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Observing Tips for Beginners

  • 10-01-2009 2:43pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 839 ✭✭✭


    Hi Folks,

    I recently put together a few tips for a young nephew of a friend of mine and I thought that some of those who got telescopes for Christmas might also benefit from the info... I'll be adding some more difficult targets to the list of objects soon enough.

    Please add your own tips and experience!

    Some tips for observing


    Ecliptic
    This is the imaginary line that the Sun traces as it moves across the sky. It is like a big arc that starts at the horizon in the East and is at it's highest point in the South and then finishes at the horizon in the West. Its exact shape and height in the sky depend on your location (latitude) on Earth and the time of year. For us in the Northern hemisphere, it is at its highest around June 21st (Summer Solstice) and at it's lowest around December 21st (Winter Solstice). This ecliptic is very important in astronomy because pretty much all of the objects in our Solar system (the Moon, planets and asteroids) are visible on or around the same line - So like the Sun, all of the these objects rise in the East, are at their highest to the South and set in the West. It makes sense if you think about it because most of the objects in the Solar System lie in a roughly flat plane (a big disc with the Sun at the center). The 12 signs of the Zodiac are constellations which appear all the way around the ecliptic.

    Altitude
    The higher an object is in the sky, the better it is for viewing. When we look at objects low in the sky, they are much less bright and appear 'wobbly' because you are looking at them through a lot more of the Earth's atmosphere.

    - Download Stellarium (astronomy sky-mapping software) - In my opinion, this is a must-have for anybody with an interest in astronomy.
    Basic Instructions to get started:
    - The first time you run the new version 10.0, you need to set your viewing location - press F6 and type Dublin in the search text field on the top right.
    - To select an object, just click it with your mouse and information will appear on the top left of screen (magnitude and az/alt are the most important of this information because they give the apparent brightness and location of the object selected). If you want to center the selected object and zoom in, 'click' the mouse wheel and slide the wheel up and down
    - As well as seeing what is in the sky now, you can speed up time and see how objects move across the sky over time. Also, for example, if you're waiting to see Jupiter, you can click forward through the months and keep an eye on it's location at about 9pm. You'll find out that it will be best viewed in September/October this year.
    - If you zoom in on a planet, you can find out the names of the moons you are seeing when you look through your telescope (don't forget that what you see in your telescope is usually upside-down and /or the wrong-way-round)
    - Another cool trick is to zoom in on a planet with moons and speed up time so that you can see the moons orbiting the planet at different rates. To do this, it is best to switch off the 'ground' and 'atmosphere' and select 'equatorial mount' mode - These can all be done on the horizontal menu bar at the bottom left.

    Earth Is Spinning!
    As I mentioned above, most objects rise in the East and move across the sky and set in the West. This is because the Earth is spinning - objects in the sky move in a full circle, 360 degrees every 24 hours or 15 degress per hour. You will notice that if you look at an object in your telescope (especially at high magnification), it will gradually move across your field of view and you will have to keep adjusting the scope to follow it (unless of course you have a telescope with motorized 'tracking').

    Looking for planets and other objects in the sky
    At first it can seem quite daunting to try and find a planet in the vast array of stars in the night sky. However, with some practice, you will start to become familiar with the cardinal points in your garden (North, South, East, West), the main constellations, the brightest stars and the ecliptic. All of these will help you navigate around the sky. The most common method of finding things is called 'star-hopping' - You start off with something familiar (like the Plough which looks like a pot) and then find out where your object is in relation to that (e.g. the Whirlpool Galaxy or 'M51' is just a little bit below the first star in the 'handle' of the pot). When looking for very faint objects in an unfamiliar part of the sky, I sometimes make up my own little constellations or use 'L' shapes and triangles and imagine lines going from one bright star to another and then continuing on a certain distance to the object I'm looking for. Star-hopping is something that can't really be explained in detail but you will figure out your own tricks for doing it with practice!

    Actually pointing your telescope at an object
    This is more difficult than you would expect. I remember when I started using my first telescope spending most of my time trying to get objects in my eyepiece's field of view. Now I know, there are a couple of simple tricks that make this task much easier! First, your finder scope should be aligned with your telescope - This means that when you have an object in the centre of the cross-hairs of your finder scope, that object will also be in the centre of your eyepiece when you look through it. You can adjust the alignment of your finder scope by adjusting the 3 screws that hold it in place (look up your telescope manual or the net for more info on this). The second trick works as follows: Look through the finder scope with 1 eye, keep the other eye open and looking at the target object (your brain will 'map' the 2 images, one from each eye onto each other). Now, move the scope so that you bring the centre of the cross-hairs towards the object. The object will appear in the finderscope and you can now use the eye looking through the finderscope to center the object exactly in the cross-hairs.

