Telescope Power Fantastic Activities & Easy Projects for Young Astronomers

by Matloff, Gregory L.

• ISBN13: 9780471580393
• ISBN10: 0471580392
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-08-30
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

Learn to unleash the awesome power of your telescope and take a fascinating tour of the Universe Astronomer Gregory Matloff introduces you to all the fun and excitement of astronomy by helping you to discover the full potential of any telescope. Packed with dozens of fun and easy stargazing projects and activities. Telescope Power doesn't just tell you about all the beauty and mystery of the stars but lets you see it all for yourself! You begin your tour of the Universe by setting your sights on nearby neighbors in our Solar System. You'll hunt for blue lunar flashes, spot lunar landing sites, and use color filters to observe the changing seasons on Mars and the spectacular rings of Saturn. From there, it's off to more distant stars. You'll learn how to read a star atlas and identify the various constellations: locate binary stars Mizar and Alcor; use a finder chart to observe the beautiful Globular Cluster M-13 and the Ring Nebula Lyra: visit the Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda (twin sister to our own Milky Way Galaxy); and a lot more. You'll also learn about the different types of telescopes and how they work; how to set up your telescope; the "care and feeding" of telescopes; the best accessories to try, including different eyepieces, filters, clock drives, and star wheels; and how to share your experiences with other young astronomers.

Author Biography

GREGORY L. MATLOFF is a consulting astronomer for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. He has taught astronomy to young people in both the classroom and the field, and is the author of several adult books on astronomy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: What's Up There?	1	(5)
PART I UNDERSTANDING YOUR TELESCOPE
The Telescope in History	6	(15)
The Earliest Astronomers	7	(1)
How the Constellations and Planets Got Their Names	8	(4)
Activity: Recognizing Constellations	8	(1)
Activity: Planets in Motion	9	(3)
The First True Astronomers	12	(3)
Activities: Why Do Planets Sometimes Seem to Move Backward?	13	(2)
Astronomical Celebrities	15	(4)
Nicholas Copernicus	16	(1)
Tycho Brahe	16	(2)
Johannes Kepler	18	(1)
Galileo Galilei	18	(1)
Sir Isaac Newton	18	(1)
Telescopic Astronomy after Newton	19	(2)
How Your Telescope Works	21	(15)
Light: The Signature of the Universe	22	(1)
How Does the Light from Space Originate?	23	(1)
Light in the Earth's Atmosphere	23	(2)
Activity: The Color of the Setting Sun	24	(1)
Activities: Observing Refraction	24	(1)
Kinds of Telescopes	25	(1)
Refractors	25	(1)
Reflectors	25	(1)
Catadioptic (Schmidt-Cassegrain) Telescopes	26	(1)
Terms You Should Know	26	(2)
Activity: Boresighting Your Telescope	27	(1)
Light-gathering Power	28	(1)
Activity: Rain Buckets and Light Buckets	29	(2)
Magnification	31	(1)
Activity: Estimating Magnification	31	(1)
Resolution	32	(1)
Activity: Resolution Versus Magnification	33	(1)
Field of View (FOV)	34	(2)
Selecting Your Telescope and Its Accessories	36	(16)
Telescope Selection	38	(2)
Newtonian Reflectors	38	(1)
Catadioptic Telescopes	39	(1)
Refractors	39	(1)
Magnification	40	(1)
Where to Buy Telescopes	40	(1)
Accessory Selection	40	(4)
Eyepieces	41	(1)
Activity: Changing Eyepieces While Viewing the Moon	42	(2)
Activity: Using the Moon to Calibrate a Low-power Reticle Eyepiece	44	(1)
Fun with Filters	44	(1)
Activity: Experimenting with Crude Color Filters	45	(1)
Mounts and Clock Drives	45	(1)
Finding Your Way in Sky: Star Wheels, Star Charts, Atlases, and Software	46	(6)
Activity: Creating a Finder Card	48	(4)
PART 2 OBSERVING WITH YOUR TELESCOPE
Observing the Moon	52	(14)
The Moon Close Up	53	(2)
Activity: Locating lunar Landing Sites	54	(1)
The Phases of the Moon	55	(4)
Activity: Phases of Lunar ``Orange''	58	(1)
Activity: Observing the First-quarter Moon	59	(1)
Finding Lunar Features	59	(7)
Activity: Sunrise in Clavius	60	(1)
Activity: Spotting Smaller Craters Using Higher Magnification	60	(1)
Activity: Sketching the March of the Terminator	61	(1)
Lunar Filter Activity 1: Hunting for Blue Flashes	62	(1)
Lunar Filter Activity 2: Using Color Filters	63	(1)
Activity: Comparing the Apparent Brightness of Lunar Features	64	(1)
Activity: Measuring the Length of a Lunar Feature Using a Reticle Eyepiece	64	(1)
Activity: Monitoring the Color of the Eclipsed Moon	65	(1)
Tracking the Planets	66	(16)
Activity: An ``Infant Solar System'' in a Pan	67	(1)
The Inner Planets	68	(5)
Mercury	68	(1)
Activity: Observing Mercury	68	(1)
Venus	69	(1)
Activity: Observing Venus	69	(1)
Mars	70	(1)
Activities: Observing Mars	71	(2)
The Outer Planets	73	(6)
Jupiter	74	(1)
Activity: Observing Jupiter--Hunting for the Satellites	74	(2)
Activities: Observing Jupiter	76	(1)
Saturn	77	(1)
Activity: Observing Saturn's Rings	78	(1)
Activity: Observing Saturn--Viewing Titan	79	(1)
Activity: Observing Saturn--The Use of Eyepiece Filters	79	(1)
The Telescopic Planets	79	(3)
Activity: Observing Uranus and Neptune	80	(1)
Activities: Reticle Eyepiece Observations of the Planets	80	(2)
Following the Stars	82	(18)
Constellations and Asterisms	83	(2)
Activity: Finding Constellations and Asterisms	84	(1)
Activity: How to Use a Star Atlas	84	(1)
What Are Stars?	85	(2)
Binary Stars	87	(2)
Activities: Locating the Big Dipper and the Pole Star	88	(1)
Activities: Observing Two Famous Binaries in the Spring Sky	88	(1)
Seasonal Stargazing	89	(10)
Activity: Winter Observations of Orion	89	(2)
Activity: Viewing the Pleiades during the Winter	91	(2)
Activity: Starhopping through the Spring Sky	93	(1)
Activity: Summer Observations of an Eclipsing Binary	93	(3)
Activity: Summer Observations of a Globular Cluster	96	(1)
Activity: Summer Observations of the Ring Nebula	96	(1)
Activity: Autumn Observation of the Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda	97	(2)
Southern Skies	99	(1)
Observing the Sun	100	(7)
Physical Properties of Our Sun	101	(1)
Safely Observing the Daytime Star	101	(2)
Activity: Constructing a Solar Projection Screen for Your telescope	102	(1)
Sunspots	103	(2)
Activities: Viewing Sunspots	103	(2)
Solar Eclipses	105	(2)
Activity: Observing a Solar Eclipse	105	(2)
Appendix A Astrovendors	107	(1)
Appendix B A Note about Measurement	108	(1)
Appendix C Reading List: To Dig Deeper	109	(1)
Glossary of Astronomical Terms	110	(7)
Index	117