'Guide to the Night' - Guardian supplement

[661-pete]

This fell out of today's Guardian and has quite a few useful pages on basic stargazing and astronomy, contributed by Robin Scagell. Alas! The Guardian haven't made it available online, only this reference to it, so you'd need to buy the paper copy.

I thought the article was not bad, as a beginner's guide. A lot of emphasis on learning your way around the sky, on getting used to do-it-yourself. Which is good, because if beginners are always dependent on being with an 'expert' to point things out to them, they'll still be lost and lose heart the first time they're out without the 'expert'.

One remark in the article might raise a few eyebrows (my italics).

Though it's the scourge of astronomers, light pollution actually makes things a bit easier by blotting out the fainter stars. A really dark and clear sky can have so many stars that it's hard to pick out the bright ones.

Well, this is a highly-charged and emotive subject, and I wonder how some people on this forum will react! Speaking for myself, well, visually I have no difficulty picking out the familiar constellations and asterisms even in a perfect starry sky (if I'm ever so lucky )! It's in widefield images going deep into the MW, especially of Cassiopeia or Sagittarius, that I sometimes have difficulty in picking out the main (saturated) stars against the background.

What do others think?

[Beulah]

Though it's the scourge of astronomers, light pollution actually makes things a bit easier by blotting out the fainter stars. A really dark and clear sky can have so many stars that it's hard to pick out the bright ones.

:mad:

I think ametuer astronomers have a right to reply on this one!!!

Kinda defeats the object - so even though LP is a scourge to those "nerds and geeks", the more rounded, informed public need not get so het up with the millions of kilowatts of light being pumped into our sky.

That's how I am reading it.

Not happy.

EDIT: after dunking my head in a bucket of cold water to calm down, I suppose the article was good publicity for Astronomy...........I suppose...

[661-pete]

:mad:

I think ametuer astronomers have a right to reply on this one!!!

You could try addressing yourself to Robin Scagell direct. He's a regular on SPA forum I believe.

http://www.popastro.com/phpBB2/index.php

[rblunden]

This fell out of today's Guardian and has quite a few useful pages on basic stargazing and astronomy, contributed by Robin Scagell. Alas! The Guardian haven't made it available online, only this reference to it, so you'd need to buy the paper copy.

Actually, you can get some of it online.

See Guide to the night | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

[tinvek]

oh brother

actually i sort of know what he means, what he effectively is saying is that some light polution will remove all the background and leave the constelllations which will help a newcomer find their way round the sky.

perhaps it should read" light polution can help the new astronomer as it simplifies the sky but it will soon become a nuicence and lead to frustration as they become more experienced and start wanting to see other astro phenomenen (any one know how to spell this? )

((also for anyone who remembers sandra bullock on the muppets

do do de do-do ))

[Macavity]

But having returned to an area with (for me anyway) "good" seeing, there is a certain truth in the general idea. Here, there are just about the RIGHT number of stars for *me* to "hop", but a 9x50 finder reveals almost too many... I may yet invest in an 8x30 finder.

I think, as a no-brainer, we MUST retain the OPTION re. such things.

[Beulah]

oh brother

actually i sort of know what he means, what he effectively is saying is that some light polution will remove all the background and leave the constelllations which will help a newcomer find their way round the sky.

perhaps it should read" light polution can help the new astronomer as it simplifies the sky but it will soon become a nuicence and lead to frustration as they become more experienced and start wanting to see other astro phenomenen (any one know how to spell this? )

((also for anyone who remembers sandra bullock on the muppets

do do de do-do ))

Amen to that...

QFT.

[tinvek]

in case anyone didn;t kno what i was on about here's sandra, kermit and that song

YouTube - Phenomenon

and the origninal for the old(ish) timers like me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRRFfg2Guq4

[AWR]

Aaarrrgghh!

I've had that tune in my head all day yesterday and today!

Andrew