Stars in sky question 29/01

HobbyMan

Ok, I am an absolute beginner when it comes to astronomy. I'm getting into it though along with my 7 years old son.

Anyhow I typed in 'The sky tonight' into Google and accordingly I should be able to see Taurus. Although there are plenty of stars in the sky I can't make out where Taurus is.

When I look up at the moon I can see 3 bright stars in a row (you can't miss them) below the moon, and a little to the left. Is one of those stars Aldebaran or are these stars part of another 'figure' (sorry for wrong terminology)?

There seem to be two very bright stars (or satelitte?) on either side of the 3 bright stars in a row - are these stars noteworthy?

Many thanks for answering my most basic question.

RHJ

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greedygoblin

Stellarium is also a useful piece of software to have on the computer for planning an evenings stargazing and identifying stars & planets.

From the description you give it sounds like the line of three stars you refer to is Orions belt. If you draw an imaginary line through these three stars down towards the horizon, you will go through the brightest star in the night sky; Sirius, the Dog Star.

If you extend the line upwards in the opposite direction, you will go though a reasonably bright, reddish looking star. This is Aldebaren. If you look around Aldebaren, you will see it is surrounded by several other less prominent star. Together these make a V-shape and are known as the Hyades. They are part of Taurus.

Maximus Alexander

Looks like you found yourself a new hobby, man.

HobbyMan

RHJ wrote: »

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Thanks RHJ. I have just downloaded Stellarium which is very helpful. I think the 3 stars might belong to Orion though I have to head back outside for another look.

After reading the 'Beginner' sticky above I purchased a 12 x 50 binoculars a few days ago. Hopefully I will receive them tomorrow.

I'll try your Smart Phone solution as well. Thanks again.

jfSDAS

Welcome to the world of astronomy Hobbyman (and to your 7 year old son too!)

As greedygoblin says, one of the best pieces of software to find your way round the sky is Stellarium.

A few web sites worth bookmarking are:

http://www.skymaps.com ... download a sky chart showing the evening sky for the current month
http://www.heavens-above.com ... plug in your location and get predictions for the International Space Station flyovers along with Iridium flares
http://www.spaceweather.com ... details of transient events and lots of other information on what's happening in the sky
http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/ ... information from Jodrell Bank in the UK on the current month's night sky

Sky and Telescope magazine have some great material at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-information/ including details of how to make a planisphere or "star wheel". Their version of the planisphere is more suited to mid-US latitudes but there are plenty of other examples on the web of ones that cater for the latitude of Ireland. Amazon and bookstores will sell plastic version that are robust enough for outdoor use. The Philips one is probably the best (get the one for latitude 51degrees north). A planisphere lets you dial-in the current date/time so you can see in a "window" what the sky currently looks like ... it will only show the star positions though as the planets change position from month to month.

Philips also produce a nice annual "Stargazing 2015" which costs about 10 euro. It has charts for each month, highlights what planets are on view, and also details other important annual events such as meteor showers and eclipses (there is a deep partial solar eclipse visible from Ireland on March 20th this year and a total lunar eclipse on September 28th). Here's a list of upcoming events ... http://www.universetoday.com/116461/the-top-101-astronomical-events-to-watch-for-in-2015/

ESERO has a load of links I provided them on their web site at http://esero.ie/useful-links/ ... these are the links I personally use on a regular basis. If you go to the Education and Outreach section it mentions sites that offer a lot of materials to learn about astronomy. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is world-renowned in the field of astronomy education.

The newsstands have a lot of astronomy magazines but personally I'd go for the BBC's "Sky at Night" when starting off. It is expensive because of the cover CD (and even more expensive as a subscription than buying monthly in the shops!) but I think the balance of material is quite good and is accessible to all levels of interest in astronomy. I think Astronomy Now, while also catering for the Ireland/UK market, is way too cluttered. If Eason's still have it in stock, try get a copy of "Skywatch 2015" which is published by Sky and Telescope. It highlights the celestial events during 2015 but also has a lot of very useful articles for the beginner. They did produce a magazine called "Night Sky" which was specifically targeted at budding amateur astronomers but it ceased publication after 3 years.

I got interested in astronomy myself as a 10 year old but spent a long time trying to figure things out. It was only when I joined a local astronomy club (the IAS in Dublin when I was 21) that things all came together. A club has many members more than willing give a beginner help and they will also encourage you join observing sessions where you'll have a chance look through a telescope. The Cork Astronomy Club can be contacted via http://corkastronomyclub.com/

A guide that I wrote on celestial objects visible in binoculars can be gleaned from http://www.iasindy.org/documents/astronomy101/IFAS%20Binocular%20Handbook.pdf ... the actual "Observing Challenges" link on the IFAS site is not working at the moment so I'll have to check that out with their web team.

Actually, the rest of the IFAS handbooks can be found at the bottom of the Indiana Astronomical Society's page at http://www.iasindy.org/astronomy101.php ... we had plans to produce other handbooks but ran out of steam! The Novice Challenge produced by Seanie Morris in Tullamore is a very good starting point.

Clear skies!

John

HobbyMan

Thanks for that detailed answer John.

Currently I am happy to look up at the sky and see certain named objects (i.e the winter circle and winter triangle last night) and recognise certain stars. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Jupiter this evening however, unfortunately, I have not received my binoculars yet (hopefully monday).

Your guide makes for great reading and I will finish reading it once I have some more spare time.

I am not sure if I would want to join an astronomy club, in fact I am not sure yet what exactly I want out of astronomy, however as the gentleman above said I have a new hobby so I'll take it one night at the time.

Thanks again for your post.