Looking to get into astronomy

Hey folks,

I was just flicking through the Argos catalog last night and I decided that I'd like to have a go at astronomy! Not on any serious level or anything like that, but I'd like to be able to whip out a telescope, look at the stars, be able to see them, and know what I'm looking at.

Questions...

-Has anyone got any tips for this?
-Is it difficult to learn basic astronomy?
-Would I actually be able to see planets or constellations from my back garden in this country, what with the clouds and crap?!
-Has anyone got recommendations for books that would tell me step by step how to identify what I'm looking at, or find what I want to look at?

Re: telescopes,

would any of the telescopes in the Argos catalogue be sufficient for what I want to do?

They are:
National Geographic 76mm Newtonian telescope
Celestron Powerseeker 660 refractor telescope
Celestron Powerseeker 675 reflector telescope (out of my price range :oops: )

I know they're probably terrible compared to your telescopes, but like I said, I don't wanna get into it too seriously so I don't want to spend over say €150. Maybe in the future when I'm working, I'll spend a bit more, but as it is I'm not exactly loaded (college student )!

Thanks for any help

Hey there welcome to the forum Astronomy is a great hobbie to get into, it's full of surprises and the sky never fails to amaze. So you say your a student, so am i and i think this is the best time to get into astronomy. You meantioned a few scopes but have you ever tried to view the sky with your naked eye? There are soo many things you can see without a telescope eg messiar 32, 44, 55 (seven sisters) and a whole reck of other things. My advise would be to join an Astronomy club and get a few books out from your libary on general astronomy, learn about the hobbie your getting started on. After you know a little about the sky then you can go for your first scope. Yes you can see all the constellations in the Northern hem(depending on your light pollution). Do you mind the bright star in the SW it was Venus the planet. You can also see Mars and Saturn during normal hours. If you need any more help just shout

IF you are on a budget, then perhaps a pair of binoculars are the way to go. You will be surprised what you can see with them. As for publications to look at.. why not have a look at the novice and binocular handbook on this site (link below). Add to these a map of the sky or planisphere and you are all set.

www.irishastronomy.org/observers/challenges/index.php

If you;re just begining now then it's too early to be thinking about a telescope. You won't be able to use it because you don't know your way round the sky yet!

The very first thing you need in Astronomy is a knowledge of the sky and you get that by standing outside at nightwith a planisphere and learning the constellations. The next step is to get used to finding things in Binoculars. You will be astounded at the wealth of objects in the sky that Binoculars can show you. Using Binoculars will also give you vital "star hopping" skills that will make the transition to a telescope much easier.

By trying to use a telescope before you know your way round with just your eyes and then binoculars is like trying ot sprint before you can crawl!

As already mentioned the IFAS Observing Challenges are a great way to guide your learning, you can find them here: www.irishastronomy.org/observers/challenges/index.php . You shoudl start with the beginners one and then move on to the Binocular one.

Anyhow, best of luck with your new hobby, I'm sure you'll love it!

Bart.

Hi Daveo

I would suggest beginning with naked eye observing, get books from the libary or purchase an astronomical magazine and learn a few constellations which will give you great satisfaction but there is so much to see without a telescope like the milkyway, star clusters, meteor showers, fireballs, aurorae, Noctilucent clouds and learn how to spot a few bright planets and watch them wander slowly from night to night. Just enjoy the sky and learn a few bright stars which you can use as guide posts to other areas and eventually your knowledge will grow.

Any small telescope will show you jupiters cloud tops + moons, saturns rings and a host of deepsky treasures and of course the craters on the moon which will keep you busy for many hours!

What ever you choose to do..enjoy it and i hope that first book/magazine will be an investment in a life long amazing hobby. Whats more..the sky is free and its there for all of us to enjoy and learn.

Welcome onboard and keep us posted

Clear skies

The IFAS observing guides available on this site are top class and totally free! Print them off and spiral bind them (your local copy centre will do this if you don't have access to a binder). A planisphere is also really handy and you can get these in any good book shop. You could also try some planitarium software like Cyber Sky which is very straight forward and user friendly with plenty of tutorials. Download it here: www.cybersky.com/downloads.html

Like the others said, get familiar with the night sky using the above tools first. Then consider what kind of binoculars or telescope would suit you needs. Good luck and enjoy!