Something you will learn along the way is how to judge the limitations of your equipment and the sky. Another you will perfect is the art of “seeing.”
Just like a 3-D puzzle, some faint objects will require averted vision. This is when you look at something—but not directly at it. Our eyes are more sensitive to light at the edge of our retina than at the center. For example, you may be looking at a faint galaxy in the center of the field of view to see nothing more than a round contrast change with a brighter center—yet when you look at a nearby star your mind registers an outer arm! You might not see it at all, but a slight movement of the telescope calls attention to something in the field. When you look directly at it—it’s gone—only to return when you’re using averted vision.
Follow the P’s of astronomy: Patience—Practice—Persistence. Using this combination you will never go wrong!
]]>This is what happens when you use too much magnification. You may be looking directly at the heart of a star cluster or nebula—not realizing the object is so large it is over-filling the field of view! For a telescope user, the lowest power eyepiece you have will become your best friend. The much wider apparent field of view will help put larger objects into perspective and aid you in finding smaller ones.
Remember, it is light gathering ability that makes a deep space object visible—not magnification.
When you are studying a planet or the Moon’s surface—magnification is essential—but remember stability. Just like looking out over a hot surface during the daytime, the air might be invisible—but turbulent. This can be caused by your own optics being at a different temperature than the outside air, or it could be our atmosphere itself. Remember to be extra patient when using high power and wait on a point of “steady seeing.”
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It’s a learning process.
The simple act of a rough sketch of Jupiter and its moon’s positions will allow you at a later time to discover which moon you were looking at. Perhaps the next time you look, you compare the same rough sketch to what you see and you have now learned how Jupiter’s moons orbit. One night a moon might be missing to reappear from behind Jupiter hours later—or you might catch its round, dark shadow on Jupiter’s surface as it transits. Your notes are there to aid you!
As your experience increases, you will refer to your notes often. You will become proficient at learning what particular night a certain lunar feature will be visible, or what time a planet’s feature might appear. You will learn to judge what your equipment is capable of and surprise yourself when it exceeds your expectations! You’ll understand which eyepieces work best on certain objects and when conditions are the best to see them. By taking notes, you give yourself a valuable reference point—one which will only benefit you.
Many different astronomy clubs offer certificates of achievement for studies at all levels, so be sure to keep track of what time, conditions, equipment and the name of the object you viewed. No matter who you are, or what you use, it’s wonderful to be recognized for your ability to learn and the objects you’ve captured! From constellations to lunar features, double stars, comets and galaxies—the awards and rewards are numerous.
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Now you understand.
Sometimes astronomy can be as lucky as hitting the bullseye on the first throw, but most of the time it is more like learning to play a game. The more your practice, the easier it becomes. Don’t be afraid of disappointments or frustrating nights—everyone learns at a different pace. Remember your three P’s and you’ll soon be amazed at what you can do!
]]>For technical help with your telescope or binoculars, you will need to contact the dealer from which you purchased your equipment. Although they can’t help you locate an object in the sky, they can assist with such simple matters as a poorly collimated scope, or something that doesn’t perform correctly.
Check in your area for a local astronomy club. Many members are very willing to work with a beginner and answer questions. Don’t be afraid to approach them because your knowledge is limited—they were beginners once as well!
If all else fails, have a look on the web. You would be very surprised at the amazing amount of astronomy information that’s available right at your fingertips.
]]>By pursuing the hobby of astronomy, you will not only see the distant objects—but gain a natural curiosity about what they are and how they came to be. Follow your curiosity! There is nothing more rewarding than knowing the globular cluster you just viewed in your binoculars is more than 13 billion years old... or the star cluster you just saw in your telescope is 2900 light years away... or an unusual looking crater on the Moon is 60 miles wide and 3,000 feet deep.
Even if this type of information doesn’t take your fancy, you’ll find the practice of astronomy to be a quiet, peaceful and very stress relieving hobby. It’s one that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, regardless of education or financial means. Be it with your eyes, a pair of binoculars or with a telescope—there’s an entire Cosmos out there....
