50 Things To See With A Small Telescope Page 2

  The star Castor, the head of the rightmost twin, is a double star when viewed through a telescope. But Castor is a sextuple star system; six stars bound together by gravity. These six stars can only be separated by an extremely strong telescope, or through the science of spectroscopy (breaking down light into different wavelengths).

  The star Pollux, the head of the leftmost twin, used to be a “main sequence star” like our Sun. However, it burned through its hydrogen, and has since expanded into a “giant” star many times the radius of our Sun. A surface temperature of just under 5000 degrees Celsius gives the star its orange color. Pollux is also the brightest known visible star with an orbiting planet, but this will change as new planets are discovered.

  The Geminid meteor shower in mid-December is one of the most prolific meteor showers of the year. Be sure to give your eyes plenty of time to adapt to the dark, this way you’ll see even more shooting stars.

  5. Betelgeuse (Orange-Red Star)

  Yes, Betelgeuse, somewhere in the vicinity of which The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is said to have been written! Kids love this star, mainly because it sounds like Beetlejuice (a film inspired by the star’s name).

  This big red star surprises those who think all stars are white (including me, until a few years ago). Betelgeuse also varies in brightness, over time. It is often the 8th brightest star in the sky, but it can be as bright as the 6th, or as dim as the 20th!

  Betelgeuse can be found near the top of the Orion constellation. When looking at it through a telescope, it’s easy to see how red it is. To contrast its redness, pan the telescope down to Rigel, a blue star detailed next.

  Objects in the Orion constellation are best viewed in the winter. Most people find Orion by locating the three bright stars that make up Orion’s belt.

  6. Rigel (Blue-White Star)

  Not one, not two, but three stars make up this point of light found on Orion’s foot. If you have very dark skies it’s possible to separate star A (a Blue Supergiant) and star B (a much dimmer companion star). However, star C orbits very close to star B, and is impossible to separate using a small telescope.

  If Rigel is really three stars, it must have several planets, right? The writers of Star Trek seem to think so. Fictional planets named Rigel X, Rigel II, and Rigel VII make the Rigel system about the most popular place in the Star Trek Universe!

  As of March 2016, no planets have been discovered around Rigel. However, thousands of new planets are being found each year. You can find an updated database of these discoveries at http://exoplanets.org/.

  While observing, remember to contrast Rigel’s color and brightness against Betelgeuse.

  7. Sirius in Canis Major

  Sirius is the first stop of the Harry Potter tour (many star names and constellations are mentioned in the Harry Potter series). This star is twice as bright as any other star in the sky, and will effectively ruin your night vision for up to thirty minutes! It is so incredibly bright that at high altitudes it can be seen during the day.

  This star is nicknamed the “Dog Star”, due to its prominence in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog), and inspired the phrase, “Dog days of summer”. In Harry Potter, the character Sirius Black transforms into a dog. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Through the telescope, Sirius appears as a shining diamond; when this star is low in the sky (as it often is) you may notice a shimmering array of colors. When a star or planet is near the horizon, its light travels through a greater amount of atmosphere than when the star is overhead. Disturbances in the air cause the shimmering; it’s kind of like looking at a light from the bottom of a swimming pool.

  Sirius is located to the left of the Orion constellation, and can be seen prominently in the southern sky during the fall, winter, and early spring.

  8. Draco

  This is another stop along the Harry Potter astronomical tour. But since all of the stars in the constellation Draco are pretty dim, they are not the reason that this item is on this list.

  If you know any Latin, then you may know that Draco means dragon. If you look at the constellation, you will see the dragon's head; and every October, this dragon breathes fire! The October Draconids are meteors that appear to shoot from the head of the dragon. One of my favorite activities is to lay on my back and trace the stars in this long constellation from head to tail. When I do, I almost always see a shooting star.

  For a cool photo, put your camera on a tripod, point it at Draco, and take 30 second exposures for an hour or so. If you don’t have a camera with manual exposure, use the fireworks setting. You might just get a newsworthy photo of this real fire-breathing dragon.

  The brightest star is called Eltanin (Gamma Draconis), but if you are up for a challenge, the star Tyl (Epsilon Draconis) is a binary star visible in telescopes with at least four inches of aperture.

  9. Vega in Lyra

  Yes, Jodie Foster’s home planet; just kidding (the extraterrestrial radio array, from the book and movie Contact, is located at Vega).

  Interestingly, Vega was the North Star about twelve thousand years ago, and it will be again about twelve thousand years from now. This is due to the Earth’s precession around its axis.

  Precession is a property of rotating objects. You can observe precession directly in spinning toys such as a gyroscope or top. A gyroscope will precess if you tap it, by way of a smooth wobble. For the Earth, precession is mainly the result of the gravitational influence of the Sun and the Moon.

  Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, and is visible high in the sky during the summer. I identify Vega by either the diamond in the constellation Lyra, or its position in the Summer Triangle. Within Lyra is the famous Ring Nebula, a target we’ll explore later.

