Ocean voyage, how to make the most of it?

Megastar

I'm planning to travel west for a month in November, on a ship. I'll start in Spain and end on the west coast of the US via Nova Scotia and the Panama canal.

I'm looking for tips on what to look out for on the journey. I presume there'll be no problem with light pollution. Will there be anything in the sky that you people would recommend - things that I can't see in Ireland, unusual things that will inspire and awe me.

I won't have an Internet connection so can you recommend books? I've already downloaded Stellarium thanks to the stickies here. It looks wonderful. Links to sites about stargazing at sea would be great too, if such a thing exists.

I'd like to see the planets and their moons, also examine the Pleiades which are so beautiful. Any clues as to what kind of telescope/binoculars I should get, and what kind of filters and other gear? As I'm new to this I don't want to buy loads of stuff I don't need and don't know how to use. I also don't want to find myself stranded without the most vital pieces of equipment. Possibly I'll just have to rely on the naked eye, between the movement of the boat forward and side to side

I might go to the Shannonside Starparty in the Burren to get a crash course. I'm working my way through the links on this board to find out as much as I can. Great information resource here.

I haven't done much stargazing in the past but with nothing to do for a month I think this will be a great opportunity to rectify my ignorance.

Thank you!

Hauk

Hi Megastar.

One question: Will you be near the equator at all?

You are in for a treat out in the open water. I've a boat too and have been out in the middle of the sea at night. It's amazing.

First, get to know the constellations. Stellarium is a great tool for this.

As for what is open for viewing:

You should be able to see the spiral arms of the milky way overhead. It will look like a milky lane going from one end of the horizon to the other.

In terms of planets, Jupiter(rises in the South) is up in the evening and Mars(rises in the East) is up in the early morning.

If you set the date in Stellarium to when you are going to be on the boat, take a look at whats up through the night.

Here's a treat for you. At 00:00 at night during November, the Orion constellation is above the South East Horizon. Learn how to recognise this in Stellarium and you should be able to make out the nebula(M42) with your eye out at sea.

Plaeides(M45) will be up and shining bright, so you will definitely see that.

If you sweep over to Andromeda, in the dead of the sea, you will be able to make out the Andromeda galaxy(M31) as a faint milky smudge against the sky.

Another excellent target is NGC884 and it's companion, NGC869 in Cassiopeia. This resolves as a dense star cluster in even the most low powered binoculars/telescopes, and would be a treat at sea.

At 5:50am(just before it gets bright), Saturn is just above the SE horizon, and is viewable to the naked eye. A pair of binoculars will bring out more detail.

And remember, the core of the Milky Way is in the Southern Hemisphere, so just as the sun sets at around 18:00, look SW and see if you can see any nebulosity or dense star fields.

That's all I can think of for the moment. If you want some more challenging targets, I can pick some out of Stellarium for you.

Any questions, I'll be happy to answer.

Edit: WHOOPS. I forgot to answer your main questions. I recommend a good pair of 10x50 binoculars to get you going. Nikon/Meade/Celestron all do good binoculars in this range, and they are an essential tool for good viewing. I started off with a pair of 7x50 and you would be surprised at what you can see.

To be honest with you, I wouldn't get a telescope for the boat. The movement of the ship itself would only lead to frustration. Binoculars would be your best bet in my opinion.

Megastar

Thanks so much, Hauk.

I'm really excited now. With all that information I think I'll be sleeping all day and awake all night on the trip.

Today I looked at binoculars, as per your advice. I saw Nikon Action 10x50 for €239. They were comfortable in the hand and seemed to have wonderful clarity. I also looked at a pair of Celestron 10x42 at €149 but they wobbled more as I held them and were harder to focus. Maybe focus isn't an issue looking at the sky. The shop had Canon binoculars with image stabiliser, 15x50 which were very nice indeed but were priced at €1299 :eek: I'll look online for better offers.

The most south I'll be is 7 degrees north.
I have never seen the Milky Way so the idea of seeing the core of it is thrilling. It's either never been dark enough or I didn't know what I was looking for.

Although I won't be as northerly as Ireland as I cross the Atlantic maybe I'll get a view of the Northern Lights? I've never seen them either.

Maybe with the binoculars I'll see variation in the planets. Might I see Venus as a cresent or Saturn with its rings? I'll hardly see the storm on Jupiter but I'll have a look!

The nebulas and star clusters will be new to me too. You've given me loads to plan. Thanks for the tip about setting the date and location in Stellarium. I'll be well prepared.

Should I expect to see the Leonids? I missed the Perseids.

All other tips and suggestions are welcome.

Thargor

Yeah a telescope would be practically impossible to use on a boat Id say.

Tell us more about the trip please OP, Id love to do it, what size ship? Cost? How much work do you have to do? How did you book it?

Something you should think about with binoculars is some kind of deckchair or sunlounger that will let you lie back and look up for long periods without straining your neck if you're allowed bring that much luggage.

Megastar

I'm travelling on a container ship, 32x375 metres. www.strandtravelltd.co.uk have a huge range of destinations. I'll be paying £2000 for 30 days on board, so not cheap. I can't spend any money while travelling and I get full bed and board so it works out ok, around €100 per day. I'm planning to haggle a bit when it's time to pay. They don't allow passengers to work their passage anymore.

These ships don't have stabilisers so it won't be like a ferry crossing. My ship has three double cabins for passengers. I'm going alone so there'll be a max of 4 other people. They better be nice! The crews are very small these days so there might be 10, and they may not speak much English.

They say the food is good, there's a fitness room and laundry arrangements and deck chairs. There's a common room with a VCR too. I can only bring whatever luggage I can carry.

I'm really excited. The GPS on my phone will work so I'll know where I am. I'll be navigating by the stars, of course. :cool:


I've ordered Nikon Action EX 10x50 binoculars online for €140 including postage. I ordered a few basic books too.

Since I posted here I've been finding my way around the sky. I saw the shuttle pass on Saturday morning. Last night I saw a shooting star that burnt orange when it hit the atmosphere (went from near Capella as far as Hemel at 3:40 am).

Later I'll try to see the ISS pass. There's patchy cloud but I think it'll work out.

I found an old pair of leather and brass binoculars at home. I couldn't see through them so I took them apart and washed them. There seemed to be a lot of pipe tobacco in there. I collimated them as best I could and put them back together and they are quite good, as far as I can tell.


After a few weeks with friends in California I'll be flying home for Christmas. I'll let you know how it worked out

fifilarue

Megastar-am sitting here thinking about the next three months of my life compared to yours and am green with envy. It sounds like an amazing trip. Safe journey.

Stargate

Like fifilarue said , what a great adventure , i am so happy for you , looked on that website , man .............can i come with ya

enjoy !!

Stargate

Mr Benevolent

Good luck OP, sounds amazing!

Sounds like an amazing trip, enjoy!

You should get yourself a few Carl Sagan books, they'll get you, and keep you, in the mood for astronomy over your trip.

Megastar

Thanks for your good wishes, guys. It could be a disaster or it could be wonderful but either way it's not an experience I'm going to forget.

I absolutely loved Contact and I have Pale Blue Dot as an audiobook which I've yet to listen to. I'll pick up a few more of Sagan's books before I go.