50 Things To See With A Small Telescope Page 4

  For me, the Trifid Nebula is the easiest to identify. It can be found by lining up two of the stars in the lid of the Teapot, as shown in the map below. If you look carefully, the smudge (remember, most nebula look like beautiful smudges in a small telescope) is subdivided into three separate lobes. In addition to this complexity, within the nebulosity you may be able to resolve several small clusters of recently formed stars.

  After you’ve admired the Trifid Nebula, search the region just below it. You should be able to find the neighboring Lagoon Nebula (M8).

  36. Bode’s and the Cigar (M81 and M82)

  After Andromeda, M81 and M82 are the two galaxies that are the easiest to find. M82 is commonly referred to as the “Cigar Galaxy”, because of how it appears from Earth (M82 is a spiral galaxy viewed edge on). M81 is referred to as “Bode’s Galaxy”. This Galaxy was named for its discoverer, a German astronomer named Johann Elert Bode. Bode can also be blamed for suggesting the name for the planet Uranus, beating out less popular names like “Cybele”, “Herschel's Planet”, or “Georgium Sidus”.1

  M81 is particularly interesting to professional astronomers, because in its center is a gigantic black hole with a mass 70 million times that of our Sun!

  To view these galaxies, use an eyepiece with low magnification. With the Big Dipper as a guide, create a line between the bottom left of the Dipper’s cup and its lip. Then, extend this line from the lip to arrive at the location of these galaxies.

  1Bode’s Biography: http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Bios/bode.html

  37. The Crab Nebula (M1)

  Something special happened on the Fourth of July, 1054, and it wasn’t American Independence Day, yet. On this day, Chinese astronomers recorded what they thought was a new star, a star brighter than Venus! After a few weeks, however, the new star dimmed, but it was still visible for almost two years, at which point the star was nearly lost to history. But in 1731, almost seven hundred years later, a British astronomer, named John Bevis, observed a blob in that exact spot. Then, almost three decades after that, the French comet hunter, Charles Messier, added this “blob” to his catalog of objects that were “definitely not comets”. Messier designated the object “M1”.

  The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant. The Chinese observed the actual supernova, the violent explosion of a star. Now, when you look through your telescope, you are observing an ongoing explosion of gas and dust shooting through space at almost five million kilometers per hour.

  To find the Crab Nebula, use Betelgeuse and Aldebaran to identify the star Zeta Tauri. M1 will be found nearby.

  Part Four

  Solar System Objects and Events

  Some of the best things about joining an astronomy club are the activities centered around solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and comets. These occurrences usually make the news, and draw large crowds to schools and parks, where members gather to share the views through their telescopes.

  iewing the Sun can be a lot of fun with a commercial solar filter (so you don’t go blind), or a designated solar telescope like a Coronado. A Coronado solar telescope filters the light so you only get light from a very specific wavelength. This enables you to see features like prominences and flairs. Solar filters for your telescope allow all wavelengths (white light), and are great for viewing sunspots. Both types of telescopes are great for viewing a solar eclipse.

  38. Lunar Eclipse

  Often referred to as a Blood Moon, lunar eclipses are not as rare as you might think. Unlike solar eclipses which are only visible in certain places, lunar eclipses can be observed from almost anywhere on the nighttime side of Earth, assuming there are no clouds blocking the view of the Moon.

  A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth. Sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, giving the Moon a reddish hue.

  There are three basic types of lunar eclipses. First, and most exciting, is the total lunar eclipse, where the Moon is totally immersed in the Earth’s shadow. Second, there is the partial lunar eclipse. During a partial eclipse, the Moon is only partially covered. Finally, there is the penumbral lunar eclipse, where light passing through the Earth’s atmosphere illuminates a section of the Moon, but no distinct shadow is visible. However, penumbral eclipses are often difficult to distinguish from a regular full Moon.

  A schedule of total and partial lunar eclipses, through the year 2030, has been included in the appendix.

  39. Sunspots

  Sunspots are eddies, or storms, of magnetic activity near the surface of the Sun. These storms reduce the surface temperature over a given area, and create the dark spots visible in solar filtered telescopes.

  What’s cool about sunspots? Well, first, they are usually about the size of the Earth! Second, they come in pairs (one for each magnetic pole of the disturbance). Third, they change location every day (mainly due to the rotation of the Sun). Fourth, I once took a photo of a sunspot that looked like Hawaii.

  To view sunspots, use a commercial solar filter over your telescope or binoculars, and then get the Sun in good focus. With the Sun in focus, you should almost always be able to see at least one or two sunspots.

  Remember, never look at the Sun without a commercial solar filter on the primary mirror or lens (not the eyepiece) of your telescope.

