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1. What
does one need to take up amateur astronomy?
2. How can I find other astronomy-lovers?
3. What observation accessories should I buy?
4. Where should I make the observations?
5. What should I observe?
6. How should I observe?
7. What do I need to be able to take astronomic photographs?
1. What does one need to take up amateur astronomy?
Apart from a desire to do it, you need to: 1) read the materials
for beginners and buy the map of the starry sky or an atlas, and
of course, buy an observation instrument. This could be good binoculars,
for example, with 10x or 12x magnifying power and the lens diameter
of 50 mm. and a small telescope with the lens diameter from 80 to
130 mm. Telescopes with the lens diameter less than 80 mm. should
most probably be classified as toys for children or gifts.
Binoculars will prove absolutely necessary if you would like to
get good orientation among the constellations. For this purpose
you do not need to buy binoculars with more than 15x magnifying
power, because those have a small scope, and those with the lens
diameter of over 80 mm, because if you hold them in your hands observation
through them becomes practically impossible – their weight makes
the use of tripod a must. Such large binoculars are excellent for
detailed observation of the objects of deep space, as well as observations
of comets, but only on condition that you have a comfortable stand
(or tripod) you can install them on. Out of additional accessories,
a small red flashlight is highly desirable, because it gives you
an opportunity to see your map or atlas during your observations
without irritating your eyes with bright light and interfering with
the so-called “darkness adaptation of your eyes”. This is very important,
since your eyes should be set for seeing weakly lit objects.
Also, it proves very useful to find some hobby pals in your city,
town, or village.
2. How can I find other astronomy-lovers?
You can ask around at the planetarium – that, of course, is in case
you have one in your city or town. If you don’t, then the most effective
and reliable way to do it today is to go on the internet-forums
on astronomy or read the special sections on the sites devoted to
amateur astronomy containing information on astronomy-lovers in
different cities of both Ukraine and other countries.
3. What observation accessories should I buy?
To ensure successful work with your telescope, you will need to
buy a few special accessories, including several oculars which will
allow you to work in various magnifications, a set of ocular light
filters for increasing the contrast of the picture both with the
Moon and the planets, and the objects of deep space. If you are
interested in astrophotography, then in addition to this you will
need various adapters described below.
4. Where should I make the observations?
• It is best of all to make your observations in the country, away
from the sources of light and dust. It is preferable to observe
from a height: that will allow you to rise over the lights and the
polluted atmosphere and will provide the best view all the way to
the horizon.
• The place of your observation must provide for good round view,
or at the very least, good view of the south-eastern – south-western
sector.
• Do not make observations near buildings, walls, or natural obstacles
or near any sources of warmth. Bear in mind that asphalt and cement
are among sources of warmth, because they accumulate it in the daytime.
• Making observations from balconies is not recommended, though
possible. In this case do not use telescopes with large diameters
of the lens, because the picture in them is more sensitive to the
influence of the warmth flows from the buildings. For observations
through binoculars this kind of restrictions are practically irrelevant.
• If you are making your observations in the city, try to protect
yourself as much as possible from the outer sources of light and
find a relatively convenient and safe place for observations. Remember
that more or less serious observations in the city are only possible
in a plot of land near your private home, where no one would be
able to distract or disturb you.
5. What should I observe?
Remember about the resources of your telescope, define those resources
and limitations to make sure what you can see through it and what
you cannot.
For relative estimation of the resources you can use the following
scale.A telescope with a 80 mm diameter allows you to see the craters
on the Moon, the Sunspots, belts on Jupiter’s disk, and its four
large satellites, as well as the phases of Venus, the presence of
the rings around Saturn, the components of double stars situated
2.5 second of arc from each other (2.5"; this value is called
the telescope’s resolution), weak stars up to the 10-th star magnitude
(10m; penetrating power), the brightest nebulas and galaxies: Andromeda
Galaxy, the Large Nebula of Orion, a fantastic view of the Pleiades
and the double cluster in the Perseus constellation.
A 80—100 - millimeter telescope will show you the
details in the craters on the Moon and the lunar mountain ranges,
Mercury’s phases, Cassini Division in the rings around Saturn, its
satellite Titan, the largest details in Jupiter’s belts, the polar
caps on Mars in the epochs of its oppositions. The telescope should
be able to resolute double stars with the distance of 1.6"
between the components and have the penetrating power of up to 11.5
m.
A 150—200 - millimeter telescope apart from all
mentioned above will give you a chance to see the details of the
Sunspots, the plages and solar granulation in the years of maximum
solar activity; it will show you the Red Spot and many other details
of Jupiter’s belts, the seasonal changes on the surface of Mars,
the seven satellites of Saturn, and the details on Venus’s terminator.
The resolution power of the telescope of 0.8" and the penetrating
power of about 13 m. The telescope will show practically all Messier
Objects. The telescope can be used both for visualizations and for
taking photographs.
250—300 – millimeter telescopes will allow you
to see the rings around Saturn in case of large opening Encke's
division, and the eight satellites of the planet, as well as Triton,
Neptune’s satellite, the disc of Uranus and its five satellites;
you will be able to notice Pluto at the visibility limit, the numerous
weak galaxies and many of the objects included in the New General
Catalog (NGC). The telescopes’ resolution of about 0.5", the
penetrating power of about 14 m. The photographic penetrating power
will constitute about 17—18 m.You need to take into consideration
that you can not regard the resources of your optics separately
from the resources of the observer themselves – the eye, telescope,
and brain of the observer constitute a single optic system, and
none of its components should be given preference among the others.
The experience and skill are no less important than good vision
or the diameter of the telescope. And if on top of that you take
into account the observation conditions (the amount of the side-light,
the altitude above the sea-level etc.), you should realize that
it’s practically impossible to give a definite answer to the question
"what can I see in this or that telescope or binoculars?".
So, if you failed to see something the first time, analyze all the
factors carefully and try again .
6. How should I observe?
• Plan your observations, follow the weather forecasts, the best
conditions for observations mostly happen during the first days
of the weather change and an anti-cyclone setting in, when there’s
not so much dust in the atmosphere yet. Take into account that sometimes
there are excellent observation conditions when the sky is overcast.
• Try to observe the astronomic objects at the moment of their top
climax, that is, when they are at maximum altitude over the horizon
over the point of south, and are the least influenced by the roughness
of the atmosphere.
• Participate in collective observations together with more experienced
astronomy-lovers. Study their observation techniques and equipment.
• During the observations try to keep your both eyes open: this
will make your eyes less tired. If it is really inconvenient, you
can cover the unused eye with your hand.
• Use your side vision when observing the weak objects: the central
areas in the eye are less sensitive to the picture with low contrast
values than the peripheral areas. Do not look at the object directly,
try looking a bit to the side, and then it will seem brighter.
7. What do I need to be able to take astronomic
photographs?
For the first steps in astrophotography (taking pictures of the
Moon and the planets) you do not have to have any special equipment,
you can just use a regular digital camera or a web-camera. In the
first case you need to give preference to the devices with manual
mode of shooting, the matrix of 3 Mpix and up, good optical zoom
and low noise level. Highly desirable are a remote control or the
ability to operate the device through an USB cable from your computer,
as well as the ability of attaching additional accessories on your
lens that would allow you to mount your camera on the telescope
strictly in line with the ocular. In the latter case, the Philips
840 Pro camera is the absolute favorite. In this case, if you are
using a web-camera, you take the lens off and screw on a special
adapter for mounting the camera on the telescope, and if you are
working with a photo camera, the lens stays in place and works together
with the ocular of the telescope. You can read more about this in
the “Astrography” section.
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