How to Get Started in Astronomy

With 2009 established as the International Year of Astronomy, there has never been a better time to get started in the endless endeavor of amateur astronomy. This field offers, quite literally, an endless array of phenomena to experience and get involved in. Because of the sheer vastness and potential complexity involved in this hobby, however, many people are too intimidated to attempt to get involved in it. This article can be used as a step by step guide in how to get started in astronomy.

Do not buy a telescope or binoculars right away.

In your initial excitement to get started in astronomy, you may be tempted to rush out to your favorite department store to purchase a telescope. This mistake will do nothing more than frustrate you and waste your money. The reason for this is because you should educate yourself on telescope mechanics and features before you commit to buying one. Also, you need to learn about the sky in order to even fully utilize the much simpler binoculars.

There is a method to purchasing even binoculars for astronomical viewing, but telescopes are considerably more complicated. Objective lens sizes, eyepiece focal lengths, telescope type, and optic quality are all important considerations when purchasing a telescope, in addition to several other factors. Simply put, the telescopes that are available for purchase at the department store aren't of high enough quality to provide a pleasurable telescope viewing experience. If any of you have receieved a telescope as a gift or rushed out to purchase one right away like I did, you can appreciate this point.

If you must purchase some optics right away, buy some binoculars. Binoculars are much simpler to use than a telescope and they provide a wider field of view. If you're not going to use a tripod with your binoculars, the ideal binoculars are 10x50mm, possibly 10x60mm, with fully coated optics. A tripod is a must for any binoculars with a magnification over 10X.

Brush up on some astronomy literature.

Introductory amateur astronomy books serve as a roadmap to viewing the sky. Such texts will give introductory information on not only backyard astronomy but also in the universe and solar system in general.

After these books give a thorough introduction, they will outline the basic features of the night sky and will instruct you on how to find prominent stars and constellations. Generally, a notable constellaton such as Orion or the Big Dipper (which is actually called Ursa Major) is used as a starting point and then little tricks are used to find other stars or constellations (e.g., holding your hand up and using it as a sky ruler).

Two essential introductory texts are Nightwatch, 4^th Ed., by Terence Dickinson and The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, 3^rd Ed., by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. Others are out there as well, but these two are revered as the gold standard.

Tune in to Stargazer

Remember that short, quirky astronomy show you may have seen on PBS when you were a kid that you liked for some reason-yeah, the one with the neat theme music? That show can still be viewed by anyone online at http://www.jackstargazer.com/ Basically, this program provides a guide on what to look at in the sky every week-and the theme music is still pretty cool.

Get a Compass

If you watch Stargazer or have read the astronomy texts, you will find out that determining your orientation (i.e., what direction you're looking) is important. There are ways to use the stars to do this, but the easiest, sure fire way to do it is by purchasing a compass. If you don't want to buy a compass, then use maps or the setting sun to figure out the orientation of your backyard. Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Simply remember where the sun was setting before dark and you're oriented for sky viewing at night.

Start Looking Up

If you have followed the steps above, the sky will start to look quite differently to you when you start viewing it. Constellations and stars begin to have names; you know what to look for before you even look up when you face a certain direction.

Utilize an Enhanced Mobile Phone Reality Program

There are a number of "enhanced reality" star programs out there that show a virtual reality image of the sky with labels and other information. Nothing helps you identify celestial objects faster than one of these programs. The program for iPhone is called "Pocket Universe," and is a real steal for $2.99.

Keep Looking Up