Fantastic night and my first using the books

[Capella]

Well i've not bought a scope, but t-nite (and i've only just come inside 2:50am whoops) i had a great nights observing with the binoculars. THe moon came up quite late but it didn't stop me.

Using my Philips book i was able to successfully locate The plough making sure with the double star Mizar and Alcor. I also saw a faint blurb of light below Alkaid i'd like to think it was M51 but not sure if i can see that blur with binoculars.

Moving on i located an orange looking star which i think was Arcturus but it was heading towards the horzion.

After that i got very confused my books show everything on a much smaller scale and sometimes its hard to work out just what is what.

But i finally worked out vega was up above me so i found vega, again i use double stars to check that i have the correct constellation. I then managed to move over and find Deneb and observer what i believe was the milky way again this is through Binoculars. Then i believe i found Delphinus and Aquila with Altair being very bright.

All in all i'm very excited and was very happy with my observations. I just now need to take the plunge and get a go to new 10" and i'll be set.

P.S i observerd two lights/objects moving at a steady pace, i'm assuming these we're satelites? one came from west to south east and another from north to south.

Regards Nic.

[brianb]

i'd like to think it was M51 but not sure if i can see that blur with binoculars.

Well I can see M51 with 10x50 binoculars, no problem at all if the sky is halfway reasonable.

i observerd two lights/objects moving at a steady pace, i'm assuming these we're satelites?

Very likely - if not aircraft, which tend to have coloured/flashing lights which will be obvious in binoculars.

[Talitha]

That's great, Nic.. well done!

I think you'd like using a planisphere (star wheel). It's a moving starmap.. pretty cool. You rotate the disc so the outer rim's date/time coincides with the current date/time, and the stars printed on the rotating disc illustrate exactly what's up there 'now'. It makes things come alive and easier to identify and learn.

[Capella]

Well I can see M51 with 10x50 binoculars, no problem at all if the sky is halfway reasonable.

Very likely - if not aircraft, which tend to have coloured/flashing lights which will be obvious in binoculars.

No flashing lights these's we're very high moved very smoothly and tbh looked just like a moving star. So i'm going to say Satellite..

[661-pete]

Doesn't it feel great to be there witnessing the 'real thing', rather than just studying books (and computer screens)? Well done for 'finding your way' so quickly. If you keep at it, learning the main constellations will soon become second nature.

Indeed, although the wealth of imaging is fine for studying specific objects, the only experience I can think of, that comes close to being 'out there under the Night Sky' is a good old-fashioned planetarium - the sort you sit in and look up at a domed ceiling. As a kid I was lucky enough to be taken along to the London Planetarium soon after it first opened. It certainly 'opened my eyes'. Crude technology by present-day standards: not a computer in sight, it was all done by mechanical projectors. But I learnt there all about planets retrograding, something I would never have understood but for that. Alas! it's not there anymore.

Sorry, I digress. You may have glimpsed M51 in the bins but I'm not sure:it is faint and not easy, unless you have particularly good dark skies! Try for M81 and M82 - the book will show you how to find them - you can use the stars of the Plough as pointers once again. They are fairly easy in binoculars, in reasonably dark skies.

[Capella]

Directly above i have fairly dark skies i'd say, its on the horizons i struggle due to the Sodium Pressure lamps that throw up a fair bit of orange haze.

In the philips book it does have pictures etc but its as if they've cramped all the constellations onto one page they look so much smaller (obviously) but you don't realise just how much bigger they are.

Also do stars rise and fall like the sun or we talking rotation here? i.e anti clockwise? its just all my books have a rotational arrow going anti clockwise and say the plough it seems to come over my house from a North east setting towards northwest or west of my house.

Not seen capella yet and Deneb is supposedly quite bright but it didn't seem a patch on Vega if i'm honest.

Onwards and upwards i guess.

[Doc]

Sounds like you had a great night and are itching to try your new scope when you buy.

A 10" scope will show you plenty. it should keep you busy for many many years.

