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Monday, June 11, 2007Astronomy for beginners
We are approaching new moon this week, so it's a good time to get out under the night sky and do some astronomy.
One of the things that disappoints me, greatly, is the notion many beginners have that you need an expensive telescope and lots of equipment to start doing astronomy. Nothing could be more untrue. If you have a clear sky and any interest in astronomy, the time to start is right now. Don't have any optical equipment? No excuse. You can still do a lot of astronomy just by learning constellations and star names. For this, all you need is a basic star chart and book on constellations, such as the Meade Star Chart or Celestron Sky Map. What you learn with these simple tools is not only fun in its own right, but also something that will prove invaluable if you add a binocular or telescope at a later date. The good news, though, is that most people already own some basic astronomy equipment. You can do a lot of astronomy with a common binocular. A binocular - any binocular, even a compact - will show you far more objects than your unaided eye, but the most common full size binoculars found in the home, such as an 8x42 or 10x50 will do a better job. If you don't have one, you don't need to spend a lot of money, either. You can get a very usable astronomy binocular in something like the Celestron Outland LX 10x50 for under $100 and still have a binocular that can be used for many other applications. Want to check this out a bit more? See my article on astronomy binoculars, Astronomical Binoculars Get out under those stars and start observing! Comments: |
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