Beginning Astronomy

[arliemaria]

This is very basic. My husband wants to really start observing the night sky. I don't want to invest a lot into a telescope, etc. at the moment. I thought perhaps we could get this nice calendar and make it a habit of observing the moon every night. Perhaps even keeping a small journal to chart the moon. Is this silly? I know we had to keep a calendar chart of the moon in I think 6th grade science in my public school. I just think it would help build a habit of observation. From looking at the moon we could build into common stars/constellations, etc.

 

Alright, any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

[StephanieZ]

If you have an ipad or iphone, check out "starwalk" it is a super cool app!

 

And, I think a nature journal approach to following the moonphase, etc would be aweseome. You could track the time of moon rise & moon set, too, and use a compass to ID where it rises, and note what the moonphase is.

 

There is an NPR feature here:

 

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=7071077

 

And I am sure they have other stories, too. The ones I've heard on npr were very accesible and interesting.

 

You can also watch out for meteor showers, eclipses, etc, and stay up a few times to watch meteor showers this summer. They are fun!!

[nono]

Your ideas sound fine! My kids went nuts over a glow-in-the-dark constellation book. So you may want to look at those that are available for when you get to the constellations. Oh, and "space pajamas" have been a hit here too. (Yes, last year we had skeleton pjs for biology...)

 

Netflix has lots of documentaries on space too. Have fun!

[Ruby Rose]

Here is a good site.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/waxing-moon-above-waning-quarter-venus-in-western-sky

 

Right now you can see Venus and Jupiter with the naked eye and it is very easy to spot.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Ruby Sue

[Kate CA]

This is very basic. My husband wants to really start observing the night sky. I don't want to invest a lot into a telescope, etc. at the moment. I thought perhaps we could get this nice calendar and make it a habit of observing the moon every night. Perhaps even keeping a small journal to chart the moon. Is this silly? I know we had to keep a calendar chart of the moon in I think 6th grade science in my public school. I just think it would help build a habit of observation. From looking at the moon we could build into common stars/constellations, etc.

 

Alright, any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

 

I love these resources:

 

Signs & Seasons

 

and for the moon, his lovely book:

 

Moonfinder

 

These are wonderful resources for you to use for you and to use to teach your little one when he is older. This is classical astronomy and you use your eyes. We have been using these in a co-op and they are perfectly wonderful!

[arliemaria]

I didn't even post the link to the lunar calendar I was talking about. http://www.theoriginallunarphase.com/

[Mrs Mungo]

I think your ideas sound great! Not that you MUST do any of this, BUT...Real Science 4 Kids has an astronomy unit. Also, Science in a Nutshell has a couple of related kits. :)

[KristenR]

According to my husband;

 

While it is not always necessary, starting slow and easy will lead to a greater understanding about the sky and strengthen the familiarity you have with the objects in it.

 

Starting with the Moon is a great idea. It is bright, easy to find in a scope or binoculars and provides a LOT of detail that magnifies well. I don't recommend looking at a FULL moon with any type of optical equipment unless you are using some neutral density filters to cut down on some of the light. Looking at full moon through a telescope can lead to ruined night vision for the rest of night.

 

Some free programs that are excellent at showing what is up in your sky:

 

Stellarium - One of the BEST (did I mention free?) planetarium programs out there. Simple and intuitive to use. http://www.stellarium.org/

 

World Wide Telescope - Powerful tool to learn not only the sky, but the rest of the solar system, galaxy and the Universe at large. It has a sandbox Universe that goes from street level all the way out to the edge of the Universe. http://www.worldwidetelescope.org

 

One of the greatest introductory books to backyard astronomy is Terence Dickinson's Nightwatch (now on it's 4th edition).This is one of my favorites and is the foundation for more advanced astronomical concepts.

 

Before you spend your hard earned cash, try out the sky with just your eyes. It's convenient of course to observe from your backyard, but it makes a HUGE difference by going somewhere dark. The darker the skies, the better the stars will appear. Before you spend a lot of money on a telescope, give your binoculars a whirl. Many find the rich fields of stars accessible from a simple pair of binoculars much more satisfying than the more magnified views offered by telescopes.

 

If you need some assistance picking out equipment or have a question about something specific, please let me know. My dh is becoming quite an expert. :tongue_smilie:

 

Also, I see you have a young boy. Feel free to check out some of the astronomy and prehistory activities on my blog. We are BIG into astronomy here and LOVE incorporating it into our lives.

 

Hope that helps!

[Alessandra]

You have some great ideas. Buying a telescope now is a bad idea, IMO (and in the opinion of a lot of astronomy club websites).

 

You can download a free planetarium program and customize it for your location/date/time.

 

http://www.stellarium.org/

 

You can print free star maps.

 

http://www.skymaps.com/

 

You can use your actual eyes to look! Or an ordinary pair of binoculars. Sure, there are fancy, high-powered ones, but naked eye & lower power binoculars will give you a wider field of vision. If you look with something high powered, you will see a dot of light and not know what it is. If you get a computerized scope, the scope will take you to a particular location, but you will STILL not be able to identify objects in the sky yourself.