  40. Solar Eclipse

  A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. Due to the elliptical orbit of the Moon, sometimes the eclipse happens when it’s closer to the Earth, and sometimes it happens when it’s farther away. For this reason, there are two types of solar eclipses. First, there is the annular eclipse, where the Moon is farther away and cannot completely cover the Sun. Second, there is the total solar eclipse, when the Moon orbits close to the Earth and fully blocks out the Sun.

  I admit that I will not witness a total solar eclipse until the next one in summer 2017, but I hear that viewing a total solar eclipse is an amazing experience; the air gets cooler, animals do strange things, and it gets considerably darker.

  I have only experienced an annular eclipse, which is how I was able to take the photo below (using my iPhone, binoculars, and a solar filter).

  For the hour both before and after totality, you can view the Sun through your telescope using a commercial solar filter. Totality is when the Moon fully covers the Sun. This can last anywhere from thirty seconds to six minutes.

  A schedule for all solar eclipses, through the year 2030, is included in the appendix of this book.

  41. Asteroids Ceres & Vesta

  You may know about the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but most folks don’t realize its sparseness. Even in the asteroid belt, space is very, very empty. The asteroid Ceres makes up a third of all the mass in the entire belt. The mass of all the asteroids combined is less than 4% of the mass of our Moon!

  In 2006, the International Astronomical Union reclassified Ceres as a dwarf planet (like Pluto). Vesta, due to its smaller mass, is classified as a minor planet.

  To see Ceres or Vesta, use astronomy software the same as you would for a planet. Ceres and Vesta are quite small and look like stars through a telescope, so if you’re not sure which point of light is the asteroid, sketch the location of the brightest stars in that area. Observe the same location in a few days, and the asteroid is the object that moved. Ceres and Vesta can even be seen without a telescope, in extremely dark skies.

  42. Comets

  What's the best way to find out if you can see a comet? Read the news. Approaching comets usually get picked up by the media. However, in the media, vastly exaggerated claims of brightness (or apocalyptic close encounters with Earth) are common. Despite the hype, only a few of these comets can actually be glimpsed by the casual sky watcher.

  Comets are city-sized balls of ice, often traveling over one hundred thousand kilometers per hour. When passing in the vicinity of the Sun, comets “out-gas”, creating a visible tail
of particles millions of miles long.

  We observe comets from a distance of hundreds of millions of miles. Though they are traveling at great speed, they are often visible for as long as a month. This gives the amateur astronomer plenty of time to observe.

  Astronomy websites, and even the media, will usually report when a comet is visible in the night sky. Most of these sources will provide instructions on where to look. You may want to use binoculars to scan the sky according to the map or astronomy software. Once you have found it, move to your telescope for a closer look.

  43. Star-Moon Occultation

  Occultations occur when one object goes behind another, in space. Sort of like an eclipse. The most common occultations are when the Moon passes in front of a bright star.

  Grazing occultations tend to be the most interesting. This is when a star appears to graze the surface of the Moon, from your location. During a grazing occultation, it’s not uncommon for the star to blink in and out of sight as it goes between mountain ranges or gullies on the surface of the Moon.

  This is a great chance to use the “time” feature of your astronomy software. To find out when an occultation will occur (without consulting astronomical journals, magazines, or websites), just open your astronomy software and select the Moon.

  After the moon has been selected, hit spacebar (if you are using “Stellarium”) and lock it to the center of your screen. Using the “time” feature, begin to run the “hours” into the future. You should see the stars moving in the background, while the moon stays in place. You may have to fast forward for a few weeks before the moon occults a bright star. When it does, mark your calendar and set a reminder to watch a star disappear behind the Moon.

  Alternatively, detailed annual schedules for bright star occultations, planetary occulations (detailed in the next section), and many other astronomical events, are found in the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Observer’s Handbook. If you are interested, the handbook can be ordered directly from the RASC website.1

  1RASC Observer’s Handbook (Updated Annually): https://www.rasc.ca/handbook

  44. Planet-Moon Occultation

  As mentioned in the previous section, an occultation occurs whenever two objects align so that one is covering the other, from the perspective of the observer. For example, if Saturn passes behind the Moon, you would say, “Saturn has been occulted by the Moon” (almost sounds like it should be a crime).

  To find a planetary occultation, use the same technique as used for star occultations. Alternatively, determine the next occultation from the internet, or the RASC Observer’s Handbook.

  A planet-Moon occultation is only visible from certain locations on Earth. In the image on the right, the occultation between Mars and the Moon occurred several thousand miles south of my location. In this case, I was only able to observe a close encounter.

  With a phone adapter, photographing an occultation isn’t difficult, through setting the focus can take practice (generally you tap on the Moon to set the focus and exposure). If you get a good photo, post it on www.spaceweather.com. By posting it there, your photo may end up on CNN, or other major news networks!

