Observing Tips for Beginners

iLikeWaffles · 06-05-2020 3:25am

The moon is not full(full) until Wednesday into Thursday is only ~97% tonight but seems brighter because it is closer. Though the 2500km or so further away it will be on Thursdays might make a little bit of difference for luminosity. This evenings moon is ~400km further away than the last supermoon (Apr 8th). Interestingly there is a closer Supermoon on June 2nd (compared to Apr 8th 364,301km), @364,235km but ~82% luminosity. Should be a nice sight When setting 3am.

Venus would have been North West. You should see it transition with Mercury on 20th/21st of May.

fryup · 06-05-2020 1:39pm

when does saturn come into view in irish skies??

iLikeWaffles · 06-05-2020 1:55pm

fryup wrote: »

when does saturn come into view in irish skies??

Already is in view should see it in the early hours, rises about 2.30am tonight SE after Jupiter which is brighter, Saturn will be just to the left of Jupiter but not as bright, Mars is also further left at a later time. It will be High in the south just before dawn depending on where you are in the country of course. I'm in Dublin.

fryup · 06-05-2020 6:11pm

and what time in the year is the best to see saturn ? say before midnight?

iLikeWaffles · 06-05-2020 6:17pm

fryup wrote: »

and what time in the year is the best to see saturn ? say before midnight?

Around July/August, You'll see it better in Winter though it sets earlier. Around 18th of December it will move behind Jupiter.

ps200306 · 06-05-2020 10:00pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Already is in view should see it in the early hours, rises about 2.30am tonight SE after Jupiter which is brighter, Saturn will be just to the left of Jupiter but not as bright, Mars is also further left at a later time. It will be High in the south just before dawn depending on where you are in the country of course. I'm in Dublin.

That's actually a good illustration of a point made earlier ... when Venus was popping out at sunset tonight the ecliptic was inclined around 45 degrees to the horizon, putting Venus high in the sky. When Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have risen they'll be "beside each other" because the ecliptic will have rotated so it's only inclined about 15 degrees to the horizon at that time.

fryup · 25-04-2021 8:30pm

when does Venus become big & bright in northern hemisphere skies?

iLikeWaffles · 25-04-2021 11:58pm

fryup wrote: »

when does Venus become big & bright in northern hemisphere skies?

Will be very close to the sun this year so not until September/October will you see it but it will be fairly close to the horizon also. Nothing much happening with planets this year. Good time to stock up on planetary gear also!

fryup · 26-04-2021 10:19am

not till sept/oct?? but it was this time last year it was like a lightbulb in the sky

iLikeWaffles · 27-04-2021 12:25am

fryup wrote: »

not till sept/oct?? but it was this time last year it was like a lightbulb in the sky

Yeah but it doesn't work like that. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have different and larger orbits around the sun you see. Jupiter's orbit is 12 of our Earth Years, Saturn's is 29 years. Mercury and Venus are closer to the sun and orbit at a different rate 88 days and 225 days respectively it is only in this time when Mercury and Venus are at elongation to the sun (furthest points compared to our view) that they can be seen when it is dark or getting dark or becoming light and they rise above the horizon. So it is rather complicated. When Venus is about 40° from the sun in terms of Earths perspective it's the best time to see but it is never going to be the exact same view we see.

For instance the Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in December only happens every 400 or so years it was literally the first time in History that it would have been seen and shared by many people, as far as we know - the last time it happened telescopes were only invented and it would have been too close to the sun also to be seen. They only conjunct (perceived to be close to one another) like that every 20 years or so but this is never quiet the same - they could be at a different angle and not as close etc.

Highly recommend using Stellarium to see when stuff will be in view. It's free to download. You can fast forward or rewind time. Will give you a better idea of what is what.

