The Scruffy Astronomer

With the winter solstice coming up, it's time to send around my regular viewing list. Those of you who have small telescopes or (like me) are stuck in the city, start by searching for clusters, either open clusters (which are pretty groups of stars) or globular clusters (which are tight spectacular swarms). Once you've done that, start looking for double stars, which are pretty in a different way. One day I'll get around to photographing some... For planets, Saturn and Jupiter are currently your best bet. Here's a photo I took of Saturn. I used budget equipment (about $1000), which I was testing for work. Open cluster: Mel 111 - Coma Berenices Star Cluster (06:55 PM) Galaxy: M 87 - Virgo A (01:55 AM) Galaxy: M 104 - Sombrero Galaxy (02:09 AM) Dark nebula: C 99 - Coalsack Nebula (02:24 AM) Open cluster: NGC 4755 - Jewel Box Cluster (02:24 AM) Galaxy: NGC 5128 - Centaurus A (02:52 AM) Globular cluster: NGC 5139 - Omega Centauri (02:52 AM) Galaxy:...

Classifying telescopes When clients come in and ask about a new telescope, the first thing we normally ask is what they want to see with it. People often look at us weirdly when I ask this. "The sky?" they tend to venture. We're after an idea whether they want to look at planets or deep sky targets like nebulas and galaxies. What we're getting towards is what type of telescope is best for them. Telescopes aren't the same. They're highly specific tools, each with their own area of specialisation. Get the wrong one and it's not going to give you what you want. Ferraris and Land Cruisers We explain by asking people what is the best type of car: a Land Cruiser or a Ferrari? They're both great for what they're intended for, but used for a different purpose... not so much. So how do we decide what type? Aperture and focal length Telescopes are fairly comprehensively described in two measurements, aperture and focal length. Aperture - how much ligh...

The imaginary point As we all know, the Earth rotates on its axis. This is why we see the sun rising and setting, as well as the stars moving through the night. But this gives astronomers a challenge. If you have an equatorial mount, it has to be parallel to the Earth's rotation. The more accurate the alignment, the better the mount will perform. Once aligned, you only have to move one axis has to follow a star accurately. The other one can stay still. If the mount is poorly aligned, you'll have to adjust the declination axis occasionally. Of course, this isn't a problem for visual observing. But for photography, a small polar error will ruin your photos. How can you get an accurate alignment? Geometry! I use a computer program called SharpCap to help with my polar aligning. This needs a computer and a camera on the scope. A PoleMaster does pretty much the same thing. SharpCap is very clever. It takes a photo of the polar area, you rotate the RA axis and it take...

You've got a new telescope, and you've seen the Moon and something of the planets (yes, they're small), and you're wondering about what to look at next. If you live in the city or the suburbs, you will probably already have found that nebulas and galaxies need telescopes with large apertures, such as a Dobsonian. They will also have to wait until you can get into the country (this was written while we were still locked down in Victoria). Instead, have a look for star clusters. They're just stars, so you can see them through the city's haze. What's more, they're pretty, and all different. Generally, they come in two classes, open (meaning scattered) and globular (meaning a swarm). Closed clusters are normally pretty small, but open ones can be large or small. This is my photo of an open cluster, M47. The poor thing doesn't seem to have a common name like a lot of them do. Here's how to find it: At this time of year (Apr...

A random walk through the sky When I first started in astronomy ( back at school ), our astro club's observation nights were unplanned affairs. We'd turn up, maybe have a quick squiz at Norton's Star Atlas to see what's up, and then grab a scope. We'd wander randomly from one target to another, exploring the sky on our own. With a plan, you don't miss a target Inevitably though, the day afterwards, someone would start talking about the Lagoon Nebula or some other cool target. When we'd find out where it was so we could see it, we'd find it was just setting in the evening and we'd have to wait six months to see it. (Geek bullying - find some really cool object in the sky, then wait to tell your victim about it until it's too close to the Sun to observe. How very Niles Crane .) Observation nights always go better when you can plan your targets. And it's not just visual observers, either. Astrophotographers want to expose the target for as...

