Last time
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
About the use of binoculars.
Types of mount.
Telescope types.
Finders, eye pieces, etc.
Setting up and using visually.
This week: Observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
About observation
Types of observation
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
So what are going to be seeing when we observe?
Our Solar System
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Our Solar System
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Saturn
Aldebaran
Jupiter
Martin Crow 2002 April 24
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
2010 April 04
Our Solar System
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Mars 2003 Aug 23
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Jupiter 2011 Nov 19 DMK 41as02, 2.5x powermate on C9.25Processed in AvistaxMartin Crow
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Our Solar System
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
The Magnitude system
The scale of measuring brightness is believed to have originated with Hipparchus (190 BC – 120 BC). It divide up the visible stars into 6 brightness's,1 for the brightest and 6 for the faintest.
In 1856 Norman Pogson formalised this by defining a 1st magnitude star as 100 times brighter than a 6th magnitude star. Therefore the difference between magnitudes is the 5th root of 100 = 2.51.
So: 1st to 2nd magnitude has difference of 2.51 1st to 3rd =2.51 x 2.51 = 6.3 1st to 4th = 2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 = 15.8 1st to 5th =2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 = 39.7 1st to 6th = 2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 x 2.51 = 100
The star Vega is set at zero magnitude. This is its apparent magnitude.
On this scale Sirius is -1.4, the Moon -12.74 and the Sun -26.74
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Visual observing
The eye is our primary means of exploring the world around us.
Good for exploring the whole sky
Doing meteor watches
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Visual observing
The eye is our primary means of exploring the world around us.
Good for exploring the whole sky
Doing meteor watches
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Nick James
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Visual observing
The eye is our primary means of exploring the world around us.
Good for exploring the whole sky
Doing meteor watches
Observing eclipses of the Sun an Moon
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Visual observing
The eye is our primary means of exploring the world around us.
Good for exploring the whole sky
Doing meteor watches
Observing eclipses of the Sun an Moon
Observing atmospheric phenomena
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Honor Wheeler
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Visually assisted observing
Binoculars
Good for exploring the sky more deeply
Variable stars
Solar observing – not direct
The Classical planets and some of the brighter asteroids
Comets
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Telescopes
Visually assisted observing
Good for fainter objects
Variable stars
Solar observations – not direct
Luna observations
Planetary observations
Double stars
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Imaging
Point and shoot and DSLR cameras on or off a tripod
Good for wide field sky shots – constellations, atmospheric phenomena, meteors and planetary conjunctions.
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical SocietyHonor Wheeler
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Saturn
Aldebaran
Jupiter
Martin Crow 2002 April 24
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Imaging
Moon images
Point and shoot cameras set up afocally on a telescope
Planets
Maybe some of the brighter deep sky objects
Solar images – not direct
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Exposures of 1/125 sec @ iso 100 will get you started, though experimentation will givethe best results.
Images of the eclipsed Moon require longerExposure times.
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Exposures of between 1/30 to 1/5 sec at iso 100 are to be expected.
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
M42Pleiades
Both images were on a driven mountExposures of 15 sec in both cases.
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Imaging
DSLR on a driven equatorial mounted telescope
Luna images
Solar images
Planets
Comets
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Imaging
DSLR on a polar aligned driven equatorial mounted telescope
Deep sky objects
Photometry of variable star and asteroids
Faint comets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Imaging
Web cam on a driven equatorial mounted telescope
High resolution image of the Moon and planets
High resolution white light images of sunspots
Web cam technology
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Image of Jupiter taken using film (1990).
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
What you need:
A webcam with CCD sensor
Adapter and infrared blocking filter
A laptop and free software from the internet – Registax or Avistack.
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
How does it work?
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
Registax in action – hopefully!
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
Observing the Planets
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Images by Simon Dawes
With a telescope and webcam (Lucky dip imaging)
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Types of observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Data mining
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
Astrogrid
Zooniverse
Local and National societies
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
www.cmhas.wikispaces.com
Local and National societies
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
British Astronomical Association
www.britastro.org
Observing
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Keep an observing log book
Date and time yyyy/mm/dd hr:mm UT
Weather – cloud, haze, temp.
SeeingI – perfect seeing, without a quiverII – slight undulations, with moments of lasting calmIII – moderate seeing, with larger tremorsIV – poor seeing, with constant troublesome undulationsV – very bad seeing, scarcely allowing a rough sketch to be made
Observing targets
Equipment used
Note and comments
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Before you go out
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Plan what you are going to observe
Think about what you hope to see – use reference material.
Think about what you might need:
Red light
Planisphere \ chart book
Warm clothes
Garden recliner?
Hand warmers
Flask of coffee or tea
Note book \ recording sheet and pencil
Any questions
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society
Martin Crow Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society