Hello, and welcome to the first of my regular astronomy features. My name is Kevin, I live in Cerne Abbas, and I’ve been into visual astronomy (as distinct from astrophotography) for around 15 years. Because I regard astrophotography as something of a dark art (often involving many hours spent with the telescope tracking and taking long exposures of the same object), and potentially very expensive, this column will concentrate on the visual side.
So, why astronomy? Well, it’s accessible. You don’t even need any equipment – all you really need to do it is to go outside and look up. However, a cheap pair of binoculars will markedly expand upon what you can see with the naked eye, and a fairly basic telescope will let you see even more. The main reason I love astronomy is because it stimulates the imagination. I find myself musing on what the night sky might look like on planets circling distant stars, contemplating dense globular star clusters containing upwards of half a million stars, pondering how the light from a particular galaxy may have travelled tens of millions of light years to get here, to me, and my eyes … Plus, astronomy allows me to indulge my geek nature, and I get to ‘collect’ the objects on various lists (the Messier and Caldwell catalogues, for example).
As for what you can actually see, well, let’s start with the basics. With naked eye observing you’ll see the moon and the stars (of course), star clusters (such as the Pleiades, and the Double Cluster in the constellation of Perseus), and, if you’re really lucky and live in a nice dark area, the Milky Way, and even a whole other galaxy (Andromeda). It’s not exactly common knowledge, but if the Andromeda galaxy was brighter (it’s approximately 2.4 million light years away), it would actually appear about 5-6 times as large in the sky as the full moon! From a dark, un-light-polluted area it’ll appear as a faint, grey, elongated smudge (okay, perhaps not the most exciting description, but we’re talking about a whole other galaxy here!).
If you go out equipped with a pair of even relatively cheap 8×40 or 10×50 binoculars, you might see a hint of the main dark dust lane in Andromeda, sparkly stars in star clusters, the moons of Jupiter, planetary nebulae like the Dumbbell in the constellation of Vulpecula, and even more remote galaxies, such as Messier 81 and 82. These latter objects are in the region of 12 million light years away in the Ursa Major constellation, and yet can be seen using a pair of 20 quid 10×50 binoculars … I personally find that mind-blowing!
A 4- or 5-inch reflector telescope (we’re talking in the range of 80-150 quid) will show everything I’ve already mentioned, plus the two main cloud bands on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, phenomenal crater detail on the moon, plus more galaxies, more detail, more planetary and emission nebulae, colourful binary stars … the list goes on.
My aim with this column is to spread the word, and to inspire others to take advantage of the amazing darks skies we have over rural Dorset. We really are very lucky here, with light pollution from the main towns being relatively easy to get away from (half an hour’s drive should get you to a pretty dark site). In addition, the dark uninterrupted southern views over the sea let us view objects close to the horizon; objects that you’d struggle to see if you went further north.
Future articles will include observing reports, equipment and book reviews, discussions with fellow astronomers, star party round-ups, tutorials, and general astronomy-related thoughts. In addition, I’ll be mentioning some of the night-sky objects you can expect to see over the subsequent weeks, and I’ll discuss a different constellation each time, detailing what can be observed within its bounds.
For now, though, I hope I’ve given you some food for thought. Why not pop outside one night over the next few weeks and see if you can spot Saturn (at 10.00PM it’ll be pretty much due south, and at about 20-25 degrees above the horizon – apps like Google Sky Map or Stellarium on your smartphone will help you find it). A pair of binoculars will show the planet as a bright rugby-ball shape. If you’re still up after eleven or so, see if you can make out the Milky Way stretching from high in the East to due South.
Till next time, clear skies!
Kevin Quinn is an amateur astronomer based in Cerne Abbas, he is the proud owner of a ten-inch reflector, a small refractor, and a hefty pair of binoculars. He tweets via @CerneAstro, blogs via theastroguy.wordpress.com, and his ebook ‘Demystifying Astronomy – A beginner’s guide to telescopes, eyepieces and accessories for visual astronomy’ is widely available.
©Kevin Quinn