    'Averted Vision'
    Sometimes it is easier to see a very faint object if you don't look directly at it. This sounds a bit odd but it's true. If you look a little to one side of a faint galaxy but continue to concentrate on it, you may see it more clearly. This is because the cells near but not at the centre of your retina (back of your eyeball) are more suited to distinguishing very faint objects. Works for me anyway but not everyone!

    Expectations
    Some people get their first telescope and expect to see a flag on the Moon and galaxies and nebulae as they appear in astronomy magazines and episodes of Star Trek. Unfortunately, this is not the case! You will only be able to see 'detail' on our nearest Solar System neighbours (especially, the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter). If you're lucky, a galaxy or nebula will appear as a very faint, fuzzy smudge of light in your eyepiece (or binoculars) - The pictures in the magazines are only possible because long-exposure photos have been taken with a telescope and camera (sometimes several hours worth of 'exposure' or light for a single photo). Asteroids and distant planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Mercury) will essentially appear as dots quite like ordinary stars. However, once you know what to expect and you spend some time and effort looking for them, those dots and smudges can be quite exciting and rewarding to observe!


    Interesting items to observe: [Easy-ish]


    The Moon
    Shouldn't be too difficult to find if it's out at night or even during the day! Try to identify some of the more prominent craters and maria ('seas' - large areas or darker rock). Also, keep an eye on the 28-day orbit of the Moon from day to day. You will see how the location of the Moon changes relative to the background stars - approx 13 degress per day.. and of course how the apparant shape or 'phase' of the moon changes (crescent, half moon, gibbous). Everyone knows that Moon's shape and position changes but it's interesting to actually watch and predict it's changes every day or two and really get a feel for it's pattern.

    Venus
    After the moon (and Sun of course), Venus is the brightest natural object in our sky (the occasional comet comes along that's brighter for a short time and the international space station is probably not far off Venus's brightness at this stage). The main feature of Venus that will be visible in your telescope is the semi-circular or crescent shape (just like the Moon, Venus and Mercury have 'phases' - from our vantage point, only part of Venus/Mercury is lit up by the Sun). It will be visible in the South to West at twilight until around March this year (following the path of the Sun in the sky and setting in the West)

    Saturn
    This is the coolest and most popular target for beginner astronomers. The rings are visible 'edge-on' at the moment and look like spikes either side of the planet. 3 or 4 of the brighter moons (especially Titan) will also be visible along a straight line either side of Saturn - Saturn will be visible if you stay up late in January and then at earlier times of night from February to May 2009.

    Jupiter
    You will easily be able to see the 4 brightest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto (called Galilean moons after Galileo who discovered them around 400 years ago), even with binoculars. You might also be able to distinguish the different coloured bands of gas like horizontal stripes on Jupiter and if you're very lucky and get the right night, you might be able to make out the great red spot near the equator (a giant storm about 4 times the size of the Earth that has existed at least since Galileo first obseved it!) - Stellarium will help you determine when the spot is visible if you zoom in on Jupiter and 'speed up time'. Jupiter will be best viewed from August to December this year.

    Mars
    Mars will be making an appearance towards the end of the year. It will be visible in the East in the early hours of the morning from around August but will be visible in the East shortly after 10pm by December. The most distinctive feature when observing Mars is the red colour (although I think this will only be apparent in larger scopes). Also, apparently polar ice is also sometimes visible in telescopes at the top/bottom of the planet but I've never seen it! Mars has 2 moons (Phobos and Deimos) but they are too small to be seen with a home telescope.

    Mercury
    You might catch Mercury low in the West (following the Sun) only for the next couple of days. After that, it will be visible in April after sunset. Basically, it is so close to the Sun that we don't often get a good view of it because it is masked by the glare of the Sun. You will only ever see it shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. I have never seen it in the scope but I'd imagine it will appear as a small dot! Perhaps you will also be able to make out the same crescent of half-moon type shape which you see with Venus.