Today's summer solstice post is overshadowed a little by the Grand Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn. I know you'll all be out watching that - weather permitting, of course, I wrote this post a week or so beforehand. After that, Saturn and Jupiter will go hiding behind the sun, but there are still plenty of things to watch in the sky, including Mars, which is still high, although it's beginning to get small as it moves away from the Earth. I've added a couple of clusters to my list this time. I got both of them from my light-polluted back yard a week or two back. This is my photo of M41, which I took from my back yard using a saxon 1021 doublet refractor of the type that many of you have bought for Christmas. It's very similar to our most popular refractor, the saxon 909AZ3, just a tiny bit bigger. I had it on a tracking mount though, my own NEQ6. This photo gives you an idea what you're likely to see with a small telescope. The photo also shows a fair a...

It's planet season! Jupiter is blazing away in the evening, pretty much unmissable high in the East just after dinner, and Saturn isn't far behind it. If you're up much later you'll see Mars approaching opposition. I had a good look the other night using a saxon 909AZ3 and Mars is about the same apparent size as Saturn without its rings. My mate Paul just got this shot of Neptune, which is difficult, but a beautiful blue. There are plenty of bright clusters like 47 Tuc, and dimmer objects like the Helix Nebula. or the Sculptor Galaxy. Far into the North, the Ring Nebula will challenge you. Here’s the  list of springtime objects. It spans 12 to 20 hours in RA, and is biased to the southern objects. Because we're locked down in Melbourne, it won't be easy for you to see the dimmer objects. The list is ordered by the time targets pass the meridian – that is, their highest point of the night. The Omega Nebula is past the zenith before 7pm, so go for that one first. ...

Star registries are ways that you can "buy" or "name" a star. There are several reasons why you'd want to do this, but in nearly every case, people want to know if they can actually see their star with a telescope. In most cases you can - depending on your location and time of year, of course. In this blog I'll show you how you can find yours. Buying your own star For a while now, star registry companies have been selling limited naming rights or limited name association to stars. This doesn't mean you own the star, of course, and any name you give it isn't official in any way. But sometimes, that isn't important. People have very valid, personal reasons for associating their name, or more often, someone else's name, to a star. Many people have found that there are star registry companies out there. But I'm not going to show you how to get or name your own star here, because I don't want to advertise these companies. What'...

Fragile, ethereal and mysterious, they're being seen more in the last couple of decades. Could these wraiths be a portent of doom? Image of Noctilucent clouds over Uppsala, Sweden : Wikipedia Noctilucent clouds are thin, filament-shaped clouds that form in deep twilight. They look very beautiful, light against a deep blue background. But, yes, it looks like they have a dark side. They form in the coldest parts of the atmosphere, at an altitude of about 83,000 metres called the mesopause where the temperature is around -140°C. They're normally restricted to a circular area around the North pole, specifically between 55 and 65 degrees. What's more, they tend to happen only in Summer. They have been seen in the south, but very rarely. They were first reported in the late 1880s. Probably because this was soon after the eruption of Krakatoa, it was initially thought they were associated with volcanic activity, or with dust injected into the upper atmosphere by meteors. But ther...

The Winter Solstice is on Monday, the 21st. In many countries, the Solstice is the official start to Winter. After this, while the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight, the cooling by radiation into space is still greater, meaning the coldest weather is just starting. This date coincides with the new Moon - so it's a great weekend for astronomy - weather permitting. I've prepared a list of things for you to find. If you’ve got a small scope, look for the Moon, larger planets and star clusters. If you've got a Dobsonian, you can see dimmer objects. My target this season is the Lagoon Nebula. I've never got that before. This one is Josh Carnovale's. I've sorted the list by the time each object passes the meridian, so start at the top of the list. Clear skies! ⦁    Mel 111 - Coma Berenices Star Cluster (06:55 PM) ⦁    M87 - Virgo A Galaxy (06:55 PM) ⦁    M104 - Sombrero Galaxy (07:09 PM) ⦁    NGC4755 - Jewel Box Cluster (07:24 P...

The Autumn Equinox is tomorrow, the 21st of March. I've prepared a list of things for you to find. Remember, the the new Moon is on Tuesday (the 24th). If you’ve got a small scope, such as a refractor, star clusters work best for you. If you've got a larger aperture, you can see dimmer objects, such as my Running Chicken. I've ordered it by the time each object passes the meridian, so start at the top of the list. As to planets, Venus is low in the west in the evening, still bright enough to be seen in the sun’s glow, and a pleasing crescent. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are clustered before sunrise. Clear skies! Galaxy: Large Magellanic Cloud (06:43 PM) Globular cluster: M 79 - (06:43 PM) Bright nebula: M 1 - Crab Nebula (06:57 PM) Bright nebula: M 43 - De Mairan's (06:57 PM) Diffuse nebula: M 42 - Orion Nebula (06:57 PM) Bright nebula: NGC 1977 - Running Man (06:57 PM) Bright nebula: NGC 2070 - Tarantula Nebula (06:57 PM) Dark nebula: B 33 - Horsehead Nebula (07:12 PM) D...

