Astronomy 4 U

Some observing projects for beginners

Summary

• What can we see with the Naked Eye• What can we see with Binoculars• Targets for Telescopes• Observing with the Internet

Naked Eye

• No instruments needed– Warm Clothing– Paper & Pen– Safe Observing Location– Dark Sky– Patience

• Camera & tripod if you have one

Meteorites

Meteorites

Aurora

Aurora

Lunar Eclipse

Hunting for Mercury - and VenusPlanetary Conjunctions

Naked Eye or Binoculars

• Use either your Naked Eye or preferably binoculars– Warm Clothing– Paper & Pen– Safe Observing Location

• Camera & tripod if you have one

Phases of the Moon

• Observe the phase of the moon each night– Draw the results

• How does it change ?

• Watch the Moon against the background stars ( using binoculars)– Time how long it takes moon to move it’s own width

• How fast does it move ?

• Draw the Moons position against the stars each day (using binoculars)

• How does it change ?

Moving Planets

• Observe the outer planets against the stars– Plot the positions from night to night

• Do they always move in the same direction ?

• Sometimes they go backwards !

Retrograde Motion

Look for the dates for retrograde motions in the astronomy magazines or on the Internet

Comets

CometsComet Hale-Bopp

Comet Hyakutake

Comets

1910 Daylight Comet

Comet Ikeya-Zhang

Telescope

• Any size telescope– What you can see depends on the size &

quality of your telescope• On a mount with slow motion controls

or even better a drive– Warm Clothing– Paper & Pen– Safe Observing Location

Craters on the Moon

• Look at the craters– Find where you

are looking on a moon map

– Draw them

The Planets - Jupiter and it’s moons

The Planets - Saturn

Double Stars / Binary Stars

Albiero

Variable Stars

• Binary Stars• Intrinsic

Variables– Compare the

brightness by eye with standard stars

Other Telescope Objects

• Mars• Venus• Galaxies• Open Clusters• Asteroids• Planetary Nebula

The Internet

• Ideas - Sites such as The Society for Popular Astronomy

• Jodrell Bank ‘A List’ of objects to observe

• Planetarium programmes• News• Data Sources• Teaching resources