Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes. Step-by-Step Activities for Discovery

Michael Gainer9781846284786, 1846284783

This book is about using an 80mm refractor / 90mm Maksutov (such as a Helios 80 or Meade ETX90) as more than a “quick look” instrument, but rather something capable of use as an introduction to scientific observations. Emphasis is on measurement and discovery activities rather than on casual observing. There are two objectives to these activities: to re-enact the process of discovery and to provide amateur observers with the knowledge and skill that will help them make genuine contributions to the field of astronomy.
It is often said that users of small telescopes can conduct worthwhile scientific work, but ‘how’ is seldom explained except in the context of observations carried out by the most advanced amateur astronomers. This book provides the necessary introduction – derived from the author’s many year of experience in teaching the subject – that will be the starting point for serious work.
Users will find many activities and projects suitable for an 80mm refractor or 90mm reflector or Maksutov that have not been published elsewhere.

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Table of contents :
Preface……Page 3
Acknowledgement……Page 8
Contents……Page 9
Software……Page 13
The Celestial Sphere……Page 15
Solar Time……Page 18
Sidereal Time……Page 20
Dating Observations……Page 21
Mount Stability……Page 22
Setting Circles……Page 26
Aligning an Equatorial Mount……Page 28
Using Setting Circles……Page 30
A Tabletop GEM……Page 32
Go-to Mounts……Page 33
Limitations Imposed by Aperture……Page 34
Limitations Unique to Refractors……Page 36
Short Focus Achromatic Refractors……Page 37
Newtonian Reflectors……Page 38
Focusing……Page 39
Which Small Telescope Should You Buy?……Page 40
Digital Photography……Page 42
The Afocal Field of View……Page 44
Telephoto Conversion Lenses……Page 45
Processing the Print……Page 46
Film Photography……Page 47
Printing the Image……Page 48
The Sun……Page 49
Classification of Sunspots……Page 51
Sunspot Number……Page 52
Visual Observations……Page 53
Processing the Photographs……Page 54
The Stonyhurst Disk……Page 55
Measuring the Sun’s Rotation……Page 60
Film Photography of the Sun……Page 61
Visual Observations……Page 62
Analyzing the Photographs……Page 63
Selenography……Page 64
Measurements on the Computer Monitor……Page 67
Measuring Lunar Libration……Page 68
Lunar Occultations……Page 70
Sketching the Planets……Page 72
Digital Photographyof the Planets……Page 73
Ecliptic Coordinates……Page 75
Mars……Page 82
Taking the Photographs……Page 84
Visual Observations of Jupiter……Page 85
Digital Camera Observations of Jupiter……Page 86
Jupiter’s Moons……Page 87
Observations for Roemer’s Method……Page 88
Saturn……Page 89
Comets……Page 90
Visual Observations……Page 91
Film Photography……Page 93
Tracking an Asteroid……Page 94
Film Photography……Page 100
Visual Binary Stars……Page 101
Digital Photography of Binary Stars……Page 102
Measuring the Separation of the Components……Page 106
Measuring Position Angle……Page 108
Film Photography……Page 111
A Binary Star True Orbit Projector……Page 112
Visual Observations of Variable Stars……Page 118
Preparation for Observation……Page 119
Making the Observation……Page 122
Photographyof Variable Stars……Page 125
The Method of Measurement……Page 126
Analyzing the Data……Page 128
Film Photography……Page 130
Star Clusters and Nebulae……Page 131
Digital Photography of Star Clusters……Page 133
A Color–Magnitude Diagram for The Pleiades……Page 136
Acquiring the Data……Page 138
The Analysis……Page 139
The Design of an Objective Prism Spectrograph……Page 140
Getting the Spectrum……Page 142
Taking the Photographs……Page 146
Astrophotography……Page 149
Star Clusters and Nebulae……Page 150
Index……Page 151