  10. Regulus in Leo

  Springtime for astronomers is sometimes referred to as “galaxy season”. This is because galaxy rich constellations like Virgo and Leo are high in the sky. Leo (the Lion) boasts two popular groups of galaxies that lie just outside the range of the small telescope, in all but the darkest skies. They’re called the Leo Triplet and the M96 Group. These, along with the double star Algieba, are covered in detail in the sequel to this book, 50 Targets for the Mid-Sized Telescope.

  Regulus (Alpha Leonis), the heart of the lion, is the brightest star in Leo, and is located at a relatively close 79 light-years. Later in this book, we’ll discuss occultation, when a star hides behind the Moon. For Regulus, occultation is a relatively frequent event, as the moon passes quite close to this star about once a month.

  Through a telescope, Regulus is a wonderful double star, though it’s so bright compared to its companion, you might want to use a Moon filter (these often come with your telescope) to cut down on the glare.

  Leo is most easily identified by the “Sickle”. This asterism is identified by a reverse question mark that represents the Lion’s mane.

  11. Cassiopeia (The Big W)

  Cassiopeia (which I like to call the Big W) is best viewed beginning in autumn evenings, and can be used as a guide post pointing to many of the night sky’s most interesting targets. For example, later in this book we’ll use Cassiopeia to find the Andromeda Galaxy and the Double Cluster. In the sequel, 50 Targets for the Mid-Sized Telescope, we’ll use Cassiopeia to find targets like the E.T. Cluster and Kemble’s Cascade (these are also great small telescope and binocular targets).

  Cassiopeia is located near the north celestial pole (where the North Star is). For this reason, as the earth rotates, the Big W appears to moves up and over the North Star (it follows a similar motion throughout the year). So, depending on the time of night (and time of year), the constellation may appear to face one way or the other.

  Cassiopeia’s brightest star is called Shedir, and often appears in photos beside the Pacman Nebula, a target suitable for astrophotography, but outside the grasp of amateur telescopes in all but the darkest skies.

  12
. The Teapot and the Rake

  In the summer, I can’t think of any two constellations that contain more interesting things to see than Sagittarius and Scorpius. Why? Because between these constellations lies the direction of the exact center of our Galaxy. This part of the sky is filled with star clusters and nebulae of all shapes and sizes. This is also the direction of our Galaxy’s central supermassive black hole. However, to view the region of space near the black hole, you need a telescope that can see through interstellar dust. Fortunately, scientists (like my astrophysics professor) have access to radio telescopes and space based x-rays that do just that!

  The stars in the central part of Sagittarius form an asterism that looks like a teapot, while the upper most stars in Scorpius form a pattern that looks like a rake. Throughout this book (and 50 Targets for the Mid-Sized Telescope), we’ll use those descriptions as we explore the stars and other objects in this part of the sky.

  If navigating this part of the sky for the first time, start with Antares, a star so red it is often confused with Mars. Pan your telescope along the imaginary lines that make up the Rake to discover several tight groupings of stars. On your way over to the teapot, explore the area in between; you’ll be sure to encounter several star clusters along the way.

  Part Two

  Planets and Moons

  The Moon is probably the most observed object in the sky (partly because it’s possible to observe the Moon in the daytime, too). Each night, the Moon will be in a slightly different position, and a slightly different phase (new, crescent, quarter, gibbous, or full). Because sunlight hits the Moon differently during each phase, different features appear every night (and the cycle repeats every 29.5 days).

  Planets change, too, although the changes may take weeks, months, or years to observe. They may appear smaller or larger depending on where they are, relative to the Earth. Venus has phases just like our moon, while Saturn’s rings change orientation. Jupiter’s moons change position each night, while Neptune’s moon Triton orbits every six days. As you can see, there’s always an excuse to set up your telescope!

  If you have a phone adapter, the Moon and planets are great objects to photograph! I’m not saying this is easy, as it does require practice. Start with video, and don’t touch your setup when the camera is recording. This will cause the image to blur. If your telescope came with a “Moon filter”, attach this to your eyepiece before attaching the phone. The filter will increase the clarity of your image.

  13. The Moon

  You can’t miss it! With even the smallest scopes, you should be able to clearly see the craters on the surface.

  I once used that telescope I purchased at the pharmacy for $13.99 to try to film NASA’s “Lcross” mission. During this mission, NASA crashed a spacecraft into the Moon. Scientists were attempting to create a plume of Moon dust they could then analyze for traces of water. The crash was supposed to create a flash of light visible from Earth, but I didn’t see anything. However, the crash was not visible because the spacecraft (which crashed into a southern crater) impacted into lunar soil with the consistency of snow!

  The Moon is visible for about half the month in the evening sky. If you really think about it, this makes sense, because, as most of us know, the Moon orbits the Earth every 27 days (this is one sidereal month), and goes through its phases every 29.5 days. I am often surprised when, on moonless nights, some folks seem to think that we can see the Moon with the use of a telescope. Just to clarify, if you can’t see the Moon without a telescope, you can’t see it with one.

