I'd like to follow astronomy as a new hobby- what do I need to know?

Question

Hello from Britain. I am starting to get interested in the night skies and would like to know more. What is the best book-or-internet resource for a beginner, which explains things nice and simply to start off with but progresses to more complex material once the fundamentals are grasped?

Also if I want to purchase a telescope, what should I look for, and avoid? I'd like a (reliable) budget model, one that is noice-friendly but will still serve me well as I get more serious.

What other basic equipment should I invest in?

Thanks!

Answer 1

By "noice" I believe you mean "novice" and we all were
novices once - especially me. Here's what worked for me:
I recommend learning the sky, and the best reference book
I know for that is "The Stars - A New Way to See Them"
by the late H.A. Rey, published by Houghton-Mifflin Co.
It begins with basics but progresses to more advanced
topics once you have mastered the first part. It also has
star charts that can be used anywhere.
As far as telescopes go, I do not recommend department
store telescopes; you may be disappointed with them.
For starting, I would use a 4½ or 6-inch Dobsonian-mount
reflecting telescope, without all the computer stuff which
may be confusing at first. Learn to find objects with it as
you learn the sky and you will learn lots more that way.
To learn the sky, you don't need a telescope, just your
eyes and a reference book which I have mentioned.
Telescopes can come later when you want to look for
certain objects such as planets, nebulas, the moon, etc.
A Dobsonian-type reflector is moderately priced and will
give good results when you do try using it.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

It is not surprising you are baffled, many people are, and increasingly so. In fact there is no real evidence that e.g the people who built Stonehenge had any knowledge of 'astronomy' as we know it today. Now that may seem like a strange statement in the light of all the publications that claim that the builders of Stonehenge were skilled astronomers, but they did nothing that you or I could not do by simple observation of such things as the direction and length of a shadow cast by a stick). In other words they established, and only somewhat approximately a 'solar axis' (he midwinter sunset and the midsummer sunrise) the rest is nothing but modern speculation. What is remarkable however is the incredible accuracy with which the massive stones were set out in respect of each other, they must have worked from some kind of master plan, and as one recent piece of research points out, they must have largely prefabricated the structure, so perhaps we should not be looking so much for astronomical alignments, but for internal integrity, anyway it's a good question you raised and one that is bound to bring the old theories the surface as well as make a few folk take a fresh look at the facts.

Answer 3

Like others have answered, the best idea is join your local Astronomical society. I joined my local one and found that the members are more than happy to share their knowledge of the night sky with you.
Also, being that you are British, you may want to check out books by Sir Patric Moore. (please don’t confuse him with the Environmentalist by the same name - less the sir bit!). I found that a book simply called 'The night Sky' was a fantastic introduction and had very little 'technical' jargon that can get confusing to begin with. Where there is unavoidable technical jargon, it is explained in simple terms.
The members of the society will lead in the right direction as to what equipment you will need. But to start off, you will find that there are a remarkable amount of objects that can be viewed with the naked eye or even just a good pair of binoculars.
For example, with simple but good binoculars you can see some great detail on the moon, and even the 4 Gallian satellites (largest moons) of Jupiter!
Once you start to expand your knowlage, the wonders of the night sky become very enthralling
Good luck, and clear skies!

Answer 4

A good book to get you started is "Nightwatch" by Terrance Dickinson - http://www.fireflybooks.com/books/3026A.html . Not sure about availability in Britain, though. There are also some good online forums where you can ask questions and share your experiences. Yahoo groups has http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/telescopes/ for equipment and http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/starrynights/ for observing, as well as numerous forums for specific telescopes and telescope types. http://www.cloudynights.com/ has a lot of good forums also. Your local astronomy club, if there is one, is a great resource.

Basic equipment is a dobsonian telescope with as much aperture as you can easily handle and afford. 8" is a good compromise, and big enough to keep you busy for a long time. You can see quite a bit with a 4.5" or 6" scope, but if you get serious you're apt to want somehing bigger pretty quickly. I don't know what brands are available in Britain, but dobs made by Guan Sheng in Taiwan are sold under a number of different brands and are good values. A minimum accessory kit would be at least two eyepieces, a collimation aid (collimation cap or cheshire, at a minimum), a planishere, a dim red flashlight (preserves night vision), and a star chart. Norton's or the Cambridge Atlas are good beginner atlases; or SkyAtlas 2000 if you're comfortable with a more complex map. A pair of hand-holdable binoculars (7 to 10x, 40 to 50mm) is very useful. Many of us spent time with just binoculars and a planisphere, learning the sky, before graduating to a telescope.

Answer 5

In my opinion, the best book for beginners in astronomy is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). It's a good idea to spend some time getting to know the sky with a book like this and 10x50 binoculars; then, when you get a telescope, you'll know your way around the sky and it won't be as frustrating as it is for many beginners. The best buy in beginner's telescopes is a Dobsonian reflector, such as these (widely available in the UK):
http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/product.php?class1=1&class2=106

I'll endorse the recommendation of finding and joining your local astronomical society. Pick up a copy of Astronomy Now at the newsagent; it has a page every issue on local societies.

Finally, here's a great British web site run by a friend of mine:

Answer 6

Well I started with the observers guide to astronomy (Patrick Moore I believe) many moons ago! and the Larousse Encyclopedia of Astronomy.
No doubt there are many newer and better books out there now that others can recommend.
What I would strongly suggest though is buy a good pair of binoculars for starters. 10x50 is good.
these will give you a wide field of vision, which is very useful when you are learning to find your way around the night sky.

Answer 7

Welcome to a great hobby! I started with Patrick Moore's "Observer's Book of Astronomy" - well laid out for beginners and quite cheap at the time (but I bet it's out of print long since! Second-hand bookshops may be worth a try).
I wouldn't buy a telescope until you've tried some out and got more idea what you want to do. If you join a local astro. soc, some of the members will no doubt let you try theirs.

Answer 8

Take it from me - book, Patrick Moore's the night sky - gives daily things to look for - do not buy a telescope - get the highest resolution binoculars. Astronomy now is a good mag to buy - join a club - choose what you want to observe - meteor showers are my favourite and if you know when and how to look you will not need any equipment - watch the sky at night too

Answer 9

on telescope.com there is a whole section dedicated to astronomy teaching

the larger the mirror or lense, the more light,

but you will need an eye peice also

moon filters, and planetary filter, all explained

with my 4.5 inch telescope, I have seen the gas band clouds on jupiter, the ice caps of mars, and many other things.

so far ihave not been able to get my camera to work right.

read up, buy the best, the very best you can, and something you can move by yourself. a 4.5 is a bit of abundle to carry around, but worth it.

I wish I had a 6 or 8 inch...but money was an object

Answer 10

The best thing you could invest in is membership in a local astronomical society.

You'll meet new friends who share your interest, and you'll be able to try out their telescopes, and learn from their experience.

Waiting until you've looked through several telescopes will improve the odds you'll end up with a telescope you'll enjoy.