Astronomy Question: Making Observing More Fun?
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Connor Writes:
Dear Astronomer, I’m 14 and I love astronomy. I’ve been doing it for a while and though I love it, it can get a little boring after looking at the same old stuff for a while. I also live in a heavily light polluted area, so the sights through my 8″ Dob. aren’t the best. How can I make my observing sessions more fun?
Excellent question Connor!
For starters, if it’s possible for you to transport your Dob, I would suggest finding a local Astronomy club.
In many cases, Astronomy clubs have monthly outings at a “dark site” which would allow you to experience better views.
One other suggestion is to obtain a light pollution filter for your eyepieces. While the filter will slightly reduce the total light reaching your eye, they are designed to filter out a good amount of the light from streetlights, etc.
As far as “fun” goes, would you consider “challenging” as fun? There’s a number of faint objects you could try and find, despite the light pollution. Sadly though, the view of those objects won’t be nearly as good as they would be at a location with darker skies.
You could also use a site like Heavens Above (http://www.heavens-above.com) to see if there is a shuttle or ISS pass in your area. The ISS is VERY bright, and will move through the field of view of your dob pretty quickly, but it’s worth attempting.
Another thing to consider is: what do you currently enjoy viewing? The Moon and planets? Messier/NGC Objects? Obviously a change in season provides opportunities for viewing different items, and you have some limitations from the light pollution in your area, but it is possible to mix things up. Do you have an interest in art or sketching? Many astronomers enjoy sketching out what they see in the eyepiece, be it The Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, etc.
As a tip, when setting aside time to observe, I plan my session on what I would like to view, but also budget in “free time” to try and point my telescope at something I haven’t viewed before.
Hope this helps give you a few things to consider.
Clear Skies!
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:06:00
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2011/05/13/making-observing-more-fun/
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