What’s Up This Month – July 2009
July 3, 2009
Not sure what the weather’s like where you are, but here in eastern Canada, the only observing we get to do is observing the underside of clouds. But clouds don’t stay forever. And when they clear there’ll be much to see in the star-rich skies of northern summer, especially the nebulae and star clusters along the Milky Way from Cygnus through Sagittarius and on into the southern sky.
This month also marks the 40th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin landed a tiny tin-can of a spacecraft on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility and went on a 2-hour walkabout. It was an amazing achievement.
(more…)
Alt-Azimuth Telescope Mounts
June 25, 2009
Most telescopes sit on either an alt-azimuth mount or an equatorial mount. Today we cover the former, which is the easiest mount to understand and use. For many visual observers, it’s the only type of mount they will ever need.
(more…)
How Big Stars Die
June 18, 2009
We’ve been told we’re crazy to try to explain the evolution of larger stars in a minute or two, which is the unofficial time limit of most articles in One-Minute Astronomer. But hey, we like a challenge. So here’s the story on how large stars, say at least 3-5x the mass of our Sun, will end their lives.
How To Read Sky Coordinates
June 15, 2009
Some new subscribers are terrified by the coordinate system for the celestial sphere. But if you understand the concept of latitude and longitude on the Earth, you can understand their celestial equivalents. Here’s what you need to know to find things on a star map.
(more…)
5 Great Telescopes That Changed Amateur Astronomy
June 11, 2009
We came across some ads for classic telescopes from the 1950’s to the 1980’s, and we were stricken with astronomical nostalgia. We drooled over some of these ads in our younger days, and if you’ve been around long enough, perhaps you did too.
To be honest, almost every telescope available today is just as good or better than the offerings of 30-40 years ago. And the prices in real dollars are much lower. But it’s still fun to look back and consider how far the tools of amateur astronomers advanced over the last 30-40 years. Thousands of these old telescopes are still in use today.
