New with questions

Hi,

I have a desire to learn more about astronomy, and would like to start from
the ground up, so to speak.

1st, is there a star chart (hopefully available online) that just shows a
few stars? And helps a
beginner identify them?
My viewing area is very light rich and so I see few stars. I would like to
identify the stars I
see, but the star charts and books I have purchased show hundreds of stars,
and I just can't pick
"my" stars out. I think that If I can learn the limited stars I see on
average, It will help me to identify
more when I'm in the country and can see more.

I would also like to get daily emails telling me what planets are where, how
to see them, ect. Nothing too
technical yet. Is there a website that offers that service?

Thanks for your help,
jo

"jojo" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I have a desire to learn more about astronomy, and would like to start
from
the ground up, so to speak.

1st, is there a star chart (hopefully available online) that just shows a
few stars?

I'd either recommend getting a planisphere to take out at night with you
(best).

You can also try the Open University virtual planisphere

http://www.open2.net/science/finalfr...re/frames.html

You can also try the Open University virtual planisphere

http://www.open2.net/science/finalfr...re/frames.html


Thank you for your help. I'll try it.

I have another question. Can the nebulae and such be seen with a "backyard"
telescope?
I have been able to see Jupiter and 4 moons on one night, but nothing other
than planets.
Are these other things visible, but I'm not looking in the right place? Or
are they only visible through
tracking photography?

thanks,
jo

"jojo" wrote in message
. ..
I have another question. Can the nebulae and such be seen with a
"backyard"
telescope?

It depends very much on your telescope and your local light pollution. I
have a 4.5" f/8 Newtonian and live under a 'town' sky - as opposed to a
'city' sky.

Andromeda is quite easy
M57 Ring Nebula is small, but clear
M27 Dumbbell Nebula is faint (but bigger than M57 so easier to make out)
M1 Crab Nebula is probably wishful thinking!

on the other hand there are lots of good star fields in Cassiopeia, Taurus,
Perseus etc.

Most people here would recommend Turn Left at Orion as an excellent source
of things to look for with a small scope or binoculars.
A small scope can be packed in the back of a car for driving to darker
skies.

"jojo" wrote in
:


You can also try the Open University virtual planisphere

http://www.open2.net/science/finalfr...re/frames.html


Thank you for your help. I'll try it.

I have another question. Can the nebulae and such be seen with a
"backyard" telescope?

Yes. But the more light pollution the harder it is. Even from a dark
site, you are not going to see views like Hubble Space Telescope
pictures. Start by trying to locate the brighter Messier objects (These
are a mixture of star clusters, nebulae and some galaxies).

I have been able to see Jupiter and 4 moons on one night, but nothing
other than planets.
Are these other things visible, but I'm not looking in the right
place? Or are they only visible through
tracking photography?

From my backyard, I can see a number of the brighter Messier objects
using just 10 X 50 binoculars.

I advise you to find out if your area has an Astronomical Society or club
and join up.

Regards L.



thanks,
jo

jojo wrote:
Hi,

I have a desire to learn more about astronomy, and would like to start from
the ground up, so to speak.

1st, is there a star chart (hopefully available online) that just shows a
few stars? And helps a beginner identify them? My viewing area is very light
rich and so I see few stars. I would like to identify the stars I
see, but the star charts and books I have purchased show hundreds of stars,
and I just can't pick "my" stars out. I think that If I can learn the
limited stars I see on average, It will help me to identify more when I'm
in the country and can see more.

A sight I like to send folks to is called Heaven's Above
(http://www.heavens-above.com). Once logged in, it gives you access to an
interactive star chart that would recreate the sky from your location at the
time and date you are going out. It does provide quite a few constellations (no
star names on the map itself), with lines connecting the stars. I have quite a
bit of success in the near downtown area when doing observations at the
planetarium I work for, so it might be handy for you too.


I would also like to get daily emails telling me what planets are where, how
to see them, ect. Nothing too technical yet. Is there a website that offers
that service?

Well, without being overly brazen, I create a web page every month outlining the
location of planets, phases of the Moon, meteor showers if any are active that
month, and other sky phenomena. One of the things I like to do is not only tell
when the Moon will be at what phase but also when it will lie near a planet. It
can be a nice guide for naked eye viewing of those planets, let alone when using
a telescope.

You can find that information from a link on the planetarium's front page at
http://www.louisville.edu/planetarium. Follow the link called "Current Sky".
In addition to the information I mention above, you will find a link to Heaven's
Above and, among others, Sky and Telescope. They do have an email service that
goes out weekly on what is happening in the sky, if you need something that
often rather than a monthly listing which I offer.

You also write in a different message:

I have another question. Can the nebulae and such be seen with a "backyard"
telescope? I have been able to see Jupiter and 4 moons on one night, but
nothing other than planets. Are these other things visible, but I'm not
looking in the right place? Or are they only visible through tracking
photography?

Saturn was well within reach of even small scopes a bit west of Jupiter this
past winter and spring. It now is located in the morning skies before sunrise.
Venus will be returning to the evening skies later in the fall. Mars, of
course, is all the rage now and is rising about 10:30 p.m. DT or so locally.
And, as I mention above, when the Moon was near any of these, it was mentioned
on my page. The site Heaven's Above I mention above, when creating star maps,
also includes the location of the naked-eye planets as well as the Moon. So,
with the right tools, finding the brighter planets should be pretty easy.

As others have pointed out, what nebula, globular clusters, binary stars, etc.
that you pull out of your sky depends on your local light pollution levels and
the scope. I have pulled the Ring Nebula, the Orion Nebula, several globulars,
and several binary stars out of our light polluted skies using my 8" scope. Of
course there have been times when objects I was successful finding on one night
might not have been visible the next time we did an observation because of local
pollution/weather (high haze) conditions, but it can be done. You might start
with the Messier list (put Messier in a search engine and one of the sites you
might try with be the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
(SEDS) site, which provides a list and description of some that might be bright
enough for you to try.

Good luck and clear (within the limits of light pollution) skies!