Stargazing tips for a total begginer

[Broax]

I'm gonna have my first stargazing party on the 23rd. I'm really excited but I know nothing (jon snow) about these things. I mean, I know the bare minimum like the planets, some moons, etc (otherwise I'd probably wouldn't be playing KSP) but I have no idea how to operate a telescope (never used one ), how to spot objects unaided (I do just fine with some of the nifty android apps but I want to learn to do it by myself), what kind of objects I can look forward to see, etc.

Since I don't have my own telescope everything will be guided by professionals from the local university but still it'd be great not to look like a complete twat. Google has tons of info but it's hard to know where to start so some entry level guides and tips would be great.

Also if you want to know where in the world this is going to be (to know what is going to be accessible to me) the event is going to take place in Porto, Portugal.

Bonus points if you list free resources (like websites, online videos, ebooks, etc);

Bonus points if you share something you wished you'd known the first time you used a telescope;

PS: I just turned 30 and it's the first time I'm using a telescope... I know I'm lame...

[UmbralRaptor]

App-wise, I'mg going to suggest planetdroid for nifty additional information about sun/moon/planets. Clear Sky Droid is unfortunately somewhat lacking in coverage outside of North America.

For viewing techniques, averted vision for anything faint.

Going by rise/set times, Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn should all be worthwhile targets. Going by season, Coma Bernecies' hair (open cluster, use binoculars), Messier 3 and/or 5 (globular clusters), and various galaxies in Virgo (ask the professionals to aim the scopes) might be doable. Alcor/Mizar (multiple star system in the middle of the handle of the Big Dipper) is usually a safe/easy target.

[BagelRabbit]

Hello Broax!

As an amateur astronomer who has his own nifty 8" scope (it's really cool!), I can give a few basic tips about telescope usage and stuff to see.

First off, some brief terminology on a telescope:

Aperture: Not technically part of the telescope, but this is the size of the main lens. The bigger, the better.

Eyepiece: The bit you look through. Usually, the eyepieces can be removed and changed for different magnification. Each eyepiece should have a number: 8mm, 3mm, and the like. The larger the number, the less magnification. I know it's weird, but just go with it, okay? When you're looking through another person's telescope, it is considered improper to actually rest your face on the eyepiece, instead, look from a fraction of an inch above if possible.

Filters: Little bits of colored glass that only make light of a single color pass through. These can be used to enhance contrast for distant planets and even nebulas. If everything looks a little off-color, you can ask the guys whether they're using a filter.

Finder Scope: A little scope tacked onto the side of the bigger one. You don't really need to look through that guy unless you yourself are trying to find an object. Hopefully the pros will do all of that for you. If you do have to find an object, gently guide the telescope and look through the finder scope until the crosshairs are directly centered at the object you want. Then look through the 'real' scope and see whether the object is there! If it's not, look back to the finder scope and make some adjustments, or gently, very slowly move the main scope around while looking through the eyepiece.

Focus Knob: The bit that makes stuff not be quite so blurry. It generally works by adjusting the distance between the mirror and your eyepiece. Even if you think the telescope is not focused, it's improper to actually twiddle the thing yourself. Instead, have the owner of the telescope do it. This is a common mistake for beginning telescope users to make, and it will irritate the telescope's owner. If you are given permission to mess with the focus knob, turn it so that objects are quite unfocused and then gradually bring them back into focus. Note that under high magnifications and on a warm night (with plenty of 'waves' of heat coming off the ground), it may be impossible to properly focus your 'scope. Don't worry about it though.

Telescope Mount: The bit that the telescope is sitting on. There are all sorts of fun names for this thing, like "Alt-azimuth" and "Equatorial," but at the level you're at, it shouldn't really matter. Don't touch this thing unless given permission.

Tl;dr: Be very careful with peoples' telescopes. They are expensive and they break really easily. Ask permission, be interested in what they're saying, and overall, be respectful. There's not much more to it than that.

Sorry for not making this longer! I'm severely lacking in time today. Hopefully others can find some nice resources for you...

-Upsilon

Edited May 11, 2015 by UpsilonAerospace

[Broax]

Thanks for both your tips!

App-wise, I'mg going to suggest planetdroid for nifty additional information about sun/moon/planets. Clear Sky Droid is unfortunately somewhat lacking in coverage outside of North America.

For viewing techniques, averted vision for anything faint.

