Jack Freeman

Tips for Observing the Sun

Oct 042011

The Sun is definitely an astronomical object that once looked at more closely, can transform the way you think of it . Opposed to simply just being that blinding point above our heads that is far too powerful to observe normally, it transforms into an awe-inspiring fiery sphere which is ceaslessly warming and brightening our planet, and its true force and nearness to our planet can be noticed. But nevertheless, many of us neglect to think of the Sun whenever we consider observable objects, in spite of the Sun being the absolute brightest body in our sky, for the simple reason that it’s present in daytime rather than night time.

The Sun is actually a great point of satisfaction for amateur astronomers once the proper safety measures are utilized to ensure that no injury to the stargazer’s eyesight occurs. Just looking at the Sun with the human eye alone could potentially cause lasting eye deterioation, and trying to observe it by means of binoculars or a telescope is absolutely not safe because this can cause loss of sight almost immediately. Thankfully there are numerous risk-free ways to view the Sun and allow one to see its highly lively surface.

When viewing the Sun you are likely to see some of the far more fascinating phenomena present on its surface; the sun spots upon its exterior. These black areas are sections that happen to be much cooler than much of the Sun’s surface. They are understood to be induced by magnetic field activity found at these particular areas, stopping heat exchange through convection. Sunspots really are a constantly changing phenomena, forming and diminishing, and enduring for several hours to several months at a time. The greatest sunspots are known to be 50,000km allowing them to be easily seen by using a telescope having a appropriate solar filter.

Gazing directly at the Sun is just not safe, still there exists three basic means to look at the Sun besides advanced means only used in observatories or astrontronmical satelites. The first is pinhole projection. This can be done by piercing a small opening in to a piece of paper or a card and then positioning it in between Sun and a second blank paper. The sunshine from the Sun will project through the small hole and create a picture on the paper that is safe to observe.

The next technique is to project an image using an optical aid. Using this method is much like the last, with the exception of, in place of making use of a card containing a small pinhole, a pair of binoculars or a telescope is pointed at the sun and the picture is focused using the eye piece down onto the blank page instead. Be sure not to look with the telescope or the binoculars while you are aiming it at the Sun as it will probably damage the eyes.

The final technique is to buy solar filters which are on the market for your telescope or perhaps to utilize a solar telescope which are created specifically for viewing the Sun without risk.

Make sure to check out stargazingtonight.com a complete guide to the stars which also has information on the best telescopes for stargazing.

Tips for Viewing Meteor Showers

Astronomy No Responses »

Sep 222011

Meteor showers happen to be instances which come about when the Earth’s course is known to float all the way through a field, really dense in space debris, which causes a rise in the amount of shooting stars detectable to us here on Earth. There are many annual meteor showers which come about all through the year, some of which are more striking than others, and generally are titled according to the Constellation from which they appear to eminate out of.

Since meteor showers are the outcome of the planet earth moving down its orbit right through a area of rock and ice, the actual meteors will appear to eminiate from a single constellation in the sky in the exact direction the Earth is currently moving in. Think of an automobile driving in a snow storm and the way all the individual snow flakes move past the front side of the car while you look out the front window. Doing so will give you a good idea of how a meteor shower will appear from here on Earth. Many of the meteor showers are caused by the Earth traveling into the dust that a comet leaves around on its voyage round the Sun.

Watching meteors as well as meteor showers is ideally performed with the your eyes alone without having any optical aid. While browsing using a pair of binoculars can show a number of fainter meteors you wouldn’t be able to notice normally, the decreased field of view in fact will result in you missing much more than you would without it.

The massive dazzling meteors that can be view using the naked eye happen to be the most astonishing anyhow. It is far better only use your peripheral eyesight to look at the entire sky, because the overall area in which meteors are expected to come is often identified yet the exact place of each and every meteor is just up to chance.

Considering that virtually no equipment is needed, going out to see a meteor shower is really a far more casual way of stargazing that amateur astronomers and those that have hardly any involvement in astronomy and the science of meteors, beyond the gorgeous spectacle they make, will enjoy all the same.

