Backyard Steward Telescopes are Educational Fun
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Some amateur telescopes are built by their owners from scratch, but many good quality telescopes can be purchased from reputable companies. Arguably the most popular amateur telescopes are the Schmidt-Cassegrains for their small size, portability and wide range of available accessories. Modern amateur telescopes are not only reasonably priced but far more usable now with the use of computer aided navigation. Typical amateur telescopes are 4 to 8 inches in diameter and use magnifications of from 25 to 200 times. Understand the optics provided in the better amateur telescopes are usually relatively good however, there can be some inconsequential or notable variances of quality and price even more so in mass production telescopes.
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Amateur astronomy, often called back yard astronomy in the US, is a hobby whose participants enjoy observing celestial objects. It is usually associated with viewing the night sky when most celestial objects and events are visible, but sometimes amateur astronomers also operate during the day for events such as sunspots and solar eclipses. Common objects that are observed early are the Moon and planets. It is possible for an inexperienced person to immediately look at a large amount of deep sky objects in the night sky without necessarily having any prior experience or training. Finding deep sky objects is not always an easy task, and without perseverance, observing sessions can easily become a frustrating event. Several popular astronomical objects are too large for most telescopes such as Andromeda galaxy and nearby bright comets.
Stars are balls of gas made incandescent by energy from nuclear reactions deep in their interiors. Stars get their energy from nuclear reactions which transform hydrogen into helium. Stars and planets viewed through a telescope appear to shimmer or wiggle, as their light passes through the air and is distorted. Beginners in astronomy will find lots of advise, expertise and experience available at the star party, also they will find telescope vendors where they can browse and buy their equipment. The telescopes typically available in department stores for $100 to $200 are often of poor quality, and will not provide the views of the night sky required to transform budding stargazers into lifelong amateur astronomers. Clearly, amateur astronomy can become an expensive hobby quickly, so before purchasing a telescope, it is imperative that starting observers be sure they are truly interested.
There is a range of astronomy software available, from planetarium programs that simulate the sky to programs used to do various kinds of calculations pertaining to astronomical phenomena. One option is to join a local astronomical society, the members of which will often be very happy to help a newcomer take a more active part. Although not often thought of as an astronomical tool, a good pair of 7x50 binoculars will reveal thousands of stars and some of the brightest deep sky objects. By adding a film or video camera to a telescope, you can also learn to obtain striking astronomical images. |
Most amateur telescopes are designed for visual use with the emphasis on low cost and rugged transportable hand pushed mounts. The largest amateur telescopes are very big indeed, and demand either housing in a permanent observatory or possession of a strong back, a truck, and a gang of muscular and motivated observing buddies. The most distant objects we can see with our amateur telescopes are about 100 million light years away and Aaron looked up in his Observers Handbook a distant galaxy called NGC 4567 which is 20 million light years away.
Last updated 1/04/2009
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