Going by rise/set times, Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn should all be worthwhile targets. Going by season, Coma Bernecies' hair (open cluster, use binoculars), Messier 3 and/or 5 (globular clusters), and various galaxies in Virgo (ask the professionals to aim the scopes) might be doable. Alcor/Mizar (multiple star system in the middle of the handle of the Big Dipper) is usually a safe/easy target.

Sadly Clear Sky doesn't seem to have any info about Portugal so I'll have to track it till it starts to expand outside America. But as for Planetdroid it does seem to be very good so I guess I'll be using it for sure!

Hello Broax!

As an amateur astronomer who has his own nifty 8" scope (it's really cool!), I can give a few basic tips about telescope usage and stuff to see.

(...)

Tl;dr: Be very careful with peoples' telescopes. They are expensive and they break really easily. Ask permission, be interested in what they're saying, and overall, be respectful. There's not much more to it than that.

Sorry for not making this longer! I'm severely lacking in time today. Hopefully others can find some nice resources for you...

-Upsilon

Thanks for some of those etiquette tips... I always hate not knowing if what I'm doing might be pissing someone off... Is that 8" telescope your first?

I'm considering buying my first telescope so I was searching for some entry level ones. The AstroMaster 130EQ-MD (just 5" though) seems like a good choice for the price (considering I'll probably want to buy some extra accessories) but I can't tell what is actually visible with such a device.

Most pictures I find online taken with this telescope are of the Moon and as much as I love our moon I don't really want to cash in that much money just for the moon. What kind of objects can you see with your telescope?

Thanks for the help so far guys but keep it coming!

[Trann]

This is to help with sighting before you hit the telescopes. Even without one, there's a lot to see and do while you wait.

I would avoid an app because the device is going to throw white light into your (and your neighbours') eyes. The app may be set up for darkness but the field of view may still be small. Personally, I still rely on low-tech paper and flashlight for a first timer.

Check out heavens-above.com . It will let you set your location and give you sky charts for the night you want to go seeing.

1) Change your observing location to the nearest city

2) Select Sky Charts

3) Set Date and Time of your event, be sure to also use Black on White

4) Profit! I mean, Print!

If you're going to be there for more than an hour, print two for the start and end time frame you're planning and you'll have some good references on hand.

Bring a red-filtered flashlight. Red light will not kill your (or others') night vision and you'll be able to look at your references frequently. The simplest method is to buy some red cellophane and cut a few disks the right size to fit between the bulb and the outer lens of any flashlight. I find maglights the best for this; super bright LEDs might require more layers to reduce the harshness. I've no idea if they make any good red LED flashlights.

Have fun and good seeing!

Edited May 11, 2015 by Trann

[YNM]

Some basic methods for manual pointing (or, as you call it, unaided spotting) of a telescope, especially those with equatorial mounting :

0th : Make sure to know what kind of telescope you're using - this is important to set your position and attitude (like, stand on the east side of scope to look at west hemisphere, etc). For the purpose of this guide, I'm assuming any telescope other than newtonian telescope, which ocular is positioned at the objective end.

1st : Ensure to know where the object is - is it at the direction of North ? Or East ? Or West, Or South ? You can divide the sky into four parts : NE, SE, NW and SW.

2nd : Aim the telescope. If your object is over the east horizon, you should stand at the west side of the telescope, and get the ocular at your direction. Same applies for other direction : if object is over NE, you stand to the SW. If it's north, you stand at the south. But the main thing is to stand at the correct east-west position - it's very hard to change from east hemisphere to the west hemisphere, you need to basically re-aim the telescope from scratch (what happens when the object passes from east side to the west side, as they rise and set). To more precisely aim at the object, as long as the object is behind the telescope's body viewed from the ocular end, it's most likely within the field of view of the finder (or even, the main telescope).

3rd : There's this small scope attached to the main telescope - the finder. There's a crosshair inside its field of view. Put your object at the cross (we're assuming the finder is fairly aligned wrt the telescope). If none is available, try to put it at the middle of the field. After that...

4th : Look into the ocular (or, the eyepiece). Is the object there ? If not, try to scan the sky - move it very sliightly to north, then very sliightly to south. If not found, make it a bit more east / west, and repeat until you get the object.