Astronomy is a popular pastime the world over. Because of this, there is a pile of information available for people like us to keep up-to-date with what's going on. For an annual guide, the ASV Astronomical Yearbook provides me a pile of information. Being the astrophotographer I'm always looking up rise and set times for the Moon. But there are other very useful and more regularly-updated resources. I get a daily email from EarthSky News, which updates me on anything topical. I also use SpaceWeather.com for solar and aurora updates and Heavens-above.com for satellite information. For maps, my go-to app is Stellarium. This shows me planets, other solar system objects, satellites, deep sky objects and a heap more. However, I was talking with an astronomer the other day, who said she was a bit dismayed at the lack of resources specifically for Southern-hemisphere residents. Most of the stuff we see is mainly for the Northern hemisphere. Because of the different angle, wh...

Go-to mounts are great Many of our Sky-Watcher or saxon telescopes come on computerised mounts. These are great, and allow you to quickly find stars, planets and other targets without having to slog your way through star maps. But they need to be aligned For go-to slewing to work, you have to align the mount to the sky when you set up the scope.  Sky alignment allows your mount to know which way it is pointing. Telescopes, like planes and boats, change directions in three ways: pitch (up and down), roll (twisting clockwise or anticlockwise) and yaw (left and right). Roll, for an alt-azimuth mount, such as a Sky-Watcher Star Discovery or a saxon AstroSeeker, really isn't much of a problem. This is because your mount should be close to level, and you're not going to move it anyway. To set pitch (known in astronomy as altitude ) and yaw (known as azimuth ), though, you're going to have to show it some stars before it can take over. There are a number of different...

The Spring Equinox might be great for bird watchers, but it’s pretty slim pickings for astronomers. The list of things to look for isn’t as long as at other times of the year. Not that there’s nothing to see, of course! Here’s my list of springtime objects. Remember, new Moon is the best time for seeing the dimmer targets such as the nebulas. Remember also that the size of the target will determine how well you’ll see it in any particular scope. Sometimes magnification isn’t your friend! The list is ordered by the time targets pass the meridian – that is, their highest point of the night. So the Omega Nebula is starting to set after 6:45pm, so look for that one first. Also, depending where you live, some of these targets are “circumpolar”, meaning they don’t set at all. To this list you can add a number of summer objects, as Orion is rising in the early morning even now.  I’ve already seen a few photos of the Orion and Horsehead nebulas published by keen astronomers. This...

  The Winter Solstice is here, and the nights are long and cold. For “normal” people, this is a bad thing, but for astronomers it means hours of viewing with cold crisp air making for good seeing conditions. If the clouds stay away, of course. I've prepared a list of things to look at in winter. Of course, new Moon is the best time for seeing the dimmer ones such as the nebulas. Remember also that the size of the target will determine how well you’ll see it in any particular scope. Sometimes magnification isn’t your friend! I've ordered it by the time each object reaches its highest point, so it'd be best to start at the top of the list, as these will be starting to set (some don't set at all). The picture is my unguided attempt at Rho Ophiuchus, the neighbour of the Dark Wolf nebula. This is highest at 10:10pm on the 21st of June - you’ll need a good dark site though. Dark nebula: C 99 - Coalsack Nebula (07:15 PM) Open cluster: NGC 4755 - Jewel Box Cluster (0...

While on our recent outback trip, we discovered that there are observatories set up in far flung places for people to visit. In Woomera, the Baker Observatory is in Carriwan Street (we got a bit lost and parked in Burrimul street and walked through). Their main building is a converted kindergarten. They have a 3.5 metre dome, which makes it quite large, and inside, they have a 14” Cassegrain telescope, which is an absolute monster. They’re open on Friday nights, but it’s best to check their Facebook page for weather details. In Andamooka, an opal mining area an hour or so up the road from Woomera, the skies are unbelievably clear. Conan Fahey is raising funds for an observatory by running night tours and classes. In particular, there’s the Mars Simulation Camp at the German Gully Mine. They also run a bookshop that specialises in Australian history, including indigenous history as well as astronomy and science fiction, amongst other subjects. The Andamooka Observatory has a web page ...