Star hopping

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Star hopping describes a technique for finding celestial objects in the field of visual astronomy and amateur astronomy and can be used both with the naked eye as a basis for orientation in the starry sky and with optical instruments ( telescope , binoculars ) to find objects that are connected to the are not visible to the naked eye.

term

Star hopping, a term from the English-speaking astronomy scene, has established itself among amateur astronomers in the German-speaking world, an adequate German term does not exist. Star hopping or star-hopping perhaps suits him best, since the performance of star hopping or Star hopping means hopping from star to star.

The exercising person is called a star hopper, derived from this one speaks of a star hop.

The Starhop derivation is used in relation to this search method. There are already many instructions on the Starhop for a desired object on the Internet, but also in books.

method

The way to the globular cluster M 13 in Hercules

When star hopping, the user hops or shimmy from known objects in the sky to (still) unknown objects. In other words: from the visible to the invisible. This technique is particularly useful if you want to acquire the basics of orientation in the sky ( constellations or individual stars ) and if there are no bright stars in direct proximity to the object that can be aimed directly at with the viewfinder (search with the telescope ). With this method, the user learns very quickly to orientate himself towards the sky.

The Starhopper first orientates itself roughly on the constellations or stars that it already knows. He then uses a search or discovery map on which as many objects as possible, including faint objects that are not visible to the naked eye, are drawn. He then moves from star to star with binoculars or telescope until he finds the target object. Orientation is relatively easy because it takes place in geometric patterns that are easy to memorize.

A simple example is finding the famous globular cluster M 13 in the constellation Hercules. Once the observer has located the constellation in the sky, he moves with his binoculars or telescope on the imaginary line from Eta (η) to Zeta (ζ) Herculae (the "long edge" of the inner square). At about 1/3 of the way there is M 13.

equipment

At the beginning you need a rotatable star map , also called a planisphere, for rough orientation in the sky and the corresponding search or discovery map for the details that are no longer visible to the naked eye.

Based on a known star or an overview map, the desired object is then searched for and found using a detailed map.

So even with small instruments (telescope or large binoculars - in theory even in 10 × 50 binoculars) all Messier objects and many other globular clusters , planetary nebulae and galaxies can be found.

The measuring objects M 76 and M 97 with a visual brightness of 12 mag place high demands on the inexperienced observer due to their low luminosity. The challenge here, however, is not so much in finding the desired target, but in recognizing and perceiving the object, which in the small optics shows itself as an inconspicuous, barely perceptible, washed-out gray patch that is even more unspectacular than M13. Zoom binoculars are on Not suitable for this technology because of the tunnel vision they produce and the narrow field of view.

What is visually visible with the respective optics can be calculated with a limit size calculator.

With a little practice, you can do without the visit card. Then the Starhopper is, so to speak, a walking GoTo and does not need any other aids apart from a clear sky and an observation device.

Astronomy programs that - like the free stellarium  - simulate a planetarium , help with orientation in the sky. Apps for smartphones and tablets are also available for quick identification of the constellations and brighter celestial objects .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Klaus Veit: Starhopping ( Memento of the original from September 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.astronomie.de archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Interstellarum, No. 11, July-September 1997. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  2. ↑ Thomas Jäger, Der Starhopper - 20 sky tours for amateur astronomers, Oculum-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-938469-23-1
  3. ↑ Stefan Korth, Bernd Koch, Stars in the Night Sky - The reliable guide to the 50 most beautiful celestial objects, Kosmos-Verlag Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-440-08526-0
  4. ↑ a b Heike Westram: Search & Find - Tips for star search: Star hopping - from star to star . In: Sterngucker, BR-alpha. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  5. ↑ http://www.hobby-astronomie.com/aufsuchen.html
  6. ↑ http://www.deepsky-brothers.de/M13-6Ansichten.htm
  7. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from August 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / messier.hatschie.de
  8. ↑ http://www.otterstedt.de/wiki/index.php/Spezial:CalcLimitingMagnitude

literature

  • Thomas Jäger: The Starhopper - 20 sky tours for amateur astronomers. Oculum-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-938469-23-1 .
  • Erich Karkoschka : Atlas for Sky Observers - With 250 objects on 50 star maps of the whole sky. Franckh Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3440074889 .
  • Stefan Korth, Bernd Koch: Stars in the night sky - the reliable guide to the 50 most beautiful celestial objects. Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-440-08526-0 .
  • Ronald Stoyan : Deep Sky Travel Guide - 5th revised edition: Observing star clusters, nebulae and galaxies yourself. Oculum-Verlag, ISBN 978-3938469729 .
  • Michael Feiler, Philip Noack: Deep Sky. Travel atlas. Find star clusters, nebulae and galaxies quickly and safely. 4th improved edition, Oculum-Verlag, Erlangen 2014, ISBN 978-3938469712 .
  • Michael Feiler, Stephan Schurig: Rotatable sky map. Know where the stars are at every hour. 4th improved edition, Oculum-Verlag, Erlangen 2013, ISBN 978-3938469668 .

Web links