Astronomy, A Hobby For Us All

Have you ever wished you knew a little more about astronomy so you might find a few

of those amazing objects in the sky? The wonderful thing about astronomy is that it's not just for people with a PhD but for people just like you and me. With a little effort everyone can experience the pleasures of looking up at the marvels of the universe. You just need to look in the right places and you don't even need a telescope to start.

Galileo pointed his telescope skyward only about 400 years ago. For the thousands of years of earlier civilization, we only had our two eyes to make observations. Of course, early star-gazers didn't know what stars were but that didn't stop them from charting them with a high degree of accuracy. They knew the planets moved faster in the sky than stars did. Planets were originally called Wandering Star due to the way they moved. That's where the word planet comes from. The 5 known planets were Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus and they were all thought of as gods. Although Neptune and Pluto are not visible with the naked eye, somehow they were known and their names were well-known for thousands of years of mythology.

You can get started by simply learning how to use a star chart. After all, looking in the right direction is the first step to being able to find Saturn. First, you will need to find and use the correct chart. You will need to select suitable charts to match your site of view (northern or southern hemisphere) and then there are different charts for each season of the year. Time must also be considered. You will need to use different charts for either before or after midnight.

You will be able to orient your chart to the sky with just a little practice. A compass might come in useful here to find north and south. After you get your bearings you will be ready to start looking for patterns in the evening sky. Brighter stars will show as larger dots on the charts while dimmer stars will be smaller dots. The city lights could make finding the dimmer stars difficult so it might help going to a site away from the light pollution. Once you have the sky lined up with the chart you will be ready to look for constellations.

The constellations are patterns of stars which were given meaning by associating them with the gods or objects. Finding the constellations becomes easier with practice and they are plentiful. The Big Dipper is one of the most recognizable patterns and you have probably seen it many times. It is, in fact, a part of a larger constellation known as Ursa-Major. Near it are constellations such as Ursa-Minor (The Little Dipper), Leo (The Lion) and Virgo. Naturally, your location from where you will be observing and the season will be the determining factor for which constellations you will be viewing. Learning the constellations will come in very handy when you want to observe objects such as planets because the planets will move throughout the sky and the constellations make a good sign post.

You have now started your journey to the stars and will probably want some equipment to enhance the experience. A good set of binoculars and a telescope will be the next step and perhaps even a camera to capture your own images. The equipment you will need will depend on what objects you will most be interested in viewing. There is no rush. Take your time and learn about what equipment you will need. Just remember to keep looking up and have fun with astronomy.

by: Christopher Maruca

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