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Choosing a “First Telescope”

2020-6 First ScopeHere are some good articles on shopping for a telescope:

https://astronomy.com/-/media/Files/PDF/Buying%20Your%20First%20Telescope.pdf

https://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/types-of-telescopes/

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-equipment/telescope-buying-guide/

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As wonderful as the night sky appears to the naked eye, there is much more to see with the aid of a telescope. 

Rather than tell you how to pick out a telescope, I will post links to some very informative articles.  I will just add a few ideas of my own:

1.  If you can get to a star party, the telescope owners will be glad to show how their telescopes work.  They will help you to learn the advantages and disadvantages of the various choices.

2. Your local public library may be lending telescopes.  These telescopes are usually in the low price category, but they will help you to learn how to use a telescope.

3. Some manufacturers who offer low priced telescopes of good quality: Celestron, Meade, Orion, Sky Watcher.

4. If you want to do astroimaging, consider doing it with your second telescope.  Scopes suitable for imaging are much more   expensive than ones for visual use only.  For your first telescope, choose one that is easy to set up, and enjoy visual astronomy for a while.  Later, you will be able to make a better choice for your new instrument.

5. Think about size, weight and ease of setup when making your selection.  When the Sun goes down, your energy level may be declining.  If the telescope is hard to set up, you may be tempted to stay indoors!

To be continued …

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200528 Straight Wall

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LONG SHADOWS!

Here are two photos of stretched shadows produced by the low position of the rising or setting Sun.

The Earth photo was snapped when my wife and I were out for a walk just before sunset.  The shadows we cast were impressive,  perhaps a hundred feet (or 30 meters) long.

The Lunar photo shows Rupes Recta, commonly known as the “Straight Wall”.  This is the black vertical line in the detail photo.   I was looking at the Moon through my 10” (254 mm) reflecting telescope, and was startled by the sight of it.  I grabbed my smartphone and took this picture through the eyepiece.

The Straight Wall is actually a fault line with one side about 900 ft (300 meters) higher than the other.  This feature would be far too small to detect with my telescope, but it’s long shadow is clearly visible.

There is always something interesting to observe on the Moon!

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Crew Dragon Demo-2

Links:

https://www.space.com/41494-spacex-crew-dragon-spaceship-inside-look.html  (General Description)

NASA.gov. (for NASA TV launch coverage)

Heavens-above.com  My favorite satellite tracker (Be sure to enter your exact location and time zone)

 

(Plain Text Version)

I was disappointed when we failed to develop a new crewed space program during the final years of the Space Shuttle.  At the time, it was stated that the next vehicles would come from the private sector.  I did not take this seriously, and tried not to think about the whole affair.

I hadn’t followed the US efforts to put people into orbit again.  So, I was taken by surprise to hear that this very thing will happen next Wednesday, May 27, 2020.

This mission marks a huge step in space travel.  It will be the first crewed spacecraft privately designed and built.  The new spacecraft, called the Crew Dragon, comes from SpaceX.  It will launch from Cape Canaveral with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.  After docking with the International Space Station, Behnken and Hurley will join the ISS crew.  They could stay for several months. 

To return home, the capsule will undock from the ISS, re-enter, and land in the Atlantic Ocean near Florida.

If timing and weather are favorable,  it is possible to watch the Crew Dragon as it approaches the ISS.  It would be helpful to use binoculars, because the Crew Dragon will be very dim, compared to the ISS.

Let’s pray for a safe journey!

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Will we Get to See Comet Atlas?

Comets seem to love surprises.  Before astronomers began to make sense of their nature, bright comets would appear without warning, and dominate the night (and sometimes daytime) sky.  Quite often, they were thought to be precursors to disasters.  Some people with a more cheerful outlook would take a comet’s arrival to indicate that a great king was born.

Today, we are not free from fear of these beautiful visitors.  They are large enough and fast enough to devastate any planet that sits in their path.  According to a plausible theory, the dinosaur extinction resulted from climate changes triggered by a comet impact 65 million years ago.

A more recent example happened in 1994, when the fragmented comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with the planet Jupiter.  When large fragments entered Jupiter’s thick atmosphere, they exploded, and created dark spots in the bright clouds.  Many of these spots were larger than Earth!

So much for the scary stuff.  We have just heard that comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) has had a large, sudden increase in brightness.  A comet will warm up as it approaches the Sun, and vapors and dust will escape the surface to form a cloud.  Atlas has suddenly formed an extra large cloud, so it appears much brighter than expected.

So, Atlas has graduated from a “telescopic comet” to one which might be visible to the naked eye.

