Beginning Visual Astronomy
How many times have you looked up to the night sky and really appreciated what you were seeing? The fact is that every time you glance at the stars, you are looking not only into the heart of our galaxy, the milky way, but also out into the infinitely vast universe. Woah, right? Even taking a few seconds on a clear night to consider the vastness of what’s above can grant some incredible perspective and help to melt away the sense of stress that many of us have become accustomed to. If you’re enticed by that sense of calm, then visual astronomy is probably for you! Here is my 5-minute guide to help you start navigating the night skies, understanding the groups of stars which make up constellations, and appreciating the wonders of visual astronomy. Enjoy!
Star Charts
A great first step to understanding the skies is to have a quick look at a simple star chart. Star charts are a great way to get started because they can help transform the seemingly chaotic arrangement of stars into interesting and easily identifiable groups of asterisms and constellations. I recommend having a look at Sky and Telescope’s Interactive Star Chart (https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/), which will show you which constellations are above you in your location tonight. The first step is to get an idea of where the constellations all are in the sky. Pick out a couple that look interesting and bright for your first observation session (Orion is a great one for the winter months). The Sky and Telescope chart has an interactive slider to show you what you should see when looking in any particular direction. This will be very useful if you’ve never identified constellations before! The second step is simply to get outside and look in the direction of the constellations you’ve chosen. Hopefully, if you’ve chosen one that’s bright enough and within your line of sight, the seemingly random arrangement of stars should transform into a clear constellation outline. And there you go. You’ve completed your first step towards becoming an amateur astronomer!
Mobile Star Charts
Once you’ve learnt a few of the constellations and their positions relative to each other in the sky, you might want an easier way of identifying all of the incredible things residing in the skies. A very simple way to do this is to download a star chart app on your phone (I use Sky Guide and love it!). This way, you can just point your phone at the sky and, boom, you can find thousands of objects and constellations instantly. This is great if you’re outside and can’t quite find what you’re looking for. BUT, the reason I suggested looking at star charts online first is because it is much more satisfying to find things yourself. All that being said, mobile star charts are a great way to learn more about the skies and are a great visual astronomy aid.
Stellarium
So, you’ve consulted and studied the charts, you’ve spent some nights observing the skies and can already identify a number of constellations. Well done! Now it’s time for the ultimate visual astronomy tool which makes planning observation sessions and learning about the position of everything in the sky a breeze. Stellarium! This free computer software should be in the toolbox of every amateur astronomer. Not only is it fully interactive, but surpassing the initial learning curve will allow you to simulate the night sky in any location on any date you wish! You can use it to explore the deep sky objects (DSOs) not visible to the naked eye, learn about the positions of planets, constellations, the milky way and anything else you might need. Software like this shows you just how much there is to learn, but don’t be intimidated by that - see it as the beginning of a great new passion!
Enjoy the Skies!
With all that being said, the main thing is to just enjoy the time spent gazing at the limitless expanse of the night sky. Go at your own pace, learn as you go along, and try and bring some of the peace from your stargazing expeditions back to your daily life. I hope you’ve enjoyed this short guide – a second part will be coming soon on the equipment necessary to push your visual astronomy to the next level. Make sure to check out the related post, ‘A 5 Minute Guide to Visual Astronomy (Part 2): Binoculars’ here. Clear skies!
Comments