who does not have any real experience in stargazing. I 
would guess the first sessions will be more about the scope and not so 
much about what's up there.

So I'll phrase my question very broadly. What can/should I do to get 
him up and running and enjoying the sky? Ordinarily, I might have just 
invited him out to the clubhouse and shown him how to use his scope, 
however he's living in southern California. We're limited to email and 
IRC. Of particular concern for me is finding guide stars for the 
computer. Any help with this "outreach" effort would be quite 
appreciated!

-Ross Barros-Smith