Astronomy 101
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Astronomy is a wonderful hobby and it’s potentially very easy to get into, the only essential skills are a fair bit of patience, a whole lot of curiosity and a clear, dark sky. The best way to start looking at the night skies is with the naked eye. Finding a really dark spot, letting your eyes acclimatise and spotting the stars, constellations and other objects, with the help of a star chart, is perfect for finding your way around the sky. It's a great little taster of what's out there. To the uninitiated astronomy can seem like a very complicated business, but a lot of this can be attributed to the specialist jargon associated with it. Get the hang of some of the lingo and everything will start making a whole lot more sense. Coordinates: from an astronomer's viewpoint celestial objects are positioned on what is known as the celestial sphere (imagine looking at the interior of a globe). The coordinate system is very similar to that used on a conventional globe except in astronomy latitude is known as declination and longitude is right ascension. Declination is measured in degrees, arc-minutes and arc-seconds, but right ascension is measured in hours, minutes and seconds. Angular measure: this is the distance from one object to another perpendicular to an observer's line of sight. Measured in degrees, arc-minutes and arc-seconds this represents the angle that would be made between lines drawn from the observer to one celestial object and then to the other. Magnitude: this is a scale that represents how bright an object appears to the observer. The more positive the number of magnitude, the dimmer the object will appear and vice versa. It's possible to see down to objects with a magnitude of 9 with binoculars, to 13th magnitude with a good amateur telescope and to 30th magnitude with the Hubble Space Telescope, just to give you an idea of what the numbers mean. Of course, you don't necessarily need to know all the jargon to enjoy the night skies, but a lot of people do enjoy learning the specialised knowledge that goes hand in hand with stargazing. One of the great things about astronomy is that you can choose how committed you want to be to it and how much time and money you want to spend pursuing it. An astronomy focused holiday can be as simple as finding a dark field just beyond the lights of where you live and setting up camp there for the night. This is a great way, particularly, to introduce children to astronomy; how easy it is and what amazing sights they can see if they only look up. For those who want to become part of the global amateur astronomy community and for whom stargazing is very much a social thing, there are amateur organisations listed across the world open for new members. Many of these organisations run annual events known as 'Star Parties' where members meet up, share stories, observe, swap hints and listen to lectures. There are many star parties dotted across the United States and Australia throughout the year and a few can be found in Europe's darker sites too. For those astronomers who want a chance to view the best skies and celestial events visible from Earth there are many travel companies that organise astronomy focused holidays, trips and tours. It’s possible to find tours where you can experience the aurora, polar skies, professional standard telescopes, meteor showers, eclipses and much more. These tours can get expensive but for those determined enough anything is possible. |
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More Adventures in Astronomy » Anna's Top Spots
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Antarctic Star CruiseAstronomy in Antarctica Antarctica is widely documented as the best place for astronomy on the planet. Home to some of the driest conditions on earth and very calm local atmospheric air patterns, these combine to produce pretty much unparalleled visibility. However, a keen stargazer may be put off by the difficulties involved in getting to Antarctica and it is an often dangerous place to explore for all but the most adventurous of souls. But it is in fact within reach for those wishing to experience the most southern of skies. Eye on the Sky is a company that runs various AstroCruises throughout the year on its fleet of scheduled cruise ships, ranging in style through luxury, premium, family and adventure and mainly planned to coincide with celestial events. The company also runs an annual cruise to the Antarctic in late January, planned each year to coincide with the new or crescent moon for the best stargazing. As well as the celebrated viewing conditions the Antarctic skies offer a new perspective for amateur astronomers and a chance to see the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis. The cruises are suitable for those with no or little astronomy training and experience and all include related talks and guided stargazing sessions.
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Ayers Rock at NightAstronomy in Northern Territory, Australia Ayers Rock, also known in the aboriginal tongue as Uluru, is one of the world's most unusual and infamous natural landmarks. Set as it is in the middle of the desert of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the 'Red Centre' of Australia's Northern Territory the lack of light pollution and low humidity make for excellent night-time visibility.
Various night sky shows are available in the area, employing expert astronomy guides to lead the unfamiliar through the majesty of the Southern Hemisphereﾒs night sky; pointing out the Southern Cross, the large and small Magellanic Clouds, teaching the rudiments of navigating by the stars and sharing the cultural and mythological histories of the individual constellations.
Telescopes are available for those who wish to delve a little deeper into the secrets of the cosmos, but equally for those who would like to just sit back and enjoy this is a stunning environment to stargaze in.
Accommodation of all kinds is readily available at the Ayers Rock Resort, from hotel rooms to villas to camping grounds, and the other tours, walks and unforgettable scenery make this an awe-inspiring setting both day and night.
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Mauna Kea: Stargazing in HawaiiAstronomy in Hawaii, United States Hawaii is a destination really geared towards stargazing; boasting 90% clear nights and a total of 13 large telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea alone. The surrounding ocean cuts down on artificial light pollution and leads to better, more stable seeing conditions. For stargazers the No 1 Hawaii destination has to be the mountain Mauna Kea, over 14,000 feet above sea level. A visitor's centre set 9,200 feet up has several small telescopes for public use, one solar telescope for daytime observations and runs astronomy presentations every Saturday night on current research and discoveries. For beginners a stargazing program runs every night where visitors are guided through telescope use and a constellation tour of the sky. And, provided you can find four-wheel drive transportation, tours to the summit of Mauna Kea also run and include visits to two of the professional working telescopes: the Keck I and the University of Hawaii 2.2 meter. For those who like their stargazing experiences a little less technical night time boat tours and cruises through the islands can be a great way to experience the stars out on deck. On the island of Maui purely naked eye night sky tours run monthly in the Haleakaka National Park and regular star parties for amateurs can be found dotted across all the islands.
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Star Gazing in the AlgarveAstronomy in Portugal Mention of the Algarve might conjure up images far from the quiet pursuit of uninterrupted stargazing but this southernmost region of inland Portugal offers exceptional conditions for a little amateur astronomy, provided you steer clear of the tourist-heavy, built up areas.
COAA is a self-proclaimed ‘astronomy holiday centre’, situated in Poio, which gives amateur astronomers a chance to observe using professional standard equipment including a 0.5m, f4.5 Newtonian telescope amongst others. All the telescopes are equipped with both for photography and CCD imaging and make this an excellent place for those amateurs looking to get a bit serious.
Just around the corner and close to the beautiful town of Tavira is CDEPA another lodge that specialises in astronomy focused holidays with a number of smaller telescopes and an excellent location for binocular observing or simply taking in the stars with the naked eye.
The combination of blissfully sunny days and clear, dark nights and the proximity of other entertainment make the Algarve an ideal place for those whose passion for stargazing isn’t perhaps mirrored quite as strongly in their travelling companions.
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