Absolutely anyone can take part in Astronomy thanks to the invention and utilisation of a few basic yet highly effective tools, all of which will fit neatly in an average backpack.
. Binoculars, big or small, cheap or expensive a pair of hand held binoculars will open a huge window into the cosmos. An average binocular will allow you to detect stars and objects up to a staggering 7 or 8 magnitudes fainter than the naked eye.
.Star chart, either digital or paper varieties. As it sounds this is simply a map of the stars to get you navigating around the night sky. Digital sky maps on PCs and laptops have the advantage of being very adaptive, programs like Stellarium (available for free at www.Stellarium.org) can even show you how the night sky will appear from the exact co ordinates of your chosen observation site. If needed, simple paper maps can be used and what they lack in technical power they more than make up for in portability. To effectively use a star chart all you need is a simple…
.Compass, can be found at all good camping shops. This will make it so much easier to navigate the stars and track down your object.
.Torch, choose one with a red filter or bulb. Red light is far less damaging to the eyes sensitive light receptors, this will allow your eyes to adjust to the low light levels of the night sky whilst still allowing you to read charts and compasses.
It really is as simple as that, a basic survival kit for getting the most out of your observing sessions. With the use of these tools anyone can start appreciating the beauty of the night sky, but to really get the most out of the experience it will help enormously to have a rudimentary knowledge of the constellations. This is not essential but it will limit needless frustration when scanning the heavens.
In the Summertime the milky way is almost directly overhead running from North to South, when facing South raise your gaze by about 80 degrees (a hand held horizontally at arms length is about 5 degrees). Here you will find a very bright and distinctive star known as Vega. Because it’s positioned so high up and so centrally it makes for an excellent sign post in the warmer months.
In the fall Cassiopeia dominates the sky, simply face South and look up as far as you can. Cassiopeia’s instantly recognisable W shape will be easy to spot and is one of the most useful reference points in the blustery months.
In the Winter Orion takes centre stage in the Southern part of the sky. Orion’s belt is the most distinctive portion and is seen as three closely spaced stars (about three fingers apart) in a straight horizontal line, just below is Orion’s sword which is three slightly fainter stars closely spaced in a vertical line. Orion is an excellent marker for the colder months.
In the Springtime the famous Plough can be used to find your way, it’s high up almost directly overhead and looks like a saucepan with 4 stars making up the body and three stars pointing off to the east as the handle. Without doubt the best constellation to use for orientation in the fresher months.
