The Beginner’s Guide to the Sky
Cameras can be introduced at an early stage. Any
camera capable of giving a time-exposure will do; pictures
of star trails, for instance, can be really spectacular, partic-
ularly if taken against a dramatic background. You may
also pick up a meteor, or an artificial satellite which
crawls across the field of view while the exposure is being
made.
The naked-eye observer can do some valuable work.
Meteor studies are important, both visually and photo-
graphically, and so are observations of aurorae, though
admittedly these are limited to people who live at fairly
high latitudes. Some variable stars are well within naked-
eye range; Betelgeux in Orion and ÁCassiopeiae, the
middle star of the W Pattern, are two examples, and it is
fascinating to watch the steady fading and subsequent
brightening of eclipsing binaries such as Algol.
However, sooner or later the question of buying
optical equipment will arise. The essential here is to avoid
the temptation to go straight round to the nearest camera
shop and spend a few tens of pounds or dollars (or even
more than a hundred) on a very small telescope. It may
look nice, but it is not likely to be of much use, and the
obvious alternative is to invest in binoculars, which have
most of the advantages of a small telescope apart from
sheer magnification and few of the drawbacks. They can
also, of course, be used for other more mundane activities
such as bird-watching.
The main disadvantage of binoculars is that the mag-
nification is generally fixed. Zoom pairs, with variable
magnification, are obtainable, but on the whole, it is
probably better to accept the fixed-power limitation. With
increased aperture and magnification, the field of viewATLAS OF THE UNIVERSE
M
ost people take at least a passing interest in astron-
omy; after all, the skies are all around us, and not even
the most myopic observer can fail to appreciate the Sun,
the Moon and the stars! But astronomy as a serious hobby
is quite another matter.
Let it be said at the outset that astronomy as a hobby,
and astronomy as a career are two very different things.
The professional astronomer must have a science degree,
and there is no short cut, but the amateur needs nothing
but interest and enthusiasm, and astronomy is still the one
science in which amateurs can, and do, carry out really
valuable research.
One popular misconception is that a large, expensive
telescope is necessary. This is quite wrong. Much can be
done with very limited equipment, or even none at all. So
let us begin at the very beginning.
The first step is to do some reading, and absorb the
basic facts. Next, obtain an outline star map and learn your
way around the night sky. If tackled systematically, it
takes a surprisingly short time; because the stars do not
move perceptibly in relation to each other, a constellation
can always be found again after it has been initially iden-
tified. The best procedure is to select one of two constella-
tions which are glaringly obvious, such as Orion, the
Great Bear or (in the southern hemisphere) the Southern
Cross, and use them as guides to the less prominent
groups. Remember, too, that there are only a few thousand
naked-eye stars, and the main patterns stand out clearly,
while the planets can soon be tracked down; Venus and
Jupiter are far brighter than any star, while Mars is dis-
tinguished by its strong red hue. Only Saturn can look
confusingly stellar.▼Light pollution.This
picture of Dublin taken
at midnight from a hill
overlooking the city shows
the effect of unshielded
light on the sky.A converted camera
tripod will also serve quite
satisfactorily as a binocular
mount.A ‘neck’ attachment
can be bought or made
which will make it possible
to hold the binoculars
steady. James Savile
demonstrates.H Atl of Univ Phil'03stp 7/4/03 6:14 pm Page 264