  Part Five

  Targets On and Near Earth

  Amateur astronomers spend a lot of time with their telescopes, and not only at night. Generally, an astronomer arrives at the observing site a few hours before sunset, to set up and makes sure the equipment is ready to go. Then it’s a waiting game; stargazers socialize, or play guitar, until the first stars and planets come into view. However, if you’re like me, you can’t wait to get started, and begin using your telescope even before it gets dark!

  I’ve observed birds, airplanes, and distant mountains through my telescope as I’ve waited for darkness. I later used the techniques for observing airplanes to photograph the International Space Station.

  Sometimes, I’ll be observing a nebula or star cluster, when a satellite passes through my field of view. If I’m using my Dobsonian telescope (which sits on a Lazy Susan, making it extremely easy to aim), I’ll leave the nebula behind and chase the satellite across the sky.

  45. Meteors, Meteorites, Meteoroids

  Meteors, Meteorites, and Meteoroids! Even I get these terms confused. A meteoroid is the term for a small rock from space. Once the rock enters the atmosphere, the light you see is a meteor, or “shooting star”. To remember this, note that we say “meteor showers”, and not “meteoroid showers”. A space-rock is only called a meteorite once it reaches the ground. You’ll probably never see a meteoroid in a telescope because of their size. Rocks larger than a few meters wide would be called asteroids.

  If you do any amount of stargazing, you will see plenty of meteors. Just last week I was working with a science class, when a bright meteor appeared in the part of the sky we were watching. The dazzling meteor broke up and fizzled like a firework, lasting several seconds.

  Most meteors are smaller than a golf ball, but you can see them because they move at tens of kilometers per second. When they hit the atmosphere, they generate enough heat to burn up in a bright flair.

  You’ll even see meteors in your telescope! With enough time spent observing, you’re bound to see one cross your field of view.

  46. Cityscapes and Landscapes

  Pointing the telescope at ground-based objects is a great way to learn its power. I was volunteering at an event on Mount Diablo, in California, when we pointed the telescope toward San Francisco. The Giants had just won their game, and fireworks were going off above the stadium. You couldn’t see this without the telescope, so all the kids that night gathered around and took turns watching the fireworks.

  The challenge with looking at ground-based objects is that most telescopes invert the image. For this reason, some telescopes use an “inverting” lens to turn things right side up.

  Landscapes become great telescope targets. This is why many tourist attractions have permanently mounted telescopes or binoculars at every lookout.

  If you are at Yosemite, check out the climbers scaling El Capitan. If you are camping at the Lava Beds National Monument, check out miles and miles of volcanic rock. Camping on the beach? Use your telescope to observe the ships out at sea.

  47. Birds

  Personally, I don’t know much about birds, but some folks purchase their telescopes with bird watching in mind. Some small telescopes, like the Meade ETX 60, come with a separate camera slot for this purpose.

  One of the great things about viewing birds with a telescope is the depth of field. Depth of field is a term used in photography to describe the degree to which the subject is in focus. When viewing a bird on a tree with a telescope, only the bird will be in focus. This is because the telescope naturally creates a “shallow” depth of field.

  Telescopes are best for viewing birds that are far away. For birds that are close, it is better to use binoculars. According to the internet, the best birds to look at through a telescope are wildfowl in the open country, or seabirds.

  I captured the images below using a three hundred millimeter lens. This focal length is very similar to many small telescopes and binoculars.

  48. Satellites and Satellite Flares

  A normal satellite in orbit, when viewed from Earth, is about as bright as a dim star. Satellites can be observed (without a telescope) moving quickly across the sky shortly after sunset, or before sunrise. However, if that satellite is an Iridium Communications satellite, with shiny antennas, then you might be in for a treat!

  The easiest way to spot the flares from Iridium Communications satellites is by downloading a phone app such as Sputnik: http://sputnikapp.info. The app creates a forecast for your location and sends you alerts when there is about to be a flare (unfortunately, the Iridium satellites will soon be deorbited, and their bright flares will cease).

  You do not need a telescope to see these flares, but it may be fun to use a telescope anyway. Vi
ewing moving objects in space is good practice for when you want to view something more challenging, like the International Space Station.

  49. Helicopters and Jet Aircraft

  Do you live in a high crime area? I sure do. The next time the police are searching for the culprit, use your telescope to see if you can differentiate the police chopper from the news chopper.

  You might think that this item is strange to be included in an astronomy book, however, the world’s greatest astrophotographers, such as Thierry Legault, use aircraft as practice in preparation for spotting fast moving objects in space, such as the International Space Station. Thierry’s amazing work can be found here: http://legault.perso.sfr.fr/.

  To see a plane in your telescope, you’ll want to use the minimum amount of magnification; this will require the use of your largest eyepiece. Use the finder scope to narrow in on the plane, and begin to move your scope to keep it in view. Keep tracking as you move from the finder scope to the eyepiece.