References and Starting Materials

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4. What Are Some Good Introductions To Amateur Astronomy?

In the United States, there are two popular astronomy magazines: Sky and Telescope (S&T), and Astronomy. Of the two, S&T is more technical, while Astronomy has more things like "artist's conception of Jupiter-rise on Ganymede" which are very pretty. I consider S&T a necessity, but getting both is not a bad idea.

In the U.K., there is a magazine called Astronomy Now which you probably want to subscribe too. It is rather like Astronomy in style, but slightly less bulky. Also, fewer pretty pictures. There is also a magazine called Popular Astronomy (which is not sold on newstands--you have to join the Junior Astronomical Society).

There is also a U.K. monthly periodical The Astronomer (ISSN 0950-138X). This is stapled A4 format with glossy front and back covers.It is the journal of a group of observers of the same name and is devoted to rapid publication of observations. Not for the absolute beginner. Contact John Colls, 177 Thunder Lane, Norwich, NR7 0JF,United Kingdom. (+44 603-36695). Subscriptions are 21 pounds (UK), 25 pounds (rest of Europe).

P. Clay Sherrod's A Complete Guide to Amateur Astronomy, available through Sky Publishing Company, is a more technical introduction. Sidgewick's books are absolutely excellent books, probably the very best ever written on amateur astronomy.

Nightwatch by Terence Dickinson is a good introductory book on Astronomy. Great section on purchasing a telescope. Star charts are so-so.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. A comprehensive introduction to astronomy and the equipment amateurs like to use. Written by and for amateur astronomers.

Also see below, the section on Books and Starcharts.

5. What Will I Be Able To See?

The best way to find out is to go observing with someone. Look for a local astronomy club (S&T lists them periodically). This is also a very good way to get a good price on a used telescope of proven quality.

In general, you will be able to see all planets except Pluto as disks.You will be able to see the bands and Red Spot on Jupiter and the rings around Saturn. You may be able to see the ice caps on Mars (although Mars is probably the most disappointing object in the Solar System). Venus and Mercury will show phases but not much else.

You will be able to see four of Jupiter's moons as points. Ditto Saturn's moon Titan. You will be able to see comets.

Do not expect your images to be anywhere as nice as the ones you see from the Voyager spacecraft. If a $2000 telescope could get these,nobody would have spent billions of dollars to send a spacecraft out there.

As far as "deep sky" objects, you will be able to see all the Messier objects in most any modern telescope. Galaxies will tend to look like bright blobs. Look a while longer and you may find some spiral arms or dust lanes (assuming it has them). Galaxies look nothing like their pictures--you will not see the arms anywhere near as clearly.

You will also find that the colors you see are considerably more muted than the pictures you see. This is because our retinas work by having two different types of light sensitive organs, rods and cones. Rods are very sensitive to dim light, but relatively useless for color vision. Cones are the opposite. Thus when looking through a telescope you are using your rods, and you aren't seeing a lot of color. Converted to HTML: February 25, 1996

Last Modification: December 16, 2000