    'Pleiades' Open Star Cluster (Seven Sisters)

    This is an open star cluster (hundreds or thousands of stars packed together in a relatively small part of the galaxy). It is located in the constallation Taurus and consists of 7 main starts which can be seen with the naked eye. It is easy enough to spot with the naked eye as a 'bright blur' in the constellation Taurus. Closer inspection with binoculars or telescope at low power will reveal hundreds of faint stars like grains of salt! It can be seen most of the year but is best in the Winter.

    Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
    This is our nearest neighbouring galaxy which lies about 2 million light years away - a long way away! It is probably best seen with binoculars. There is a simple trick to finding it in the sky: The constellation Cassiopeia is a large W shape and is always visible in our sky (it never rises or sets below the horizon!). Look at the right-hand half of this W and image that it's an arrow pointing down. It points to a brightish star in the constellation Andromeda called Mirach. Now if you draw a line from Mirach to it's nearest star (back roughly in the direction of Cassiopeia) and go the same distance again in the same direction, you will see Andromeda galaxy. Use Stellarium to try to follow these instructions because it's hard to describe just using text! You should use a low-powered eyepiece if using your telescope and you will see Andromeda as a faint longish oval shape 'haze' (much easier to find in binoculars though!). It can be seen at certain times of the night for most of the year but is especially good on dark (and moonless) Winter nights (if it's really dark, you might even see it with the naked eye).


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 706 ✭✭✭MoonDancer


    Dr Pepper wrote: »
    Jupiter
    You will easily be able to see the 4 brightest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto (called Galilean moons after Galileo who discovered them around 400 years ago), even with binoculars. You might also be able to distinguish the different coloured bands of gas like horizontal stripes on Jupiter and if you're very lucky and get the right night, you might be able to make out the great red spot near the equator (a giant storm about 4 times the size of the Earth that has existed at least since Galileo first obseved it!) - Stellarium will help you determine when the spot is visible if you zoom in on Jupiter and 'speed up time'. Jupiter will be best viewed from August to December this year.

    This is a great post! Thanks very much!
    I was wondering though,
    What type of telescope would I need to see Jupiter & it's red spot? The cheaper, the better! :o


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭rccaulfield


    Very helpful-Thanks!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭Dubhghaillix


    Can you actually see the moons with Binoculars? I was out stargazing the other night, and I took out a set, I was looking at Jupiter and all I could see was the planet. What strength magnification do you need?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 130 ✭✭iliketeaandcake


    really interesting post, very helpful! took my first trip out to Blackrock Observatory in Cork earlier on in the year for a quarter-moon viewing just for something to do. Wasnt expecting it to be so cool at all! blew me away!:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 25 acrmorris


    Firstly, thanks for the info. I got a telescope for christmas, so I am still learning about this fascinating subject, and any help is appreciated.

    Just thought I'd let you know about the iPod touch/iPhone app called 'planets' which would be a greatly simplified version of Stellarium, but still handy as a very quick reference of what planets are visible at any time. The app displays in 2d and 3d and is free to download.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭Dubhghaillix


    Star map for iPhone is also good.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,327 ✭✭✭Sykk


    Star map for iPhone is also good.
    I'm using one called Star walk - has a realtime updater for all planets according to your position. Tis pretty naice.


  • Registered Users Posts: 216 ✭✭StaunchyDJ


    Very sorry if this is the wrong place to put this but I can't hold it in... :-P

    Anyone else see the 5-6 Comets or Meteors fly over bout 15min ago??? I kid you not! At least 5. I'm in Clondalkin, Grange Castle an I seen the over Wyeths Factory an as typin this now there's more! Look towards Kildare an you'll see more now an please don't try tell me they are planes there is no way they would have so many so close! And the were very bright with short tails and one must have hit the atmospher because it shot in the opposite direction it was going an then disappeared within a second! The end is NOW lmao No seriously anyone else see anything?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭Dubhghaillix


    Dayum, too foggy where I am.... :( hope they're good.


  • Registered Users Posts: 57 ✭✭Savage Cabbage


    Hey guys Im totally new to this but have always had an interest. I got a Celestron Firstscope for Christmas there from someone as an introduction but im not sure its much use for looking at anything other than the moon as it doesnt seem to be very powerful its a 3 refractor I think. Is there a minimum aperture that you should get in order to see much detail?

    Great intro post by the way thanks for that most sites ive been on to have been way too technical to follow and not much for absolute beginners like me


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Hey guys Im totally new to this but have always had an interest. I got a Celestron Firstscope for Christmas there from someone as an introduction but im not sure its much use for looking at anything other than the moon as it doesnt seem to be very powerful its a 3 refractor I think. Is there a minimum aperture that you should get in order to see much detail?

