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Northern Hemisphere Version] [NORTHERN 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 Northern Hemisphere Version ® SkyandTelescope.com in Astronomy 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 into. 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 in You just need to begin with that?” And when you do, you’ll take the an instant.And their performance is surpris- first step toward a lifetime of cosmic ingly respectable. Ordinary 7- to 10-power exploration and enjoyment. What’s the binoculars improve on the unaided eye the right advice. best way to get started on this exciting about as much as a good amateur telescope adventure? improves on binoculars — and at a far lower cost. For astronomy, the larger the Read It and Reap 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 binoculars Plunge in Deep your way around the starry sky and already knocking around the back of your Eventually you’ll be ready for your first tele- understanding what you see. A great place closet are enough to launch your amateur- scope. This is no time to skimp on quality. to start is your local library or bookstore. 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 for aperture (size), but don’t lose sight of port- hobby’s essential monthly magazine. It years. With good maps and reference books, ability and convenience. Remember, the offers practical tips for observers as well as you can identify dozens of the Moon’s best telescope for you is the one you’ll articles on many fascinating astronomical craters, plains, and mountains. Binoculars actually use. topics. will show you the ever-changing positions Many telescopes have built-in comput- Another great resource is the World of Jupiter’s moons and the crescent phases ers and motors that will point them to any Wide Web. Start at Sky & Telescope’s site, of Venus. They’ll also reveal most of the 109 of thousands of celestial objects at the SkyandTelescope.com, or you can use any “M objects,” the star clusters, galaxies, and push of a few buttons. These are a lot of search utility to look up topics such as nebulae cataloged by 18th-century fun to use and can help you locate sights “amateur astronomy” or “stargazing.” astronomer Charles Messier. Binoculars will you might otherwise overlook. But it’s still let you split scores of colorful double stars helpful to know your way around the sky Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes and allow you to follow the fadings and — especially if your batteries run out! Go out on any clear, dark night and famil- brightenings of numerous variable stars. It’s true that telescopes can cost many iarize yourself with the star patterns over- All this and more is possible — but only if thousands of dollars, but it’s also true that head, using the constellation maps on the you know where to look and what to look some good ones can be had for only a few following pages. for. Moreover, the skills you’ll develop using hundred dollars. Can’t afford the scope If you live in a brightly lit city or town, maps and guidebooks with binoculars are you want? Save up until you can. find a place where there’s less light pollu- exactly the skills you’ll need to put a tele- Another year of using binoculars while tion (or at least a spot free from the glare scope to good use. building a savings account will be time of nearby lights) so you can see more you’ll never regret. stars. The ability to look up and say, Seek Out Other Amateurs “There’s the North Star!” 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 Northern Hemisphere Version ® Among the Stars SkyandTelescope.com Here’s how to use our bimonthly your neck up, is the bright star Vega. It’s Looking Deeper star charts to identify your part of the little constellation Lyra. Take the maps out often, and try to learn a You’ll notice that east is left of north on new constellation each night. You are evening stars and constellations. our charts, not to the right as on maps of establishing the landmarks you’ll need for the Earth. This is because the charts are finding your way when you start using CAN YOU SPOT THE BIG DIPPER? Orion? The used while looking up, not down. binoculars or a telescope. Pleiades? Your exploration of the universe Once you know at least some constella- begins with learning the stars in your Tips for Success tions fairly well, you can start exploring evening sky. But different constellations are Find a dark viewing site and bring a dim the sky a lot more deeply with optical aid. visible at different times of year and hours flashlight to read the map by. It’s best to For this you’ll need larger star charts that of the night, depending on your latitude use red light, which helps preserve your show more close-up detail. and which way the night side of our planet night vision. The maps here show stars as faint as is facing. When you start out, look only for the magnitude 4.5. This is about as faint as The accompanying charts will help you brightest stars on the map, those depicted you can see with the naked eye through get oriented. They’re designed for sky- with the biggest dots. Mentally blank out suburban light pollution. Also plotted are watchers in midnorthern latitudes such the fainter ones if you are in a city or sub- some interesting objects for binoculars or as the United States, southern Canada, urb (or in bright moonlight); they will be small telescopes: star clusters, nebulae, and and Europe. Each represents the entire invisible or nearly so through the “light pol- galaxies. When hunting for these faint sky at the dates and times printed on it. lution.” But wherever you are, remember sights you’ll have an easier time if you use Find a chart appropriate for your date, that there is a much bigger difference larger charts that show stars to at least as and go out within an hour or so of the between bright and faint stars in the sky faint as magnitude 6. (Higher magnitude time listed. than is suggested on the chart. numbers mean fainter stars.) Remember that the chart is a very People who get serious about using a How the Charts Work reduced representation of the real sky. To telescope will want even more detailed sky The round edge of each chart represents see how reduced, hold your hand at arm’s charts — ones that show stars as faint as your horizon, with compass directions length with your fingers fully spread as magnitude 8 or so. Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil labeled. Turn the map around so the edge wide as you can. One of these “hand Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott is the set marked with the direction you’re facing spans” from thumbtip to little fingertip is most widely used. The latest edition shows (north, east, or whatever) is right-side up. a little less than the length of the Big 81,000 stars to magnitude 8.5 and 2,700 The stars above this horizon on the map Dipper.
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