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[SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE VERSION] GETTING STARTEDASTRONOMY IN AN EASY GUIDE TO EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE INCLUDES A MOON MAP AND STAR CHARTS FROM THE EDITORS OF ® SkyandTelescope.com Your First Steps Southern Hemisphere Version ® in Astronomy SkyandTelescope.com Astronomy doesn’t deserve DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU can see a galaxy way around the sky. They also give you a 1 2 ⁄2 million light-years away with your view that’s right side up and straight in unaided eye? Or that you can see craters front of you, making it easy to see where its reputation as a tough, on the Moon with ordinary binoculars? you’re pointing. Binoculars are fairly inex- These and countless other wonders await pensive, widely available, and easy to carry expensive hobby to get your gaze every clear night. The first step and store. They’re also versatile; you can is simply to look up and ask, “What’s switch from terrestrial to celestial viewing into. You just need that?” And when you do, you’ll take the in an instant. And their performance is first step toward a lifetime of cosmic surprisingly respectable. Ordinary 7- to 10- to begin with the right exploration and enjoyment. What’s the power binoculars improve on the unaided best way to get started on this exciting eye about as much as a good amateur tele- advice. adventure? scope improves on binoculars — and at a far lower cost. For astronomy, the larger Read It and Reap the front lenses are, the better. High optical When It’s Time for a Telescope, The joy of astronomy comes from finding quality is important too. But any binocu- Plunge in Deep your way around the starry sky and lars already knocking around the back of Eventually you’ll be ready for your first tele- understanding what you see. A great place your closet are enough to launch your scope. This is no time to skimp on quality. to start is your local library or bookstore. amateur-astronomy career. The telescope you want has two essentials. Browse the astronomy shelf for beginner’s One is high-quality, “diffraction-limited” guides that will teach you about the Use Maps and Guidebooks optics. The other is a solid, steady, smooth- Moon, planets, and constellations. Check Once you’ve learned your way around the ly working mount. You may also want large the magazine rack for Sky & Telescope, the night sky, binoculars can keep you busy aperture (size), but don’t lose sight of port- hobby’s essential monthly magazine. It for years. With good maps and reference ability and convenience. Remember, the offers practical tips for observers as well as books, you can identify dozens of the best telescope for you is the one you’ll actu- articles on many fascinating astronomical Moon’s craters, plains, and mountains. ally use. topics. Binoculars will show you the ever-chang- Many telescopes have built-in comput- Another great resource is the World ing positions of Jupiter’s moons and the ers and motors that will point them to any Wide Web. Start at Sky & Telescope’s site, crescent phases of Venus. They’ll also of thousands of celestial objects at the SkyandTelescope.com, or you can use any reveal most of the 109 “M objects,” the star push of a few buttons. These are a lot of search utility to look up topics such as clusters, galaxies, and nebulae cataloged by fun to use and can help you locate sights “amateur astronomy” or “stargazing.” 18th-century astronomer Charles Messier. you might otherwise overlook. But it’s still Binoculars will let you split scores of col- helpful to know your way around the sky Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes orful double stars and allow you to follow — especially if your batteries run out! Go out on any clear, dark night and famil- the fadings and brightenings of numerous It’s true that telescopes can cost many iarize yourself with the star patterns over- variable stars. All this and more is possible thousands of dollars, but it’s also true that head, using the constellation maps on the — but only if you know where to look and some good ones can be had for only a few following pages. what to look for. Moreover, the skills you’ll hundred dollars. Can’t afford the scope If you live in a brightly lit city or town, develop using maps and guidebooks with you want? Save up until you can. Another find a place where there’s less light pollu- binoculars are exactly the skills you’ll need year of using binoculars while building a tion (or at least a spot free from the glare to put a telescope to good use. savings account will be time you’ll never of nearby lights) so you can see more regret. stars. The ability to look up and say, Seek Out Other Amateurs “There’s Alpha Centauri!” or “That’s There’s nothing like sharing an interest with Relax and Have Fun Saturn!” will provide pleasure — and a others. There are hundreds of astronomy Don’t get upset if you can’t find a particu- sense of your place in the cosmos — for clubs worldwide; Sky & Telescope’s Web site lar object or because the view in your tele- the rest of your life. includes a directory of them. Call a club scope is less than perfect. Learn to take near you to find out when it holds meetings pleasure in whatever your eyes, binoculars, Start with Binoculars or all-night observing sessions called “star or telescope can show you. The more you Binoculars are an ideal “first telescope” parties.” These events offer a wonderful look, the more you’ll see. Set your own for several reasons. They show you a wide opportunity to try out different telescopes, pace, and revel in the beauty and mystery field of view, making it easy to find your learn new skills, and make friends. of our amazing universe! 2003 Sky Publishing Corp. Finding Your Way Southern Hemisphere Version ® Among the Stars SkyandTelescope.com and the LMC is to the right and a little high- Looking Deeper Here’s how to use our bimonthly er — just the way they look in the southern Take the maps out often, and try to learn a and southwestern sky. Nearly overhead, as new constellation each night. You are estab- star charts to identify your you crane your neck up, are the bright stars lishing the landmarks you’ll need for find- evening stars and constellations. Alpha (α) and Beta (β) Centauri, with the ing your way when you start using binocu- little constellation Crux — the Southern lars or a telescope. CAN YOU SPOT THE SOUTHERN CROSS? Orion? Cross — to their right. Once you know at least some constella- The Large Magellanic Cloud? Your explo- tions fairly well, you can start exploring the ration of the universe begins with learning Tips for Success sky a lot more deeply with optical aid. For the stars in your evening sky. But different Find a dark viewing site and bring a dim this you’ll need larger star charts that show constellations are visible at different times of flashlight to read the map by. It’s best to use more close-up detail. year and hours of the night, depending on red light, which helps preserve your night The maps here show stars as faint as your latitude and which way the night side vision. magnitude 4.5. This is about as faint as you of our planet is facing. When you start out, look only for the can see with the naked eye through subur- The accompanying charts will help you brightest stars on the map, those depicted ban light pollution. Also plotted are some get oriented. They’re designed for skywatch- with the biggest dots. Mentally blank out the interesting objects for binoculars or small ers in midsouthern latitudes such as Aus- fainter ones if you are in a city or suburb (or telescopes: star clusters, nebulae, and galax- tralia, southern Africa, and parts of South in bright moonlight); they will be invisible or ies. When hunting for these faint sights America. Each represents the entire sky at nearly so through the “light pollution.” But you’ll have an easier time if you use larger the dates and times printed on it. Find a wherever you are, remember that there is a charts that show stars to at least as faint as chart appropriate for your date, and go out much bigger difference between bright and magnitude 6. (Higher magnitude numbers within an hour or so of the time listed. faint stars in the sky than is suggested on the mean fainter stars.) chart. People who get serious about using a tel- How the Charts Work Remember that the chart is a very escope will want even more detailed sky The round edge of each chart represents your reduced representation of the real sky. To charts — ones that show stars as faint as horizon, with compass directions labeled. see how reduced, hold your hand at arm’s magnitude 8 or so. Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil Turn the map around so the edge marked length with your fingers fully spread as Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott is the set most with the direction you’re facing (north, east, wide as you can. One of these “hand spans” widely used. The latest edition shows 81,000 or whatever) is right-side up. The stars above from thumbtip to little fingertip is about stars to magnitude 8.5 and 2,700 galaxies, this horizon on the map will now match the the separation between the LMC and SMC.
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