Be sure to check out www.stargazingtonight.com, which is a guide to the stars that is a great resource for those interested in stargazing.

The Three Types of Telescopes

Telescopes No Responses »

Sep 012011

There are 3 main styles of telescope in existence currently, every one with their own number of advantages and disadvantages. The kinds are refracting telescopes, reflecting telescopes (Newtonian), and Catadioptric (or Compound) telescopes.

Refracting telescopes are actually what many folks visualize when they are referring to telescopes. These are the long thin, straight bodied telescopes that have got a nice straightforward design of a objective lens and an eyepiece at opposite sides of the body tube. Refractors are actually the initial telescope type dating as far back as the 1600s. For a particular aperture size it still provides you with the finest caliber picture, having much better image contrasts, thanks to their very simple design. These types tend to be, in addition, the most convenient to maintain, this help to make them a good option for the ones that do not prefer to invest quite a lot of time taking care of their telescope.

The negative aspects of the refractor model telescope happen to be primarily due to its considerable size. For the reason that it’s the largest kind of telescope, they can be also the most costly for a offered aperture diameter. Additionally bigger telescopes are more challenging to pack up and setup, losing portability while the over all size grows. One more weakness of a large telescope can be in the instance when the mount or tripod it is fixed upon isn’t stable enough, and the telescope might lose of its stability while viewing, allowing images to hop around or tremble.

Reflecting Telescopes make use of parabolic mirrors in order to reflect light towards an eyepiece in order to produce an image. The most common sort of reflecting telescope is known as a “Newtonian Telescope” and offers the best selling price for the selected aperture length. Typically the eyepiece can be found along the side of the tube of the telescope. Generally the contrast present in the reflecting telescope is similar to refracting telescopes if they are manufactured properly, and because they possess a considerably more compact body in comparison with refracting telescopes, they’re a lot more mobile, stable, and for that reason easier to use.

The most important disadvantage to this kind of telescope would be that the mirror at the bottom requires the occasional alignment (often know as collimation). This technique is not as challenging as it might seem, nevertheless this kind of toying about could be a nusance to a lot of folks. Furthermore the design is much more open to the ambient air and therefore will have to be cleaned out more regularly. Once again nothing very difficult however, some folks would like a far more hands free telescope, upkeep wise.

Compound telescopes are the most contemporary model, employing a mixture of bouncing light with mirrors, as well as refracting light by way of lenses, to produce an ultra compact telescope that will provde the same magnifications and aperture sizes as much larger telescopes of different kinds. For a granted aperature size, these types can be slightly more pricey compared to a reflecting telescope but still less than a refracting telescope. The compound type tends to be a quite popular choice because it provides the greatest benefits of all sides; good sized apertures, at a good selling price, and is provided in a small and portable size. Compounds are generally also the preferred sort of telescope for Go-To intelligent star locating mounts. This can be a good advantage for those who do not really want to devote all the effort mastering the skill of object location and want to devote more time just watching.

The major downside of catadiotropic telescopes are mainly because the light gets folded up on the inside the body of the scope many times around, and the interior gets to be brighter, cutting down a good deal of the contrast. Numerous folks find this to be an appropriate trade-off for each of the aperture, price, and compactability advantages is presents.

I hope this a help in selecting a telescope. For a review of the best telescopes or just a guide to the stars make certain you look at www.gostargazingtonight.com

About Buying a Telescope

Telescopes No Responses »

Aug 202011

Quite possibly the most typical oversight buyers make when considering shopping for their initial telescope happens to be concentrating merely on the magnification associated with the telescope. The reality is the magnification just isn’t nearly as essential as the aperture.

Aperture, in telescope speak, is the size of the objective lens that collects light from the stars inside of the body of the telescope. The bigger the aperture width, the brighter things show up in the eye piece, and therefore the increased quantity of darker stars and galaxies that can be spotted.