Peter T · 04-06-2021 9:27am

Can anyone recommend a set of binoculars for a beginner ? Ideally hand held to see if its for me and go from there

Floppybits · 17-02-2023 3:28pm

Hi,

I have recently got into Astronomy when my 7 year old daughter got a telescope for christmas and I was the one that had to go to the back garden to let her look at the moon. I bought a new telescope a Celestron 114AZ Newtonian reflector telescope but I am having a problem focusing and enlarging on plants like Mars and Jupiter. The moon is fine and I get some great views of the moon and my daughter loves it but I would really like to see the other planets and so would my daughter. So far I have been able to see jupiter and a couple of moons using a 15mm lens but I can't make anything out it just appears as a bright star with moons smaller and less bright, I have tried a 6mm and 4mm lens and I have tried using the 15mm with a 2 and 3x Barlow lens but still can't make out anything on the planet, its the same for the other planets, don't why but Mars seems to be the hardest to focus on.

Im not sure whether its the telescope that needs to be focused better or is it that I am doing something wrong or is it just the sky at the moment even though it looks clear that its actually not?

Also are there any places around Dublin/Meath to go to with the telescope to view the sky? So far I have just been in the back garden which is probably not the best place to be with all the lights going on and off all the time.

Thanks for the help.

dmcdona · 20-03-2023 8:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120253341#Comment_120253341

Its been a while since I did visual observing with a Newt. With a 114mm mirror, views of the moon are grand - nice and bright and big. But you'd be hard pressed to see much detail on any of the planets and Jupiter's moons will be mere dots (but you should be able to see them) - I doubt you'd see the belts but there may be hints of them. For Mars - you may "see" the polar cap (more of a hint of white) but again, timing is order of the day. You need to be looking at Mars when the polar cap is at its greatest. A cursory web search should give you a good answer.

However, there things you can do to improve your viewing - this isn't an exhaustive list but its probably close enough.

Try to collimate the scope (the user manual should show you how). It can be tricky but if you get it right, it will make a difference
Dark adaptation - this will help you see better - give your eyes at least 15 to 20 mins to acclimatise
Look at dimmer stuff first - looking at the moon first will affect your eyes so the dimmer objects are harder to see
Hard to even get a clear night here in Ireland but you best views will be in calm conditions - if the brighter starts in the sky are twinkling like mad, the "seeing" isn't great. The less twinkling, the better the conditions. Some of the best conditions I ever had were spring and autumn, not the dead of winter
If the moon is half-to-full and fairly high up in the sky, it'll wash out the dimmer objects (planets). So try to get the planets when you have a new, old or young moon.
The higher power eyepieces will giver you a higher magnification but at the expense of light-gathering and detail. There is always a sweet spot but go too high, and you'll be looking at mush.
Don't give up - keep at it. You and your daughter will get a great night at some point and the views will blow you away. Try Saturn if you can get it.

By the way, next week is Astronomy Week - loads of local presentations across the country. I'm in Loughrea and Ennis Libraries next Thursday and Friday. Really looking forward to it and its always a pleasure giving it forward.

Dave

Floppybits · 21-03-2023 10:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120380833#Comment_120380833

Thank you for the response. I have seen the videos on the collimating the telescope but I will get use to it a bit more before I start messing with that. I was able to see Jupiter and Venus. Mars for some reason I find hard to get but will keep trying. I see there is an event happening at the AI headquarters in Blanchardstown, I might try and head along to that.

dmcdona · 21-03-2023 10:11pm

Don't put off the collimation too long - that could be a reason for you not getting good visual images. Newts (or at least the ones I had) were always very fussy and needed collimating every few months. It did make a huge difference though and whilst tricky the first few times, became a breeze fairly quickly. And in fairness, whilst tricky first time, it wasn't hard, just time-consuming (maybe 30 minutes first time). I think part of my problem anyhow was the fear of breaking something - just go slowly until you build up the confidence and experience.

Going to public events can be really helpful - you can look through a number of other scopes at the same object and compare their views to your own experiences. Owners can also give good advice and tips and how to get the best out of your own scope.

Good luck and keep trying.

Observing Tips for Beginners

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