 

For a beginning book, my absolute favorite is patterns in the Sky, $7.49 @ Amazon

 

http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Sky-Introduction-Stargazing-Astronomy/dp/1931559392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332982

 

The difference between this and star maps are that this has more lines of sight and hints of how to start at a bright, obvious constellation/star and then move across the sky to other stars/constellations.

 

You could also google astronomy clubs. Many have free viewing night -- you can look through other people's telescopes. In my experience, there are always lots of kids, Just bring coffee to stay awake and a DS/game thingy in case the kids get bored.

 

Oh, and there are some great iPhone & iPad apps -- I haven't got these yet, but perhaps someone else could recommend.

 

ETA Posted at same time as Kirsten -- she has great advice. I love Terence Dickinson's books, but I find Patterns in the Sky is even easier to read -- and lighter to carry around.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Alessandra

[KristenR]

ETA Posted at same time as Kirsten -- she has great advice. I love Terence Dickinson's books, but I find Patterns in the Sky is even easier to read -- and lighter to carry around.

 

Great minds think alike. :)

[Jean in Wisc]

A couple of websites to get you started:

 

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/science-projects-for-kids-the-moon3.htm

 

http://www.jotabout.com/portuesi/astro/moon_intro.html

 

And if you get serious about it, you can do the Astronomical League's Lunar Program. You do not need to be a member of AL to do the program, but you cannot get the award unless you are. This is the intorductory page:

 

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/lunar/lunar1.html

 

And this is the check list.

 

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/lunar/lunar2.html

 

You might want to know that astronomers study the moon as it goes through its phases. When we look at the terminator (the line where dark and light meet), we can see depth because of the shadows--the shadows allow us to see more of the terrain. Some folks assume that full moon is the best time to look at the moon, but that is not true. During the full moon, it looks "flat".

 

I have a book that does a GREAT JOB of studying the moon. It gives page after page of moon photos in its various stages and suggests that when the moon looks like the photo, you look for the specified objects. It also lists by season objects that you can find in the sky with both binoculars and a small telescope. You do need to know where some of the constellations are to use that section of the book, however. It is Star Watch by Harrington. Go into Search Inside and type Waning Crescent into the search and then scroll down. It will show you how it does the moon study.

 

Enjoy!

Jean

[lailasmum]

Can you get the Sky at night magazine or something similar. Each month it has a pretty extensive list of things to look for.

[HejKatt]

I recommend H. A. Rey's "Find the Constellations" for introducing star-gazing

http://www.amazon.com/Find-Constellations-H-A-Rey/dp/0395244188

 

I read it at bedtime and it had my DS wanting to run out and spot Orion or the Big Dipper, despite the fact he was already in PJs.

[KRG]

Do you have a local astronomy club? If you do that is also a great place to start.

[Pippen]

I always lie reading the content at the US Navy Observatory Website. It's more detailed than a lot of the sites are and not written in a child friendly manner but often it has some extra background info that I find helpful. I just gleaned and would share what I thought would be interesting to the kids.

 

http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/sky-this-week/the-sky-this-week-2012-march-27-april-3

[Alessandra]

Great minds think alike. :)

 

:iagree:

[Alessandra]

A couple of websites to get you started:

 

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/science-projects-for-kids-the-moon3.htm

 

http://www.jotabout.com/portuesi/astro/moon_intro.html

 

And if you get serious about it, you can do the Astronomical League's Lunar Program. You do not need to be a member of AL to do the program, but you cannot get the award unless you are. This is the intorductory page:

 

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/lunar/lunar1.html

 

And this is the check list.

 

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/lunar/lunar2.html

 

You might want to know that astronomers study the moon as it goes through its phases. When we look at the terminator (the line where dark and light meet), we can see depth because of the shadows--the shadows allow us to see more of the terrain. Some folks assume that full moon is the best time to look at the moon, but that is not true. During the full moon, it looks "flat".

 

I have a book that does a GREAT JOB of studying the moon. It gives page after page of moon photos in its various stages and suggests that when the moon looks like the photo, you look for the specified objects. It also lists by season objects that you can find in the sky with both binoculars and a small telescope. You do need to know where some of the constellations are to use that section of the book, however. It is Star Watch by Harrington. Go into Search Inside and type Waning Crescent into the search and then scroll down. It will show you how it does the moon study.

 

Enjoy!

Jean

 

Jean -- you always have great new ideas on astronomy -- much appreciated.

[arliemaria]

Thank you for all the ideas. It gives me some ideas for Easter gifts.

[Twigs]

I recommend H. A. Rey's "Find the Constellations" for introducing star-gazing

http://www.amazon.com/Find-Constellations-H-A-Rey/dp/0395244188

 

I read it at bedtime and it had my DS wanting to run out and spot Orion or the Big Dipper, despite the fact he was already in PJs.

 

:iagree:

 

I like H.A.Rey's The Stars even better. It has more details the Find the Constellations.