Kamikazer wrote:do you guys master the skys and before getting a scope, or got a scope to master the skys?
any way will do as long as you enjoy yourself. some like to do research, memorise contellation positions (which is what I try to do in the day time but memory poor lah!) , so when they buy their first scope, they are not lost and can get some business done. others would prefer to buy a scope, join a group of seniors and learn on the job...its entirely up to you.
Even if you buy a goto as your first scope, you will still need to identify some alignment stars...
rich
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R United Federation of the Planets
zong wrote: haha, they're not mine, of course! I don't have a scope. They're property of my sec sch. Borrowed once for observation before, that's how I saw them. Not anybody's. So there's still no update of anything in the equipment database, not for me anyway. All I've got is a 12x50, which is starting to wear out already i think...
even a bino is an astro equipment! do register it as well....
what do you mean by "wear"? the chassis well worn or the optics getting bad?
as long as the optics are good and can be cleaned, you will have many hours of fun with your bino. Only 12x is a little high for comfortable handling, so you may want to consider gettinga tripod and slomo head....
rich
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R United Federation of the Planets
Kamikazer wrote:the master part was an analogy...and do star charts (not computer progs) show dso?
anyway i just found out i got a camera that can be used for astro
but i dont have a mount....and what should our exposure time be?
thanks
hi,
Star charts are useful for more advanced users. i myself personally find them cumbersome (but then again, I'm a goto guy!). I bought myself a star atlas 2000 but sold it after that. For beginners learning about constellations and location of the main objects of interest, try the maps below...updated every month.
Yup, I first started using those maps from the above site too. They're quite similar to what you'll find in Sky & Telescope / Astronomy magazines. But I soon found that they were quite limited and went on to get a real star atlas.
One thing I like about the above site is that there is this other page which you can print out together with the current month's map which highlights certain interesting naked eye, binocular and small telescope objects for the month.
I've never used a skychart. Being close to the equator we would see part of both northern & southern hemisphere. In that case I guess just the northern hemisphere skymap is not enough...are there any skymaps for the equatorial regions? What region maps do you guys use? Thanks.
Hi,
A Sky Chart is basically a map for the whole sky, they can be use anywhere on earth. I think what you mean is planisphere. Currently, I think there are no planisphere for equator, or may be I just can't find it... If you are using a telescope, a sky chart, such as Sky Altas 2000.0 or Bright Stars Altas 2000.0, will be better. The planisphere basically only show you which constellations are visible and their general location in the sky. Since they are small, only bright star and objects are shown.
Hope the above information is useful....
Yang Weixing "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance."
I have a favourite technique for using these charts here but you must be able to identify a few constellations as a guide. Eg, Summer Triangle and Orion.
As we are at the equator, Polaris is always at the horizon. So locate the star on your chart, place a ruler on it. Using Polaris as a pivot, rotate the ruler around it. This is how the stars would move around the sky as seen from Singapore.
Hope this helps.
rich
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R United Federation of the Planets
Actually, i have an equatorial planisphere bought from TPS at the last Equipment Fest. I don't know if he has stock now. How about doing a planisphere yourself?
Charlie
The gentle light of a distant galaxy
must needs pour into mine eye.
Or i shall with bent and turned,
fall me down, distraught..To die.
If you are using a telescope, a sky chart, such as Sky Altas 2000.0 or Bright Stars Altas 2000.0, will be better. The planisphere basically only show you which constellations are visible and their general location in the sky. Since they are small, only bright star and objects are shown.
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance."