I watched a program about the large telescopes in Chile and heard a remark that star gazing in the southern hemisphere is much more rewarding than it is in the northern hemisphere. It must also be true that this time of the year isn't ideal for looking at the stars with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere, especially if you are located near a large population center. It seems to me that at midnight when I look straight up there just aren't that many bright stars visible without optics.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Go to Summit cCounty Colorado and go to a good restaurant in Breckenridge or KeYstone . When you come out walk a little ways out of town and look up. This always causes me to think of the Cavemen and what they thought as they observed the star-studded heavens at night.

I once read that the constellation Cygnus might hide a couple of secrets.

Also it is located in the middle of the Milky Way where the star density is much higher than other places.

Looking at it by your own eyes, or through a pair of binoculars, or a telescope is always something else than looking at the picture, but your sense of distance between objects as well as their relative luminosity becomes totally different as well.

I have seen the sky from an almost completely dark location and it is a magnificent experience.

it just mesmerize me when I'm @ sea...just put the anchor down in the summer time...& during a clear night with no moon...every star in the sky is so well lighten...u can count them, one by one...
;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

it just mesmerize me when I'm @ sea...just put the anchor down in the summer time...& during a clear night with no moon...every star in the sky is so well lighten...u can count them, one by one...
;)

In June and July we cannot see any stars here. Only the Moon, Venus and Mars.
The sky is too Bright.
Above the Arctic Circle it's broad Daylight at midnight.

On the 30th of June, Venus and Jupiter will be so close to each other in the night sky, it will almost look as if they touch. A sight for sore eyes I might say. :)

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

On the 30th of June, Venus and Jupiter will be so close to each other in the night sky, it will almost look as if they touch. A sight for sore eyes I might say. :)

Close? HeHehe.
Venus will pass Jupiter in late June/early July, 2015. At that time – especially on the nights of June 30 and July 1 – you can witness the closest Venus-Jupiter conjunction until August 27, 2016.
I hope June 30 and July 1 will be non cloudy.

Venus and Mars where very "Close" to each other February 21, 2015.
Next time is October 5, 2017.

The British paper I read mentioned the 30th of June. We all know the media doesn't always provide us with the correct information though, don't we..

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rOZZ
Music
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If I wanted to get an amateur home telescope and I live in city of about a million people, would it be worth it?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

If I wanted to get an amateur home telescope and I live in city of about a million people, would it be worth it?

You would have to consider the great amount of light pollution in a city with this population range before making a big investment on a telescope. I would recommend a Celestron, expensive but well worth its money.

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

If I wanted to get an amateur home telescope and I live in city of about a million people, would it be worth it?

You would have to consider the great amount of light pollution in a city with this population range before making a big investment on a telescope. I would recommend a Celestron, expensive but well worth its money.

I've heard of Celestron. The local planetarium might have some suggestions or even sell a few. Just wondering if anyone had one, and what conditions you use it in, and what I could expect to see.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

If you use it on nights when there are no clouds, no moon and low humidity it would probably be worthwhile. I would recommend that you anchor the mount permanently on a vey stable platform such as a sturdy deck or concrete patio. On the other hand, a good pair of German WW2 binoculars similarly mounted will allow some great viewing of the moon's craters and Jupiter's 4 Galilean moons.

The rings of Saturn will require more magnification however.

There is an astronomy forum that is dedicated to amatuer telescopes regarding which to buy or how to build your own. They also have a pretty good space and science section too.
http://www.astronomyforum.net/forum.php

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

a good pair of German WW2 binoculars

I imagine getting my hands on a set of those would cost more than a nice telescope! ;~)

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I imagine getting my hands on a set of those would cost more than a nice telescope! ;~)

That's right but I find looking with only one eye to be uncomfortable. If you just want to look at the moon and the moon's of jupiter then I would recommend the binoculars with a good solid mount. Of course if you want to see the rings of Saturn you will need a telescope.

The sad fact is that a star will still look like a star mixed in with a little spherical aberration regardless of magnification.

If I wanted to get an amateur home telescope and I live in city of about a million people, would it be worth it?

You would have to consider the great amount of light pollution in a city with this population range before making a big investment on a telescope. I would recommend a Celestron, expensive but well worth its money.

I've heard of Celestron. The local planetarium might have some suggestions or even sell a few. Just wondering if anyone had one, and what conditions you use it in, and what I could expect to see.

I have a Celestron 127mm reflector.
Works well on its stock tripod. Takes a bit of setting up, but once set up it is OK - provided you have a reasonably dark sky you can expect to see most of the "sensible" objects in the Solar system, and some quite respectable views of the Milky Way etc. Not so good on Deep Space objects unless the sky is really dark (I must take it for a holiday to the Keilder Forest Dark Sky Park...)

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I am in the South Pacific, New Zealand. I have a 300mm Newtonian reflector telescope. I load it into the car (it only just fits) and take it up to my sisters farm, about a hour drive away, for the Christmas holidays. The sky is totally dark. Mid summer the air is warm and I'm often out till 2-3 in the morning.... just relaxing and enjoying the bright river of stars in the Milkyway above. I have slowly been buying additional equipment to start getting into astro-photography.

Find out if there are any astronomy clubs in town and go along to a few meetings, its worth it. If you are in a city, take a drive one night out of town and wait about 15 minutes for your eyes to dark-adjust, its worth it.

Yes Bob it is far better to star gaze in the southern skys , less city's , people and not so much pollution .

I only have to out on my balcony and look to the south or straight up to see heaps of stars , Sydney's to the north of me 100klm so light pollution does block some out also i think you can just see more of the universe from down under something to do with the tilt of the earth .

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