[ashenlight]

Your enthusiasm really shines through Capella, it is lovely to see. Soon enough you'll be confident with your way around the sky and can go on to find those harder to find objects. I remember the sense of pride and awe I had when stepping out under the night sky and instead of just seeing stars I saw Orion, Canis major, Taurus... the sky really comes alive Keep up the practice and let us know how you get on we're all here if you have any queries.

Amanda

[Capella]

Amanda its mad, there's just so much going on up there and its all quite unexplainable. When i got into Astronomy i almost felt enlightened just due to the fact most people are asleep not looking up at stars.

WHen you quote figures/numbers and come out with some fact like Betelguese being as large as our planets distant to Jupiter people either don't understand you or are quite shocked etc etc.

I've got the bug, end of the months pay packet will be treating me to a 10" newtonian for sure!!

[JamesK]

Sounds like a great night... make sure to ask on this site when choosing a scope! If you've got decent skies - M51 is visable in good binos - you can make out most of the 108 Messier objects through 10x50s in good conditions. Wish I could have got out last night, it was clear here too, but I had a stats exam this morning! Friday looks good for me though...

Well Done.

James.

[Taff]

Hi Nic' Weldone sounds like you had a great night.What i did many moons ago when i first started off with astronomy was to learn the constellations by looking at a book.Then slowly i tried to find the easy stuff eg M42 then started to try other things.Through out the year when different constellaions come along then look for other DSO when they come along Good Luck.Mark

[661-pete]

Also do stars rise and fall like the sun or we talking rotation here? i.e anti clockwise? its just all my books have a rotational arrow going anti clockwise and say the plough it seems to come over my house from a North east setting towards northwest or west of my house.

It depends which way you're looking: if you look North the stars appear to rotate anti-clockwise about Polaris which stays put. If you look South then objects appear to move clockwise in a wide arc over the horizon. 'Rise in the East, Set in the West' is a general rule which applies to all celestial objects which do rise and set (some don't), not just the Sun. It's because of the way the Earth turns.

Not seen capella yet and Deneb is supposedly quite bright but it didn't seem a patch on Vega if i'm honest.

Ah well, it's the wrong time of year, at present Capella is low down on the horizon (to the north) if it's visible at all. You need to wait until Winter, then it'll be bang overhead.

One of the things about stargazing is that, like strawberries, it's highly seasonal. But the difference from strawberries, is that it's in season all the year round (weather permitting) - you just get different vistas at different times of the year. If you get tired of looking at things just now, wait a few months, then you'll get a wholly new set of objects to look for!

As a general rule to what dominates the sky in each season, well for me it goes like this:

Winter: Orion

Spring: Leo

Summer: 'summer triangle'

Autumn: Square of Pegasus.

There's lots more to it than that, of course, but these are the general starting points. The 'summer triangle' you've already worked at: not really a constellation, it consists of the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair. Vega and Deneb you've already mentioned: look for Altair as the lower apex of the triangle, easy to pick out by the two fainter stars above and below it.

Happy observing!

[ron.s.g]

Hi Nic sounds like you had a great time,

i love popping out with my bins as its so good for a quick look around,

most satellites pass without being able to see them but some can be picked out with the naked eye,

lots will be seen with bins but wait till you see the space station that lights up like a star very bright, as mentioned ask before you buy a scope as lots of very good advice will be given from some very experienced people on here.

regards ron.s.g

[661-pete]

as mentioned ask before you buy a scope as lots of very good advice will be given from some very experienced people on here.

Yes, especially seeing as you're considering a Newt. I agree, that's the best choice for a visual observer looking at deep sky, but if you haven't 'played' with a newtonian before now, you will find the experience a bit 'odd' and takes some getting used to. The same, to some extent, true of a Dobsonian. I launched straight into a Newt. when I got back into astro a few years ago, but at least I had the advantage of having handled one before - years earlier!

Not trying to put you off, mind, but expect a 'learning curve'. Hopefully it'll be short and steep!