Got me binoculars oot

[ChrisMiller]

Hi how are you all, just new here so here goes. Been into wanting to find out more about the skies for a long time now. Got me Binoculars at the ready, had a good look at the moon, very interesting i might add through a set o binoculars, Fair distance up from the moon right up in the sky is a really bright white star, looked at it through the binoculars and it dont look like the rest o the stars, any ideas or is this to little to go on. Im in edinburgh Scotland so if that hellps with positioning etc, Gonna get myself some begginers books to read up on. Well see ya all about, cheers, Chris

[yeti monster]

Hi and welcome Chris.

What size binoculars are you using?

Download stellarium, that will tell you what is where and when for your location.

Binos are great for learning the stars btw.

YM

[brantuk]

Hi Chris and welcome - sounds like it might be mars you were seeing if it was mid evening - did it have a reddish tinge to it? If it was 2 in the morning then it would have been saturn.

[Talitha]

Hi and welcome to SGL, Chris.

[Scott Tilley]

Warm welcome to SGL Chris!

Scott

[Rusty Strings]

Hi and welcome from me

John

[glowjet]

Hi Chris,

A very warm welcome to SGL, hope you enjoy the forum,

John.

[Starjumper]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to SGL.

John

[BAZ Senior]

Hi, welcome to SGL. Binoculars are a great tool, they show a lot more of the sky than a scope, a lot of people use them for doing a quick reccy for things and then using the scope.

[Beyond_Vision]

Welcome to SGL Chris I would also say it was Mars that you saw

Regards

Kevin

[ChrisMiller]

Thanks for the welcome folks, No red in the star I saw, it was a pure brilliant white that was hard to focus on properly, Well when I say hard to focus on I mean it was as if there was more to see but I could'nt see it. Would love to know what im looking at and looking for, but I suppose that will all take time

[johnh]

Welcome and great to see you learning the skies shiny secrets.

JohnH.

[ChrisMiller]

Aha, Result, Downloaded Stellarium, and Mars is in the exact place that I saw the Bright star. See learned one thing already, t wasnt a star that i saw. How happy am i. Was gonna go out to see it again and take the laptop with me so i could see others but too cloudy just now

[Brendan of Borg]

I have an amaturish tip if yer like: if it twinkles it be a star, if not then a planet! (Mostly!!)

[ChrisMiller]

Aha, Many thanks for that, its amazing how many stars u can even see with the naked eye once your eyes adjust

[phattanglo]

Welcome to SGL Chris.

Kevin.

[yeti monster]

If you find Cassiopeia with your binos and slowly work your way towards Orion, you'll see millions of stars, that be the milky way and it's mind blowingly FULL of stars.

Also, from Cassiopeia, looking at her as a "W", the right hand "v" points towards Andromeda. Below the "V" there is another bright star, follow a line from the bottom star of the right "V", through this other star and continue slowly. You should come across a grey, smudgy cloudy thingy. This is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is rather underwhelming at first, but when it sinks in exactly what you are seeing, with your own eyes, I think you gast will be well and truely flabbered.

[brantuk]

Well done Chris - I'm glad you id'd mars - watch it's position in the sky change over the next month or so as earth overtakes it in it's orbit round the sun. It appears to go in reverse for a short while.

Have fun with it for a few hours each night and as it gets later you'll see saturn around midnight in the same area of sky you started at. Prepare for a jaw dropping experience lol

[Coco]

Hi and welcome to SGL, Chris