And here we get to the unpredictability of comets.  Although their orbits are calculated very precisely, their visibility and appearance are very hard to predict.   Based on the brightening of comet Atlas, we may see a very bright comet in May, 2020.  It is possible that it will be visible during daylight; it is also possible that it will disintegrate as it makes its closest approach to the Sun.

Here is a very good article with many details:

https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-bright-comet-c-2019-y4-atlas

I will try to keep you posted.  In the meantime…

Keep looking up!

 

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Mars Opposition – Part 3 – When to Look

Although Opposition does not occur until July 26, we can enjoy good observations right now. Today, Mars has attained 89% of its maximum apparent size.  If you live in a cloudy region, as I do, taking an early look can prevent anxiety later on.

Speaking of weather, Mars is in a planet-wide dust storm.  Unlike dust storms on Earth, Martian dust storms cover vast areas, and can last a long time.  So, with a telescope, very few ground features are visible.  It is possible that the storm will still be in progress when this year’s observation period ends.

Rather than wish things were different, let’s consider this a unique opportunity to observe the progress of the storm!  Observations of the dusty Mars can be compared to past or future observations of the clear Mars.

Here are links to some articles on the dust storm:

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/martian-dust-storm-2018/

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2018/06/mars-dust-storm-intesifies

The best time to observe Mars is when it is well above the horizon, so that disturbances in our atmosphere are lessened.  For this time of the year, the tilt of our planet gives the best views of Mars to residents of the Southern Hemisphere.  To use Buenos Aires as an example, on July 26, Mars will be well positioned at 9 PM.  It will continue to climb until it is overhead around 1 AM.  So, good views can be had for almost the entire night.

For northerners, Mars doesn’t climb very high, and the best viewing occurs during a brief time slot.  For New York on July 26, the best viewing time is from approximately 11 PM to 3 AM.  Mars reaches its highest position at 1:09 AM.  It will then be 24 degrees above the horizon (roughly ¼ of the way to directly overhead).  At this elevation, observations can be good, although not the best.

Finding Mars in the sky, is quite easy.  Except for the Sun, the Moon, and Venus, it will be the brightest object in the sky!

Here is a link to an online planetarium app, which will help you in your planning:

http://www.astronomy.com/observing/stardome

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Don’t Forget to Check Out Jupiter.

Some times I can’t come up with a good topic, and should not burden the reader with a low-quality post.

Today, I was ready to skip the weekly post, but I remembered that Jupiter is in a prominent location in the sky.  Jupiter has always been a pleasure to observe, with a telescope, with binoculars, or even naked-eye.

So a brief word: Take a look at Jupiter!

Have a good week.

John

 

 

 

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Have You Ever Been to a Star Party?

You may not realize it, but there may be opportunities in your area to enjoy the sights of the sky with knowledgeable amateur astronomers who love to have people look through their telescopes.

In the astronomy jargon, a star party is a small or large gathering of people interested in looking at stars, planets, clusters, galaxies and other interesting objects.  There are many variations on the general theme of star parties.  Some are held away from cities to enjoy the darker skies.  Others are held in built-up areas, so that people can see some beautiful sights without having to travel.  Some are held at observatories, some in parks, some are informal gatherings at private homes.

A common element of all star parties is a chance to meet people who are excited about exploring the universe.  There will be an opportunity to look through a variety of telescopes.  One can go from scope to scope, see different objects, and hear explanations.  Later in the event, the crowds are smaller and attention shifts to more unusual or difficult objects.  This is a great time to make requests.

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It is hard to get a good photo of a star party in progress, for obvious reasons. Here is a photo of some members of my club setting up their telescopes. My club is the University Lowbrow Astronomers, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

How to find the nearest star party?  The best way is to find an astronomy club in your area.  If the club doesn’t conduct star parties, they should know how to find one.  Here is a link to a directory of astronomy clubs:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-clubs-organizations/

Having found an event, there are a few courtesies which help everyone have a good time:

After dark, use only a small flashlight with a red filter when walking.  This preserves everyone’s night vision.

Ask the owner before using a telescope, and be careful not to push the telescope while looking through it.

Bring your children, but don’t let them run around.

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Here is a joint effort of seven astronomy clubs. There were approximately 60 telescopes in use. This annual event is called “Astronomy at the Beach”, and is held in Southeastern Michigan.

In the Northern half of the world, we are experiencing cooler weather as winter approaches.  Compared to summer, fall is a great time for star-gazing, because sunset is earlier, and the skies tend to have less haze.  So, why not find some people who can help you to enjoy the night sky?

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