A very common mistaken notion is that the reason that the deep space galaxies that can’t be viewed normally, can’t be viewed via human eye alone just because they look too small, whereas usually it is really because they are just plain just too faint. For that reason the number one element you should put your cash in the direction of, in terms of optical capability, is aperture size.

The aperture additionally establishes the amount of useful possessed by a telescope. It is not recommended to try to obtain magnifications in excess of fifty times the aperture in inches (or two times the aperture in millimeters). Meaning in the case of a telescope which comes with a 8″ aperture, do not expect you’ll have the ability to see clearly with magnifications in excess of 400x. Outside of this, the telescope’s aperture length would not be capable of supporting the higher magnifications resulting in a view will show up unclear.

As far as the available magnifications of telescopes are concerned, they are generally decided by the eyepiece applied. Telescopes will usually include at least one eyepiece, and more can be obtained if desired. Some less expensive telescopes use a fixed eyepiece having a set magnification, but a majority of telescopes can be made to have as high of a magnification as is desired (just remember that the practical magnification is limited by the aperture).

If you are interested in a telescope review as well as a stargazing guide be sure to head to www.gostargazingtonight.com

Stargazing: When and Where to Do It

Telescopes No Responses »

Aug 172011

Stargazing is definitely an enjoyable hobby that can really be enjoyed by anyone. However numerous people seem to be confused as to where and when the ideal locations and times to go are. Below are a number of guidelines that will, with any luck, clear some of this confusion.

Where to Stargaze: Despite the fact that locating an extraordinary, perfect place to look at the stars can be tough in these modern times, it’s easy to find a location that gives a relatively sufficient view. Be sure to keep the following in mind:

-Find an open space: Try to find a big field possibly a sports field or a large meadow. The main thing is that it should be very far far from sizeable objects in the way, for instance woods, buildings, and large hills and / or mountains that might impede your view. Following these guidelines will likely ensure that you don’t lose out on viewing some of the constellations which sometimes lie nearer to the skyline, and will prevent your stargazing experience from being minimized.

-Stay far from bright electric light sources: Light pollution produced by these bright lights results in a “sky glow” which generally diminishes the presence of several of fantastic objects there are to see in the night skies. Try to try to get as far off from highly inhabited locations with lots of highway lights as well as automobile lamps shining constantly. Countryside locations are definitely the ideal. If you’ve not witnessed the night time heavens present in near perfect black environments, away from almost all origins of light pollution, you will be surprised at the big change.

When to stargaze: Other than the obvious (go during the night time), there are some other aspects to consider when deciding the right time to start stargazing.

-Depending on what you’re wishing to check out and on your location, the object you are seeking may or may not be present the night sky when you’d like it to be. Particular constellations are typically observed or mainly visible during particular periods of year, the Moon sets and rises just as the Sun does, and in addition the planets are normally only observable at specific times. Additionally if the Moon is full or even almost full its illumination can certainly outshine a number of the stars in the skies; even though completely good stargazing is quite possible during this period, it’s best to wait until the moon is actually nearer to the new moon phase, or until, before it is risen, or after it has set. Do your homework, investigate when the most desirable time to view your selected object is.

-Seasonally, wintertime is the ideal time to go stargazing since the skies are generally clearer and the light pollution generally seems to tone down this time of year. Many stargazers are willing to bundle up and carry warm beverages along like tea or hot chocolate for wintertime viewing. The summer season has only the main advantage of being more comfortable temperature wise. Generally there a wide range of sights which are far better seen in particular months and also several sections of the sky that can just be observed at specific times of year, so again look up the specific viewing information of your desired object.

-Also check out the weather, merely because it isn’t raining doesn’t mean that the sky is clear. You can’t look at any thing in the sky if the clouds happen to be in the way.

If you are interested in seeing a a guide to the stars or simply learn more about stargazing be sure to check out www.gostargazingtonight.com

World Wide SETI

Jack Freeman

Tips for Observing the Sun

Tips for Viewing Meteor Showers

The Three Types of Telescopes

About Buying a Telescope

Stargazing: When and Where to Do It

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