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How To Use a Telescope For Star Gazing

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

While anyone can casually gaze up at the heavens with their naked eyes to enjoy the beauty of the stars and constellations, a person who is serious about getting involved in astronomy must use a telescope for stargazing. Here are some tips to help you use your telescope to its fullest capabilities.

Not every telescope is designed for stargazing. Some are designed for terrestrial use, and others are more suitable for viewing the Moon. For deep-space objects such as stars, distant planets, nebulae and galaxies, you must use a model capable of high magnification and light gathering.

Most of the urban and suburban areas in the United States are too well lit to allow for good star viewing. If you are able, go as far away from these places as you can. Otherwise, set up your tripod as far away from house lights as possible, or aim the telescope away from them.

Use a reliable star chart to find a prominent star. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere and it is spring or summer, a good star to observe is Polaris. Also known as the North Star, it is relatively easy to find. Enslaved people escaping from the South before the Civil War used Polaris to help guide them northward.

To observe Polaris through your telescope, look for the constellation Ursa Major, also known as Big Dipper. Find the pointer stars Merak and Dubhe. They are located on the outer border of Big Dipperâ€™s cup. Merak is at the base, and Dubhe is at the rim. Draw an imaginary line from Merak to Dubhe, and extend the line out five times the distance between the two. The star in this location is Polaris.

Use the finder scope to point the telescope at Polaris. It will allow the star to visible through the main eyepiece. Fine-tune the image with the focus knobs.

Watching The Night Sky Through The Seasons

admin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

If you are someone who loves the night sky, do not simply restrict yourself to days when it is warm. The summer skies are lovely, but do remember that you will find that the view changes depending on what time of year you are considering! The tilt of the Earth and our position relative to the sun affects the constellations and planets we can see.

Just because you are going out in the middle of winter does not mean that you need to be uncomfortable. Make sure that you have a soft place to sit, and bundle up.I was looking for more information and found it here. One accessory that many amateur astronomers cannot live without are fingerless gloves which have a mitten top that can be flipped over the bare fingers. This means that you can make delicate calibrations with your fingers while still staying warm.

Bring some food. A thermos can keep your food warm even on very chilly nights, and sometimes, having a thermos full of hot soup or hot chocolate can make your expedition much more comfortable.

When you are thinking about going stargazing, consider doing it in the spring, fall and winter as well as the summer. This is a fantastic way to see the world and everything it has to offer.

Learning To Tell The Seasons By The Stars

admin — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In this modern day of overflowing information the need to determine anything without the help of some kind of technology may seem superfluous. In most cases there will never be a real need for an ability to tell time by the sun, or what time of year it is by the stars, and yet over the course of human history this ability has been paramount to humanity’s survival. Despite the lack of need there are still men and women who find watching the sky fascinating, and the ability to discern nature through the stars has its own following.

Star hopping is an amateur method, which usually uses either a manual telescope or binoculars to determine the placement of celestial objects close to the naked eye. One of the easiest methods to discern the season was charted years ago by different ancient societies. A common constellation group followed was determined by the Greco-Romans. A popular story follows the progression of Orion, who hunts, or is visible, between the months of November to February. According to the Greek myth he was killed by a scorpion sent by Apollo, and during the summer months Orion’s constellation seemingly disappears and is chased away by the coming of the Scorpion constellation. This famous myth is just one of many examples used to chart the seasons utilizing the stars. With the advancement of technology the need to chart seasons has died, but the curiosity of humanity continues to keep us looking up at the sky.

Interesting Facts About Constellation Stories

admin — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The stars visible in the sky seem almost endless, but a handful of them have been recognized and viewed by generation after generation as something else. Each culture had its own views of the constellations and all of those shapes in the sky have some story behind their formation.

In the west most of our legends about the constellations come from the ancient Greeks and Romans. You may not know the true myths behind some of the most famous heavenly figures. Take Ursa Major (a.k.a. The Big Dipper) which is known to be the image of a bear, and Ursa Minor, the little bear. But why a bear? The story behind these two bears come from the Romans. Their god Jupiter fell in love with a beautiful sea nymph. Unfortunately for the nymph the wife of Jupiter, Juno, found out about his plot to have her brought to Mt. Olympus and she became angry. Jupiter, afraid his wife would harm the nymph, transformed her and her child into bears and sent them into a forest to live where Juno would not be able to find them. But Juno was crafty and she found out about this plot as well and sent a hunter into the forest to kill the bears. After the bears were killed Jupiter was furious but he could do nothing but honor the slain sea nymph by placing her in the sky, thus the constellation was born in legend.

All the constellations have intricate stories behind their inception. Every time you look into the sky youâ€™re not simply seeing stars, planets, meteors and galaxies youâ€™re seeing the oldest stories of mankind kept alive for as long as the stars shine.

Interesting Historical Facts Related To Astronomy

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Astronomy is one of the oldest forms of natural science. This type of science goes back to the times of Antiquity. Ancient scientists would tell the difference between different planets and star types because they thought of them as places for the gods. The very first form of astronomy used was during the Bronze Age, and there are plenty of stars which still have names from this era in time. The ancient Greeks thought of Astronomy as a different type of mathematics and were strongly for it. Many mathematicians and philosophers of the time including Aristotle and Plato believed the world turned on an axis. They began to understand the cosmic basis of stars and other planets which other countries learned from them decades later.

During the 1050s, a crab nebula had exploded and its brightness expanded through the sky so far that both Arab and Chinese astronomers had documented its radiant glow. It was so intense, that the aftermath of the explosions left the sky shining brightly during the night for months afterward. Another interesting fact is that a Dutch eyeglass craft maker named Johannes Lippershy is the first person to create the glass used for a telescope. However, the first person to ever use a telescope was Galileo Galilei.