Just waiting to be explored!
]]>Just like a globe, the celestial sphere has poles and an equator and is divided by lines called Declination (Dec) and Right Ascension (RA)—like latitudes and longitudes on an earthly globe. Dec is the north and south measurement and its terms are expressed in degrees. RA is the angle from celestial equator. Instead of using degrees, its coordinates are measured in hours eastward from the point in Pisces where the ecliptic plane meets the celestial equator.
The celestial sphere is not tilted on its axis and the stars always remain the same. While the distant stars are moving, it would be hundreds of years before we noticed. Unless you move to another part of the Earth, you will see the same stars from our little window on the sky. They will change from night to night until our “window” has made a full circle of the celestial sphere.
]]>Venus and Mercury whiz by the Earth several times a year, hiding in front of or behind the Sun. Earth is chasing them, but on a longer track. Outside are Mars, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. We are all on the same flat plane. Sometimes the Sun is between Earth and the outer planets. When the inner planets pass the Earth, or the Earth passes the outer planets, something very extraordinary happens: retrograde motion. Picture yourself in a moving car coming up on another vehicle. As you approach, the other car seems to slow down, stand still and then move backwards. This is how retrograde motion works!
]]>The Earth is tilted on its axis, spinning like a huge gyroscope—holding our position as we orbit the Sun and our Moon orbits us. Just like our imaginary runner around the bases, we reach a point where our northern hemisphere is titled towards the Sun—Summer Solstice. As we progress to the opposite, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun—Winter Solstice.
During Summer Solstice the Sun will appear to be slightly higher in the sky for the northern hemisphere and the Moon slightly lower. At Winter Solstice the opposite is true. Twice yearly we reach the point in our orbit where night and day is about equal and the Sun and Moon begin to exchange places—Equinox.
Demonstrate these changes for yourself by creating a simple equinox marker and measure the shadow when the Sun is at its highest and hen again over the weeks as the seasons change!
]]>The Moon moves with clockwork precision around our Earth as we orbit the Sun. Our gravity causes the Moon to rotate on its axis in exactly the same time that it takes to orbit the Earth. The same “side” always faces us, but it doesn’t look the same because the angle between the Earth, the Moon and the Sun changes. This is called the Moon’s phase.
Picture the Moon’s orbit as a baseball diamond with Earth as the pitcher. Behind home plate is the catcher—the Sun—and the Moon is up to bat. If you are looking at the catcher, you are looking at the brightest light imaginable. The Moon-batter is still there, but you cannot see it because it is between you and the Sun! This phase is called New Moon.
As the Moon slowly moves away from the setting western Sun and moves towards first base, each night you will see a little bit more. When it reaches first base we see the eastern half of the Moon. This phase is called First Quarter.
When the Moon reaches second base it is directly opposite the Sun at home plate with the Earth-pitcher in between. You can now see the whole face! This is known as Full Moon. It rises in the east as the Sun sets west.
The Moon rises later each night until it reaches third base. Then we see the western half illuminated—called Third Quarter. As it gets thinner and heads toward the rising Sun, it becomes New again!
Most of the time the Moon’s orbit carries it just slightly north or south of the Earth’s position relative to the Sun. About every six months near equinox—equal times of night and day—the position changes slightly allowing Earth’s shadow to cover it while Full—a Lunar Eclipse. When the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun it’s a Solar Eclipse. They happen, but we might not live in a place where we can see them.
]]>At the Earth’s equator, we move at an amazing speed of 1,000 miles per hour. We can’t feel it because it’s like being in a moving car, but we’d notice something called parallax—how a thing closer seems to move faster while something further away moves slower.
The stars change position by four minutes every day—this is sidereal time. The stars visible just before dawn are still moving across the sky during the day—appearing again after sunset. To understand sidereal time, choose a night where you can see a bright star near a fixed point. Mark your spot and return two weeks later at the exact same time at the exact same spot. You’ll see the star has now progressed almost one hour on its path!
Now let’s go learn more about what we can see...
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