Light pollution

[smulx]

Hi, I'm new and I'm sure I'm going to have quite a few questions that will probably be answered in the stickies, but I haven't seen this covered anywhere.

Basically I'm just wondering what, if anything, I'll be able to get a good view of through the light pollution of my town? I'm looking at getting a £200-300 telescope for my first which will probably be 5-6". Am I going to have to make time to leave the town straight away, or can I get a bit of enjoyment from my back garden while I learn the basics?

Thanks.

[Breakintheclouds]

Hello there, and welcome.

Unless you're in a really bad place for light pollution, you can see quite a lot from the typical garden. That's not to say your garden is as good as a proper dark site, as it's not, but there's nearly always a lot you can do from home. Some targets will be easier than others. For example, you'll probably have more luck viewing double stars with light pollution than galaxies. But even then, you might be surprised what you can see.

Finding some sort of shelter, so that light doesn't fall across you when you're viewing, can help a lot. Some people build screens to stop neighbours' lights interfering too much. If you can stay up late that'll help too, as often you'll find that some exterior lights go off at 11 or midnight.

For lots of inspiration, and practical tips, I'd recommend The Urban Astronomer's Guide by Mollise, which is essentially a book about astronomy under light pollution.

[Manok101]

I am just starting but can tell you that even with a good pair of binocs you can see quite a bit if you have some place you can stand without a light in your face

[smulx]

Hello there, and welcome.

Unless you're in a really bad place for light pollution, you can see quite a lot from the typical garden. That's not to say your garden is as good as a proper dark site, as it's not, but there's nearly always a lot you can do from home. Some targets will be easier than others. For example, you'll probably have more luck viewing double stars with light pollution than galaxies. But even then, you might be surprised what you can see.

Finding some sort of shelter, so that light doesn't fall across you when you're viewing, can help a lot. Some people build screens to stop neighbours' lights interfering too much. If you can stay up late that'll help too, as often you'll find that some exterior lights go off at 11 or midnight.

For lots of inspiration, and practical tips, I'd recommend The Urban Astronomer's Guide by Mollise, which is essentially a book about astronomy under light pollution.

Cool, thanks for the advice. I'll check that book out.

[smulx]

I am just starting but can tell you that even with a good pair of binocs you can see quite a bit if you have some place you can stand without a light in your face

What kind of binoculars do you use?

[Merlin999]

Hi smulx,

I'm in a very urban setting with lots of light pollution and I manage to see quite a lot. I started off with some Opticron 10x50 binoculars on a tripod stand and I was able to see the moons around Jupiter as well as the Orion Nebula (M42) and the like just with the binoculars.

Last week I upgraded to a telescope and though it is very early days I was very pleased to get great views of banding on Jupiter.

So even in a suburban back garden, there is still a lot to see.

[BazMark]

Hi,

Even though I've had a decent scope now for nearly a year I often find myself out in the garden with just my 10x50 binos. Several times now I've been viewing with them and seen meteors fly across my field of view (FOV). Just the other evening I was viewing Jupiter from my sister's front garden in North Wales marvelling at how clear the sky was when a bright meteor sailed across. It was beautiful!

However, even the small SW 1145P reflector that I used to have was excellent in my light polluted back garden. The first time I looked at the Pleiades through it I was blown away by the detail even on low power. Same too with the Orion nebula and the beehive cluster. Double stars like Mizar and globular clusters like M13 should also be within your grasp from your back garden with a modest scope.

Mark