Where do i find aswome stars in Miami,Florida in December with a telescope????????

Question

I got a telescope for xmas and i dont know where to find great aswome planets and stars.

Answer 1

With your telescope, you will quickly notice that stars are boring. They all look the same, with slightly different colors. Try planets instead - the Moon, Saturn, Mars, especially Jupiter. You can see 4 of Jupiter's moons (most likely - unless you have a really small telescope). Try the constellation Orion as well - the sword of Orion is actually a set of nebulae that look really cool in small telescopes. You can see the Pleadies as well (in Taurus), double cluster in Perseus, and maybe a few globular clusters as well.

Answer 2

If you pick up a copy of Sky and Telescope or Astronomy magazine there should be a monthly star chart in there.

You can also buy a program like Starry Night or a version of Sky Map which will help you find things.

To the south, in the constellation Orion, you can find the Orion nebula. People say it is in his belt but it is actually in his sword.
Near Casseopeia you will find the Andromeda galaxy. There are also many star clusters out.

It helps to have some 7x50 binoculars to help you find things also.

Answer 3

In South Florida there is way to much light pollution to really see anything from the city. Get someone to take you out to the middle of the Everglades one night where the skys are really dark and you can actually see something. One of the best deep sky objects in the winter is the Orion Nebula just below Orions Belt. Get a copy of either Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazines, they both have sky charts for the month and are great guides.

Have fun.

Answer 4

Do not dismiss the Moon. It is easy to find and will impress you. I guarantee it!

Next try Saturn. It will appear as a reasonably bright star in the constellation of Leo so you should be able to find it and get it in the field of view of the telescope pretty easily. It doesn't rise until quite late and you will probably have to stay up until midnight or so, but that will change in the next couple months. See the source for a sky map.