A good start is the Moon, for it's unrivaled brightness and size (seriously, even if some DSOs are larger, to the eye they'll appear smaller due to their low surface brightness. Next are the planets - there's Venus (but you need to get it fast, it disappears even before twilight ends), Jupiter, and a bit late, Saturn. Next, you can try very bright stars - Sirius is still available, and while many faint stars that pop out as quite bright at the sight of the eyepiece, Sirius will be seen as very bright. You can the transition to DSOs (Deep Sky Objects) - some bright one these months are the clusters and one nebula in Scorpius and Sagittarius (like Messier 4, 6, 7, and 8), some galaxies within Virgo and Coma (Messier 104 should be... well, quite bright, and there's like a ....load of other galaxies, really), and the great cluster in Hercules (Messier 13). For objects in the area of Orion, Gemini and such, there's Messier 41 in Canis Major (pretty close to Sirius ! But very sparse), and Messier 35 in Gemini.

If you don't manage to get one, maybe ask someone to aim it for you (and look how he/she do it). Or, if it's computerized mounting, a goto function would help. But really, the thrill in using telescopes are manual pointing - searching for Andromeda Galaxy manually (with minimal cues) took me almost an hour !

Naked eye observation is also a thing - you can be literally lost in the stars, if so many of them appears...

Edited May 12, 2015 by YNM

[Hunting.Targ]

There's a lot of good stuff here; I can hardly add anything that would be useful without pushing towards data overload. Just one thing, since you said you're hosting an observing party - well, two things.

The advise about external lights is absolutely imperative. I would send out e-mails or make phone calls (txting is WAY too casual nowadays), and inform everyone attending that 1) cel phones should be OFF or left in a safe location before they enter the observing room. A phone that makes noise is a distraction - a phone that lights up can mess up everyone's night vision, as it takes up to 1 hour for human eyes to adapt to low-light conditions. 2) In addition to phones, all other light sources should be off 15-30 minutes before the viewing starts, unless you want to start with the moon. Come up with a few conversation starters, get all the lights off (your 'viewing audience' should be aware what you're doing and why), and yak it up for a bit until you're ready to point at some objects with the telescope.At the absolute most a red bulb should be used to see and adjust the telescope (a photography darkroom bulb is expensive, but possibly worth it if the fixture is in the right location).

Plan your session. Don't get familiar with a whole slew of objects and not know what you will be looking at. Check the sky charts for that night, check the weather, and know sunset time, sunrise time, and what major objects will be in the sky that night (Ursa Major & Polaris, Orion, Casseopaeia, Pleadies, etc.) Decide what you will look at, and in what order. Not only will this help you stay organized and focused, but knowing your way around the sky is important. The most advanced app won't help you if you decide to look at something only to find out on the night that one of your viewing objects of choice is 20° below the horizon somewhere between the windowsill and your shoes.

[Dartguy]

I would download Stellarium. You can set it to show you what you will see ahead of time to plan everything you want to view. And you can take it with you on a laptop or tablet (I believe). It also has a night mode that will keep your pupils dilated.

[Linear]

..Hard to add more to what everyone has said, but i respect people who know they don't know much about a subject but are willing to learn, ask lots of questions and have fun.

I get a lot of people that are teachers/students of loads of different fields (sociology, geology, art) but they don't hesitate to as questions and i really respect that.

[-Velocity-]

I don't know much about computer programs to help learn the sky. I learned the sky with the help of good old fashioned books and a red flashlight, back in the mid 90s. It was relatively easy, even for a 10 year old. The patterns the stars make in the sky are quite distinctive.

However, that said, I learned the sky under moderate light pollution; I could see stars down to like magnitude 5.5. If you're under heavier light pollution, things could become more difficult by making some distinctive patterns disappear. I've heard from city observers that the actual opposite can be true also- that learning under city skies can be easier because there are fewer stars- though it's hard to imagine how this is true, it makes very little sense to me. Sometimes, I'll see some bright star in the city and struggle to figure out what it is because of the utter lack of "context", and only identify it by figuring in time of year and time of night. City dwellers supposedly get "lost" the first time they make it out to a low light pollution area because they get "overwhelmed" by the number of stars. Personally, I had no issues at all transitioning to light-pollution-free skies, but I was only transitioning from moderate light pollution to no light pollution.

Honestly, I still vastly prefer books over electronic means.

1) I have NEVER encountered a planetarium program or app that is dim enough to not interfere with your night vision- every single one I've ever seen is WAY too bright. The problem is, you need a lot of light to activate your high resolution night vision. So the entire screen is bright, and it never turns off. At a dark sky site, anyone using a laptop is not very popular at all. However, when you use a dim red flashlight, you only illuminate the part on the page that you want to read. When you're not looking at it, it doesn't emit light to mess up your night vision and/or the night vision of others. Books and charts also do not require batteries- the only batteries you need are for your flashlight, which, if it's a good flashlight, is powered by a 9V battery, emits pure red light from red LEDs, and doesn't need a battery change until like 50 or 100 hours of continuous use.

