Sky observation

Under observation of the sky to observe the will generally starry sky with the naked eye or binoculars understood - what should be the focus of this article. In a broader sense, observations with a telescope or camera are also included, for which details can be found under observers or visual astronomy . Occasionally, however, the term also stands for the observation of clouds and other meteorological phenomena.

Open-eyed observation objects and phenomena

Subject of the free-eyed sky observation are above all

the night sky with its up to 4,000 visible stars - which of course can be reduced to just a few hundred in an urban setting
the moon and its changing phases
the bright five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and their course under the stars
the constellations (about 50 in the northern sky visible in Europe , another about 40 constellations only visible in southern latitudes )
the dull, shiny ribbon of the Milky Way and some dark clouds in it
some bright star clusters such as B., the Pleiades and Hyades
sometimes bright comets and novae
often falling stars and meteor streams
artificial earth satellites , observation of iridium flares , etc.

There are also:

Phenomena of the visibility of stars (rising and setting of the sun and bright stars and their culminations (highs in the south))
Circumpolar (always visible) constellations, or the apparent nocturnal star orbits
Constellations between the moon, planets and bright stars
Sometimes solar and lunar eclipses , bright star coverages by the moon
and the possibility of daytime observations .

Observation with binoculars

We recommend magnifications of 7 to 10 times (otherwise there will be annoying image tremors) and an opening of at least 40 mm (binoculars 7x50, 8x40, maximum 10x50). Are observation objects

the above celestial objects in greater detail:
- about 20 to 100 times more stars
- Venus sickle , Jupiter equatorial stripe and 4 Jupiter moons , Saturn ring , Saturn moon Titan
- Lunar seas (mare) and large lunar craters
the outer planets Uranus and Neptune ,
brighter asteroids , occasionally comets
about 20 open clusters and 10 globular clusters
Details of the Milky Way (e.g. division in the swan and eagle, star clouds in Perseus and Sagittarius , about 50 dark clouds )
some glowing gas nebulae , e.g. B. Orion Nebula (M42), Messier objects like M8, M20, M27
some bright galaxies like Andromeda Nebula (M31), M33, M51 etc.

Entry into the sky observation

First of all, the budding star friend should familiarize himself with the basic concepts of astronomy, for which open-sighted observations are the best way to start. Apart from the binoculars , buying a telescope should not be considered until later , otherwise disappointments are inevitable. The best way to learn how to use optical instruments is through binoculars.

First steps

You start with the basic equipment:

introductory book (e.g. from Kosmos-Verlag, see literature)
with overview star maps
warm clothing (is often underestimated; even summer nights can cool down to 5 °)
Compass , flashlight with red light (least dazzling), notebook
quiet, dark observation place
good seating
and sufficient patience for the following learning process:

Orientation to the night sky

in suitable steps:

Reading star maps - ideally rotatable star map (~ 15 €)
Big Dipper and Cassiopeia as a pole finder for the North Star
Star lines (from the Big Dipper to the Bear Keeper, to the Lion, etc.)
Bright constellations: in the winter sky starting from the winter hexagon around Orion, in summer and early autumn the summer triangle (lyre, swan, eagle), autumn square (Pegasus), five-star row
Depending on the season 3–4 of the 12 signs of the zodiac along the ecliptic (annual solar path)

" Horizon Astronomy " by day

Watching the sunset - depending on the season between the southwest and northwest
Midday height of the sun in the south (shadow stick + protractor)
Space concept: meridian (south point - zenith - north point), east and west point
Celestial equator (extended equatorial plane of the earth): an oblique great circle (height in the south 90 ° - geographical latitude ) through the east and west point
later also presentation of the ecliptic (sun path, ~ also moon and morning or evening star )

Further steps

Getting to know other constellations
Search for Andromeda Nebula (in the evening from August to January), in winter the Pleiades and Orion Nebula , in summer the Milky Way in the Swan and gas nebula in Sagittarius ...

Meteor swarms Perseids (August), Geminids (December); Counting every quarter of an hour, possibly entering the shooting stars in the star map (vanishing point radians )

with binoculars : Enjoyable exploration of the Milky Way and its changing star density, search for star clusters

Star tours at a public observatory or in the planetarium

Visit and possibly membership in an astro club (in D ~ 100, in A and CH over 10)

Subscription to a monthly publication ( Stars and Space (€ 86), Austrian Star Messenger (€ 14), Swiss SAG , possibly an astronomical yearbook )
For more information, see introductory books, Deep Sky Atlas or Wikipedia articles

literature

Detlev Block: Astronomy as a hobby - recognizing and naming constellations and planets . Bassermann-Verlag, Munich 2005
Joachim Herrmann : Which star is that? ISBN 3440091678 , Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart 2002
Wolfgang Schroeder: Practical astronomy for star lovers , with an appendix for building simple instruments. Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart 1960