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Stargazing has always been a
passion of many people, but few ever take the time to really
appreciate whats up there to be discovered. I've always been
passionate about astronomy... over the last few years I've
been developing my skills, and a few years ago I took the
plunge and purchased a Celestron 10" dobsonian reflector.
Although I love my telescope, I don't recommend you do the
same if you are just starting. Forget about telescopes and
buy a good pair of 8x50 binoculars and a starmap. Two reasons
for this... first, binoculars are much more portable, and
don't require you to get another car because your telescope
won't fit in it. Second, you can take binoculars anywhere
with you and you can get most of the enjoyment of using a
telescope from a good set of binoculars.
Planetary viewing is my favorite
pasttime, but I'm slowly starting to appreciate the moon,
nebulae, and galaxies. One day, with patience, I hope to mix
my astronomy hobby with my lacking photography skills in order
to take blurry pictures of the really cool celestial objects.
If you are wondering what there
is to see at this time, try grabbing a copy of Astronomy
Magazine. Hey, if your friends ask, tell them you buy
it for the pictures :0 Also, check out the link below for
what's to be seen in the sky this week.
For planetary viewing, Jupiter
rises pretty late, around 10pm, and Saturn about an hour after
that, but both are amazing in the Fall sky. If you were fortunate,
you witnessed the Leonids in 2001.
Wow! I counted 242 meteorites in 70 minutes with my companion...
including many fireballs. Oh yeah, astronomy lesson number
2... do not leave any clothing sitting in the cold moist air
if you intend to put them on again later... they get wet and
very very very cold.
Speaking of Saturn, the Cassini
Mission to Saturn has a special appeal to
me right now since I really like that planet. Find out about
this mission and many others at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
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