2) Laptops/Ipads/whatever are expensive. They break easily. Where I observe, by the end of the night, there is water everywhere- sometimes forming in puddles around the telescope. My star charts are frequently covered in mud, and they are always covered in water by the end of an observing session. It's called dew. If I used a laptop, it would die, and die fast. It would either dew up and short out, or a water would drip onto it and it would short out, I'd accidentally knock it over and it would die, I'd spill a drink on it and it would die, whatever. Laptops and IPads and the like are delicate and do not belong outside, at least, not with me.

3) Laptops are hard to bring to the eyepiece- I'll frequently need to bring a paper chart right up to the eyepiece with me, and alternate between looking at it and looking through the eyepiece. Not only are Laptops big and heavy, but they also constantly emit too much light.

4) Laptops/IPads/w/e use up too much power. I need my amp hours for powering dew heaters NOT pumping out huge amounts of light into the night when no one is looking at the stupid screen, or running some 2.5 GHz turbo-charged quad core heating element that's trying to download some stupid Windows updates.

In contrast to all of this, books, charts, and flashlights are cheap, they are durable, the flashlights have very long battery lives, they do not emit too much light, and individually, they are smaller and easier to use. No one is going to steal your charts if you leave them unattended at some public event. They still work even if you get them muddy and wet. Hell, I've even stacked up a couple volumes of Uranometria 2000.0 and stood on them so I could put the eyepiece at a more comfortable height. Try doing that with a laptop! Oh and finally, charts can be repaired with duct tape. To repair your laptop, you'll have to spend 3 hours on the phone with some guy from Techsupportistan that barely speaks English.

As far as books go, I learned with the Peterson Field Guide, but honestly, most any book that has charts of the naked eye stars will do. The way to learn the sky is to match the map to what you're seeing in the sky. That's all there is to it. To actually find things with a telescope, you'll want a chart that plots stars down to much fainter than naked eye visibility- so like magnitude 7.5 or fainter. I used Sky Atlas 2000.0 and it's a reasonably good chart for intermediate observers. More advanced observers will want to get Uranometria 2000.0. (I actually have a several three-ring binders full of my own finder charts I made using online sources (Simbad Astronomical Database) and a laser printer... but that's not applicable to your case.)

Anyway, dark skies make a HUGE difference in spotting deep sky objects, and in the beauty of the sky and the objects seen through the telescope. Do you own a car? If so, you're in luck. Many people live in areas where dark skies are impractically far away, however, it looks like somewhat dark skies are within a 100 km drive of you, and if you go 200 km you can get even darker. See here-

(The areas where it's blue and grey are where you really want to go.) Download the high resolution map here- http://www.lightpollution.it/worldatlas/pages/fig4.htm

That said, you can still do reasonable astronomy from more light polluted areas, especially at the beginner level. There are folks who observe for years and years and never take their telescopes outside the suburbs; to me, they're missing out but as long as they are having fun, that's all that actually counts.

If you're serious about deep sky observing, then considering that Portugal has reasonably decent skies, a Dobsonian reflector- 8" or 10"- would probably be ideal. You'll want enough money for a small set of eyepieces (at least three- for low, medium and high power), and a narrowband nebula filter. TWO finder scopes is best; my personal favorite is a non-magnifying "window" site like a Telrad combined with a right angle, correct image finderscope of at least 50 mm. The Telrad puts you on a naked eye star and the finder scope allows you to star-hop from there.

Edited May 13, 2015 by |Velocity|

[YNM]

If you're able to get to the observation site before the party, familiarize yourself with the site. Note where the obstacles and features are (trees, houses, masts, roads, hills, valleys, direction of the city), and the average angular height of the tree - you can roughly count it by the angular size of your fist (cover 10 degrees) or your great span (cover 20 degrees) hold at the maximum distance from your eye, as your arm permits. It's important to tell whether an object is truly observable or not - you don't want to observe it behind a tree, for example ! Apps and guides might gives you that the object is visible (already rise), but these obstacles are very, very accountable. For reference, 15 degrees of movement in the sky takes approximately 1 hour, for objects rising precisely at east, or sets at west - slower as it goes nearer to poles (even Polaris don't move, appreciably. You lucky northerners...)

Edited May 13, 2015 by YNM