Archive for amateur astronomy
Entertain and Educate Your Family Through Stargazing
Posted by: | CommentsI don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy looking at the night sky for enjoyment and relaxation, but have you thought about the educational value?
Astronomy Has Deep Roots In History
We have been watching the skies at night for as long as history has been recorded. People could often find their way to and from distant places by knowing what stars to follow. The North Star, for instance, was used by the Underground Railroad before slavery was outlawed. African slaves were pointed in the right direction at night by using the North Star to find freedom from the southern states before the Civil War. They had to move at night for fear of being discovered.
Ships used the stars for directions, and the first calendars measured time by the size of the moon. Constellations told stories, and eclipses marked dooms days back in the earlier days of our ancestry. The stories are rich, and inspiring to share with your children.
Stargazing Is Free
It doesn’t cost a thing to look up in the sky at night, or on the computer, and learn to recognize the constellations. The Milky Way, meteors, meteor showers, satellites, and the Andromeda Galaxy cost nothing to observe with the naked eye.
You can also enjoy a binocular view of the universe. Many people don’t consider using them for much more than football plays or bird watching. Dust them off and see for yourself. This educational hobby will create memories for generations!
Astronomy is an Educational Hobby
Posted by: | CommentsAs Educational Hobbies Go, Astronomy Is One Of The Least Expensive To Start.
All it takes to learn a little stargazing is a country road and a few minutes on your hands. O.K., that’s not always very easy, but the stars are definitely easier to see the farther out of town you get. Why not take the family for a little ride one night, find a place to park, and take a look?
You can climb up on the roof of your van or house, or throw a blanket in the backyard, too. It only takes a little know-how to figure out your constellations. You can print off some diagrams or find them in your encyclopedias. Getting the kids involved in the resource digging is good experience for them.
Some pretty good conversations come out of watching a satellite enter and exit your viewing area. It takes concentration to see them at all, let alone follow their path. One of our fondest memories visiting my husband’s parent’s house in the country is looking up in amazement at the vivid night sky.
It’s fun to watch the kids draw what they’ve seen, too; a good practice for retention skills.
Ask Questions
The education for your kids doesn’t stop there. Most astronomers are asking questions, like “What are the stars made up of?”, or “How do they create light?” These are excellent questions to pose to your kids.
Some things to look for up there might be:
- Planets
- Galaxies
- Eclipses
- Moons
- Novas
Discuss what this study originated for, and what astronomy has been used for in years past. The cycles of the universe have kept the seas navigated, the time marked, and the seasons predicted. Now you can even name your own stars!
Don’t miss out on astronomy, its an educational hobby that lasts a lifetime!
Homeschool Astronomy on a Budget
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What can you see? by Jorg Weingrill on flickr
Initially in astronomy, there is not a huge financial investment. Just go outside and look up. Instant success. You see stars.
But then, there comes a thirst for more. What are the stars made of? Why do they move in the sky? And what’s all this winking and twinkling about? Questions you haven’t thought of since you wore Superman underwear. These worthy inquiries are easily answered in a trip to your local library.
Then it really happens. You find out your very own town has an astronomy club. “Come see the stars!” they entice you! “Free Star Party this Saturday!” Armed with a thermos of hot cocoa and cookies your wife made, you tramp up Star Party hill. And you see it all – not just the stars and galactic nuclei, but all those TELESCOPES.
WOW.
Your wife is not happy about trading the car for a telescope. Call her crazy, but a telescope doesn’t pick up the groceries or take kids to ballet. In fact, it’s a gadget to look at things that have been around since before either of you were around. You’re just all-fired up on doing it now. And yes, most of those sparkley things up there will be up there when you retire, so why not just wait until then?
“Because the purpose of life to experience happiness, which can only be experienced in the present moment,” explains the Dalai Lama, quite patiently.
“But the Dalai Lama does not have four children and two mortgages,” your wife counters. So what are you to do?
Astronomy club telescopes are available for members, but what if you want something of your very own right now? (We are, after all, Americans.) And you want to share astronomy with your kids, and you’re not likely to share an expensive telescope with those grubby hands. There must be a happy alternative. But what?
Go get a raft. The inflatable kind you have lurking somewhere in your garage already. Set it up on the grass, and pull out a pair of binoculars. A good pair. Add cocoa and cookies, and you have an instant star party worthy of any amateur astronomer.
How to pick a good pair of binoculars?
Binoculars - a working collection by jlcwalker on flickr
Here are some ideas that may work for you (excerpted from Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Dyer and Dickinson):
Larger main lenses mean brighter images, but for most people, a 50mm lens is a practical handheld limit. Binoculars with a 7mm exit pupil are easier to bring to correct position in front of the eye, an advantage for young people and beginners of any age.
Higher magnification means better resolution, but it also means more stringent optical-quality standards to produce good images. It also results in amplified jiggling during handheld operation. This factor alone limits binocular magnification for handheld astronomical viewing to 10x.
Put it all together, the most popular sizes are 7×50 and 10×50. If you prefer smaller and lighter, go for the 7×42 or 8×42. Why not just go for the 10×50s, since biggest means best? Well, because aiming and observing through binoculars at night is much easier for some than others. In our experience, 7×50s are much easier to use. On the other hand, 10×50s yield fainter stars and more Moon and celestial object detail.
More detail makes sense, but why are dimmer stars more apparent? Part of the reason is that the smaller exit pupil helps avoid the edge-of-eye aberrations (producing sharper stars), but mainly, it is that the higher magnification in effect spreads out the sky background, darkening it in the process.
Roof prism binoculars are more compact than porro prism in sizes under 42, and are generally more costly. For general astronomy binoculars at a reasonable price, we recommend porro prism models in 7×50 and 10×50.
RECOMMENDATIONS for general astronomy glasses:
These two stand out, both in the $200 range: Vista 10×50 by Orion and Ultima 10×50 by Celestron. Both are 27 ounces (exceptionally lightweight for 50mm binoculars) and very sharp 5.3-degree fields and good eye relief. In the $100 range, the Bausch & Lomb 10×50 and 7×50 Legacy are ideal beginner binoculars for astronomy. A lightweight tripod and L-adapter are great additions for an upgrade. Go enjoy your night sky!
About the Author:
Since 1996, Aurora Lipper has been helping families learn science. As a pilot, astronomer, engineer, rocket scientist, and former university instructor, Aurora can transform toilet paper tubes into real working radios and make robots from junk in the back desk drawer.
You can download the free science experiment workbook at http://www.SuperchargedScience.com
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