Things To Learn At a Planetarium

admin — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

For many, the summer means vacations, the beach, cookouts and warm weather. For a select few, summertime means clear nights when the stars are visible. When you can see stars, you see constellations.

A constellation is nothing more than a specific group of stars. Many have names, such as the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion, Pegasus, etc. Finding and naming the constellations is a difficult task. Enter the planetarium.

A planetarium is a special theater that allows people to see what the night sky looks like. Cast against a dome, the entire sky is laid out before the viewer, and a guide highlights specific constellations and planets.I found some more information here.

Interested in finding the North Star and its historical purpose? The planetarium will have it and a brief history of how early travelers used that star to find their way. Curious to find Orion and his belt? The three stars of Orion’s belt can be singled out, have a line drawn between each star and an outline of the figure for the viewer.

The best part about a planetarium is you don’t have to wait until the dark of night to visit. Most planetariums are open during the day, most of the year. No need to go outside and fight mosquitoes and other summer pests, when you can relax in a comfortable reclining chair while having your own guide take you on a trip through the stars.

The Best Times To Visualize Star Patterns

admin — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Each constellation has a certain season in which it can be viewed better compared to others. It is best to view stars during late evenings or early mornings.

During the winter, constellations can be seen which include the Orion which represents a hunter with a sword on his belt. The three stars located along the Orion’s belt are the Orion Nebula.

During the fall, constellations that can be seen include the Andromeda and the Pegasus which represents a winged horse. Other constellations that are visible to the left of Ardromeda are Aries and Pisces, along with Cephus located to the right.The whole story can be found at http://www.space.com/15722-constellations.html

The summertime is a great time to see constellations such as Cygnus the Swan. It is a in the shape of a triangle and made up of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Lyra. To the right of the Lyra are twenty stars that make up the Hercules constellation.

The spring is the best time to see the Big Dipper. It has an arc of three stars that lead up to four stars that make a rectangle. Above the Big Dipper is the Ursa Minor which is a mirrored version of the Big Dipper. Other constellations include Leo and Virgo.

Learning The Names Of The Planets

admin — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

One of the joys of astronomy is studying the planets in our own solar system. Scientists used to list nine planets in rotation around our sun. Pluto was demoted to â€œdwarf planetâ€ status in 2006. As such, there are now only eight planets in the local neighborhood that is our solar system.

Of those eight, the Earth is one. Most of the rest are named after Roman gods. Mercury is closest to the sun. It is small and hot, and it moves quickly around the Sun. Venus is next. It is about the same size as the Earth, and it is our closest planetary neighbor.This{{/tag} helps explain it more. Earth is the third planet, followed by Mars. Although Mars is further away from us than Venus, it is still quite close. It is also the planet scientists believe is most capable of supporting life, which is why many old-fashioned space alien movies featured Martians.

After these four there is a huge gap before the rest. These remaining planets are also much larger than any of the first few, and they are gaseous. For this reason they are referred to as the â€œgas giantsâ€. The biggest is also the first: Jupiter. In Roman mythology Jupiter was the head god, so the name is appropriate for the â€œhead planetâ€. Next is Saturn, famous for its rings. The last two are Uranus and Neptune. Uranus was god of the underworld, so is an appropriate name for a dark planet that is so far from the sun. Neptune was god of the sea, and the name alludes to the bluish hue of this planet.

Necessary Supplies For Avid Star Gazing

admin — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The number one most important supply for an avid star gazer is a telescope. However, it is important to know what type of telescope to get before you buy one. Often times, people end up wishing they had done better research because their telescope isnâ€™t performing very well, or it cost way too much money than the star gazer would have wanted to spend.

However, as an avid star gazer, youâ€™re more likely to not be satisfied with the telescopeâ€™s performance. If you are just getting into star gazing but your pretty sure that this is going to be a hobby of yours for a long time, then a good type of telescope to purchase would be the â€œDobsonianâ€ telescope. This type of telescope is ideal for beginner star gazer enthusiasts because the Dobsonian telescope is a high quality telescope that will satisfy your quality requirements and yet will still be much cheaper than some other types of telescopes.

Though the telescope is the most important supply for avid star gazers, cameras can still be a good choice. The Canon EOS 60Da is a special edition camera that was constructed specifically for astronomers. This camera has a star recognition software and is excellent for taking pictures of the sky.

Best Ways To View The Night Sky

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

There are few things more awe inspiring than to view the heavens on a cloudless night. The brilliant stars, planets and other sky objects are without number. Besides just observing the night sky with the naked eye, there are some other ways to get a closer view of the worlds beyond.

A good pair of inexpensive binoculars really brings the stars and constellations into better view. These type of binoculars may be purchased at almost any sporting goods store. They are a good way to begin astronomical viewing. If you wish to spend a little more money, astronomical binoculars provide a greater level of magnification and clearer images.

Those wishing to view the night sky in the best possible manner will want to invest in a good telescope. The type of telescope you will buy all depends on what you want to view and how much money you want to spend.

Refractor telescopes are usually the most inexpensive choice. These telescopes are easy to operate and provide good viewing of the closer planets and constellations.

If you want greater magnification and clearer images, you should purchase a reflector telescope. Newtonian reflectors are the least expensive models. They provide the viewer with clear images and good magnification.

For the best viewing, invest in a Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector. These telescopes are more expensive than Newtonian reflectors, but the viewing quaility is superior, and they are more durable.