    Great intro post by the way thanks for that most sites ive been on to have been way too technical to follow and not much for absolute beginners like me

    You have to understand, you get what you pay for. The Firstscope only has a 3" aperture, and naturally - you won't be able to see much with it. It's a reflector scope, not a refractor.

    You should be able to make out Jupiter with it and possibly some of it's moons. You won't see any detail however. You should also aim for the Orion Nebula. It's very easy to find. Mars will also be easy to find, but once again it's not going to show any detail.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 the quick fix


    hey guys, I need some help. I downloaded stellarium and used the coordinates of saturn for az/alt. I set my lattitude aswel and i could not see anything at that particular time. I tested to see if the moon's coordinates that i had matched, were where the moon was in the sky and it just did not aim in the right direction. I would really appreciate some advice on what i am doing wrong, thanks


  • Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    Hi,

    Have you set your location correctly in Stellarium?

    I would guess that not having this done could put the figures out enough to mess up your viewing.

    Peter


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭francie81


    Hello ppl,

    New to this also as I have a good interest in astronomy. So got a telescope as a christmas present its a 'Bresser' Skylux NG 35x-175x am lost on that but am just wondering is this too good of a one to start off with or just the right one also am wondering should I wait for a real good excuse (event) to set it up so I have a good view of the sky?

    Advice would be greatful,
    Thanks


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,055 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    francie81 wrote: »
    Hello ppl,

    New to this also as I have a good interest in astronomy. So got a telescope as a christmas present its a 'Bresser' Skylux NG 35x-175x am lost on that but am just wondering is this too good of a one to start off with or just the right one also am wondering should I wait for a real good excuse (event) to set it up so I have a good view of the sky?

    Advice would be greatful,
    Thanks

    Set it up and go out and have a look at Jupiter. It is very easy to find in the south just after sunset. See if you can spot it's 4 large moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto orbiting it and check out Uranus which is less than 1 degree away from Jupiter at the moment.

    5325036704_279ab283d2_b.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭francie81


    Great stuff am gonna set it up the weekend for definate that is some sight indeed wow.

    Thanks alot


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,041 ✭✭✭cocoshovel


    Hey all, I was wondering if it is possible to see any detail from pleiades with a pair of binoculars?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 glenbrook


    cocoshovel wrote: »
    Hey all, I was wondering if it is possible to see any detail from pleiades with a pair of binoculars?

    Absolutely, Pleides actually looks better in good binoculars than most telescopes, this is because telescopes often have a field of view which is narrower than the cluster itself. Use something like 10x50 or even 7x50. You get best brightness when you match the aperture and magnification to the size of your dark adapted eyes. Young people have pupils which are 7mm when dark adapted (on average). Older people have less, maybe 5mm. So if you are young, a 7x50 binos will give 50/7 = 7mm exit pupil. 10x50 will be better for more detail, but you will be best to try to put the binos on a tripod, or rest them against something. A deck chair can be useful because Pleides are quite high in the sky and you can get a real neck strain pointing the binos up if you are standing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭patsman07


    I've recently become interested in this subject and as a result my girlfriend got me a telescope for my birthday. I've having serious trouble focusing on anything apart from the moon, despite spending a lot of time trying to focus on planets using stellarium. My problem seems to be with focusing on the object. The telescope cost around 100euro so maybe thats the problem. When I find a planet it always appears as a bright circle but with a smaller dark circle in the centre. Tinkering with the focus knobs will either enlarge or shrink the dark circle, if i continue to turn the knob to keep shrinking the dark circle i end up with a small spec of light, further turning will result in the dark circle reappearing.

    Apoligies if the solution is glaringly obvious or for using the wrong terms, im a complete novice but I am very interested to learn about this topic.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!


  • Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    What kind of scope do you have (make and model)?

    Is it a reflector (mirrors) or refractor (lenses)?

    The black spot sounds like an exageration of the black spot you see when out of focus with a reflector.

    Where are you?

    Peter


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  • Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭patsman07


    peterako wrote: »
    What kind of scope do you have (make and model)?

    Is it a reflector (mirrors) or refractor (lenses)?

    The black spot sounds like an exageration of the black spot you see when out of focus with a reflector.

    Where are you?

    Peter

    Its a Konus Konuspot-Mak-90x. Its a reflector. Im in the countryside of North Louth. Just North of Dundalk


  • Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    Have PMed you.