  The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) has an amazing program for exploring the Moon. With detailed charts, and even a certificate program, it’s not hard to spend dozens of evenings concentrating on nothing but the Moon. Check it out by following the link below.1

  1https://www.rasc.ca/observing/explore-the-moon-observing-certificate

  14. Mercury

  Due to Mercury’s extreme proximity to the Sun, this planet can be extremely challenging to get a good look at. It may only appear in the evening sky a few days per year. As with Venus, you see Mercury in phases. These phases greatly affect its brightness. When Mercury is visible, it is only visible for a very short time before sunrise and after sunset.

  To find the best time to see Mercury use astronomy software such as Stellarium, and click and lock (hit spacebar) onto Mercury. Then, use the “time” setting to fast forward until Mercury is above the horizon after sunset. You can also pay attention to astronomy websites, as they’ll often let you know when Mercury is visible.

  When observing Mercury through your telescope, it may look extremely bright, and even shimmer as if it is on fire. Mercury’s apparent brightness is due to its proximity to the Sun, but the shimmering is due to its apparent proximity to the horizon. When you view objects that are low in the sky, you are looking through more atmosphere than when the objects are overhead. The atmospheric distortion makes the object appear to shimmer.

  15. Venus

  Ah, Venus! This beautiful planet is named after the Roman goddess of Love and Beauty. Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth. For this reason, you can only see Venus shortly after sunset or right before sunrise.

  Venus is bright. So bright, in fact, that Venus is one of the primary sources of UFO sightings amongst pilots. This is due to an optical illusion. Large objects viewed at great distance don’t appear to move along with an observer (the person who is viewing the object). This creates the illusion that the observer is being followed by the object; in this case, Venus.

  As mentioned above, Venus can either be seen just before sunrise, or just after sunset. To find Venus, use the program Stellarium to determine its specific location.

  Through a telescope, Venus looks a bit like our moon. It appears white and even has phases. This is because Venus is closer to the Sun, and we sometimes see Venus’s nighttime side.

  When someone else looks though your telescope and says, “hey, I see the Moon!” just ask them to step back and have a look at where the telescope is pointed.

  16. Mars

  Sure, it might look like just a simple red disk in your telescope, but hey, it’s Mars! Keep looking and focusing, and you may be able to see the polar ice caps and some varying colors in the Martian soil.

  It is very cool to realize that there are men and women here on Earth (at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Los Angeles County) remotely piloting rovers the size of small SUVs and golf carts on the surface of Mars.

  Since Mars is a planet, it will be found along the ecliptic*. As with all planets, check astronomy software like Stellarium for a precise location. If you already know Mars is visible, check the ecliptic for a deep red looking star.

  *What is the ecliptic? Since all the planets travel around the Sun in approximately the same orbital plane, they will all appear in a specific slice of the night sky; sort of like an airplane that always takes the same route. This path is called the ecliptic, and it roughly runs from the eastern horizon to the western horizon. This is also the path the Sun follows during the day.

  17. Jupiter

  A view of the Solar System’s largest planet, through any telescope, never ceases to impress. Be sure to admire its four largest moons: Europa, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto! For half the year, Jupiter is one of the very first things to show up in the night sky. This makes it a great target for focusing your telescope and aligning your finder scope.

  Jupiter is a huge planet, being over two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in the solar system, combined. With a small telescope in good focus, not only should you be able to see the four moons discovered by Galileo in 1610, you may also see the two most pronounced cloud belts on the planet itself.

  To find Jupiter, look for one of the brightest objects in the sky on the ecliptic (the path of the planets through the sky from east to west), or simply check Stellarium or other astronomy software. Use a me
dium powered eyepiece for optimal viewing. If you have one, a Moon filter can also bring out some of the colors.

  18. The Moons of Jupiter

  Jupiter’s moons change position every night, so you’ll need to use astronomy software to help you determine which moon is which.

  Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, having over twice the mass of Earth’s moon. Made famous by the 1993 television series “Power Rangers”, this moon hosted the location of the Zord fleet of Mega Vehicles. How would you like to get that Jeopardy question?

  Europa is the smallest of the four Galilean moons. Latest estimates project that beneath an icy surface, there is an ocean over 60 miles deep. By this estimate, Europa has twice as much water as there is on Earth!

  Of Jupiter’s moons discovered by Galileo, Io orbits most closely to its host planet. Io is also the most geologically active body in the solar system, sporting over four hundred active volcanoes! Due to the amount of volcanic activity, Io’s surface features frequently change. Most moons in the solar system are covered with meteorite impact craters, but Io has almost none. This is because flowing lava fills them up soon after they are formed.

  Callisto has the lowest radiation levels of Jupiter’s large moons, and thus, would make a promising location for human settlement! That is, if you can stand days that are 400 hours long. So, don’t try to stay up all night. Callisto is usually the moon that appears farthest from Jupiter, and can be confused with a background star. In my latest science-fiction novel Callisto Deception, the hero, NASA engineer John Orville, travels to this moon in the year 2075.