    Peter


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    Folks, particularly interested in finding Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus in the sky at the moment, but haven't a clue where to look: north, south, east, or west?


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 the quick fix


    Tremelo wrote: »
    Folks, particularly interested in finding Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus in the sky at the moment, but haven't a clue where to look: north, south, east, or west?

    Hey Tremelo. I am afraid to say at the moment Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Mercury are tracking the sun across the sky and it would be very hard to see them. The best chance at seeing them would be at around 6 when the sun comes up in the east but you have a much better chance at that time to see Venus. Venus will be very low in the sky at 6- half 6 before the sun outshines it but it is the brightest thing in the sky at that time.

    For Saturn at the moment you can find it in the south-east at 11pm high in the sky. Its not very bright but you should be able to see it. Saturn would probably be the most practical planet to see at the minute as the others follow the sun but I recommend you look for a star system named Sirius. It can be found at half 9 in the south-west. It appears red and blue but it is actually a binary system of two stars one blue and one red. It would be bright and to the left of the Orion constellation.

    If you find it hard to follow the directions you should download a free software of the night sky called stellarium. http://www.stellarium.org/

    It gives you times to find whatever you want to find in a given location and is a very useful tool for observing. If you have any trouble feel free to comment back and I will help you.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    Hey there, thanks for that brilliant post. I think I saw Saturn before the sky clouded over. Is it yellowish and non-shimmering when viewed through binoculars?


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 the quick fix


    Hey, Well it depends on the strength of your binoculars really. I just had a quick look through my telescope there a while ago and your able to see the rings and the moon Thethys passing in front of it. It takes time no doubt.
    Try adjusting the focus to try see detail. Basically if you see Saturn you will know it is it. The best way to make sure you see it would be let me think..

    If you want to be sure tomorrow at 1 in the morning Saturn will be found in the constellation virgo. At 1 am tomorrow you can find Saturn directly south up moderately high in the sky. Here is what the constellation of Virgo looks like ... http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.starrynight.com/sntimes/wwwgfx-sn/constellations/virgo-map.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.starrynighteducation.com/sntimes/2005-05.html&usg=__6SiZzmmy3FKm5u0F3YJaMN1e-BI=&h=287&w=420&sz=7&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=rLQKm8-l2duxUM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=195&ei=5lyiTYajEYaWhQfppIH4BA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhow%2Bto%2Bfind%2Bvirgo%2Bconstellation%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26channel%3Dnp%26biw%3D1680%26bih%3D899%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=750&vpy=555&dur=986&hovh=185&hovw=272&tx=178&ty=122&oei=5lyiTYajEYaWhQfppIH4BA&page=1&ndsp=40&ved=1t:429,r:27,s:0

    Spica is bright star and you can find Saturn just to the left of Porrima. So look directly south at 1 am and look for that shape of a constellation with a bright star that you would be able to see Spica as a part of it. When you do look to the top right of that to see if you see a star called Porrima and it will be to the left of it. I know that is very detailed but if you want to be sure well there you go haha Hope that helps.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭francie81


    francie81 wrote: »
    Great stuff am gonna set it up the weekend for definate that is some sight indeed wow.

    Thanks alot

    Just after setting up my telescope in my room now its only a matter of how to use it I mean the software that comes with it is abit hard to understand, soo as a complete rookie can anyone give me a basic starter in what to observe in the night sky?

    Thanks,
    Francie


  • Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    What scope did you get?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭francie81


    peterako wrote: »
    What scope did you get?

    It's a 'Bresser Skylux 70/700' Refractor.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    Ok...so it seems that the scope you have is on a straight-forward EQ (Equatorial/German Equatorial) mount.

    No computer control(?) so no software to run it(?).

    Some good places to start to learn about how to set this up are:

    1. The manual
    2. Astro Baby's great 'How to' Section
    3. Try set it up and experiment.

    :)

    If you do 3 straight away we're here to help with specific questiions (or rather...answers to specific questions :) )

    It's really not too hard. Teh instructions for these things make it look like 'Rocket Science' but it's not.

    I started with my first scope by just pointing the thing towards the Moon.

    After that I started roughly Polar Aligning, so that I coudl track the Moon etc.

    I've never accurately Polar Aligned, and have not seen the need for it....yet....as long as I'm roughly set up with Polaris.

    Astro Baby's site is great!

    Clear skies,
    Peter


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