[NORTHERN HEMISPHERE VERSION

]
GETTING STARTED IN
ASTRONOMY
AN EASY GUIDE TO
EXPLORING THE
UNIVERSE
INCLUDES A MOON MAP AND STAR CHARTS

FROM THE
EDITORS OF

SkyandTelescope.com
 Northern Hemisphere Version
® Your First Steps
SkyandTelescope.com in Astronomy
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU can see a galaxy way around the sky. They also give you a
Astronomy doesn’t deserve
21⁄2 million light-years away with your view that’s right side up and straight in
unaided eye? Or that you can see craters front of you, making it easy to see where its reputation as a tough,
on the Moon with ordinary binoculars? you’re pointing. Binoculars are fairly inex-
These and countless other wonders await pensive, widely available, and easy to carry expensive hobby to get into.
your gaze every clear night. The first step and store. They’re also versatile; you can
is simply to look up and ask, “What’s switch from terrestrial to celestial viewing in
that?” And when you do, you’ll take the an instant.And their performance is surpris-
You just need to begin with
first step toward a lifetime of cosmic ingly respectable. Ordinary 7- to 10-power
exploration and enjoyment. What’s the binoculars improve on the unaided eye the right advice.
best way to get started on this exciting about as much as a good amateur telescope
adventure? improves on binoculars — and at a far
lower cost. For astronomy, the larger the
Read It and Reap front lenses are, the better. High optical When It’s Time for a Telescope,
The joy of astronomy comes from finding quality is important too. But any binoculars Plunge in Deep
your way around the starry sky and already knocking around the back of your Eventually you’ll be ready for your first tele-
understanding what you see. A great place closet are enough to launch your amateur- scope. This is no time to skimp on quality.
to start is your local library or bookstore. astronomy career. The telescope you want has two essentials.
Browse the astronomy shelf for beginner’s One is high-quality, “diffraction-limited”
guides that will teach you about the Use Maps and Guidebooks optics. The other is a solid, steady, smooth-
Moon, planets, and constellations. Check Once you’ve learned your way around the ly working mount. You may also want large
the magazine rack for Sky & Telescope, the night sky, binoculars can keep you busy for aperture (size), but don’t lose sight of port-
hobby’s essential monthly magazine. It years. With good maps and reference books, ability and convenience. Remember, the
offers practical tips for observers as well as you can identify dozens of the Moon’s best telescope for you is the one you’ll
articles on many fascinating astronomical craters, plains, and mountains. Binoculars actually use.
topics. will show you the ever-changing positions Many telescopes have built-in comput-
Another great resource is the World of Jupiter’s moons and the crescent phases ers and motors that will point them to any
Wide Web. Start at Sky & Telescope’s site, of Venus. They’ll also reveal most of the 109 of thousands of celestial objects at the
SkyandTelescope.com, or you can use any “M objects,” the star clusters, galaxies, and push of a few buttons. These are a lot of
search utility to look up topics such as nebulae cataloged by 18th-century fun to use and can help you locate sights
“amateur astronomy” or “stargazing.” astronomer Charles Messier. Binoculars will you might otherwise overlook. But it’s still
let you split scores of colorful double stars helpful to know your way around the sky
Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes and allow you to follow the fadings and — especially if your batteries run out!
Go out on any clear, dark night and famil- brightenings of numerous variable stars. It’s true that telescopes can cost many
iarize yourself with the star patterns over- All this and more is possible — but only if thousands of dollars, but it’s also true that
head, using the constellation maps on the you know where to look and what to look some good ones can be had for only a few
following pages. for. Moreover, the skills you’ll develop using hundred dollars. Can’t afford the scope
If you live in a brightly lit city or town, maps and guidebooks with binoculars are you want? Save up until you can.
find a place where there’s less light pollu- exactly the skills you’ll need to put a tele- Another year of using binoculars while
tion (or at least a spot free from the glare scope to good use. building a savings account will be time
of nearby lights) so you can see more you’ll never regret.
stars. The ability to look up and say, Seek Out Other Amateurs
“There’s the North Star!” or “That’s There’s nothing like sharing an interest with Relax and Have Fun
Saturn!” will provide pleasure — and a others. There are hundreds of astronomy Don’t get upset if you can’t find a particu-
sense of your place in the cosmos — for clubs worldwide; Sky & Telescope’s Web site lar object or because the view in your tele-
the rest of your life. includes a directory of them. Call a club scope is less than perfect. Learn to take
near you to find out when it holds meetings pleasure in whatever your eyes, binoculars,
Start with Binoculars or all-night observing sessions called “star or telescope can show you. The more you
Binoculars are an ideal “first telescope” parties.” These events offer a wonderful look, the more you’ll see. Set your own
for several reasons. They show you a wide opportunity to try out different telescopes, pace, and revel in the beauty and mystery
field of view, making it easy to find your learn new skills, and make friends. of our amazing universe!

 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.

 ®
Finding Your Way
SkyandTelescope.com
Here’s how to use our bimonthly
star charts to identify your
evening stars and constellations.
CAN YOU SPOT THE BIG DIPPER? Orion? The
Pleiades? Your exploration of the universe
begins with learning the stars in your
evening sky. But different constellations are
visible at different times of year and hours
of the night, depending on your latitude
and which way the night side of our planet
is facing.
The accompanying charts will help you
get oriented. They’re designed for sky-
watchers in midnorthern latitudes such
as the United States, southern Canada,
and Europe. Each represents the entire
sky at the dates and times printed on it.
Find a chart appropriate for your date,
and go out within an hour or so of the
time listed.
How the Charts Work
The round edge of each chart represents
your horizon, with compass directions
labeled. Turn the map around so the edge
marked with the direction you’re facing
(north, east, or whatever) is right-side up.
The stars above this horizon on the map
will now match the stars you’re facing.
Ignore the rest of the map for now.
The map’s center is overhead (the
zenith). So a star that’s plotted halfway
from the edge to the center can be found
about halfway up the sky. That is, it will be
halfway from horizontal to straight up.
Dot sizes indicate star brightnesses —
the larger the dot, the brighter the star.
Example: Let’s try the July/August chart.
Turn it so the horizon labeled “Facing
West” is right-side up. About halfway from
there to the center is the bright star
Arcturus. Go outside around one of the
dates and times listed, face west, and look
halfway from horizontal to straight up.
There’s Arcturus!
To the right of Arcturus, in the north-
west, is the Big Dipper. Turn the chart so
the “Facing NW” horizon edge is right-
side up. When you hold the chart correct-
ly, the Dipper’s handle stretches toward
the upper left and its bowl is at lower right
— just the way it looks in the northwest-
ern sky. Nearly overhead, as you crane
Northern Hemisphere Version
Among the Stars
your neck up, is the bright star Vega. It’s
part of the little constellation Lyra.
You’ll notice that east is left of north on
our charts, not to the right as on maps of
the Earth. This is because the charts are
used while looking up, not down.
Tips for Success
Find a dark viewing site and bring a dim
flashlight to read the map by. It’s best to
use red light, which helps preserve your
night vision.
When you start out, look only for the
brightest stars on the map, those depicted
with the biggest dots. Mentally blank out
the fainter ones if you are in a city or sub-
urb (or in bright moonlight); they will be
invisible or nearly so through the “light pol-
lution.” But wherever you are, remember
that there is a much bigger difference
between bright and faint stars in the sky
than is suggested on the chart.
Remember that the chart is a very
reduced representation of the real sky. To
see how reduced, hold your hand at arm’s
length with your fingers fully spread as
wide as you can. One of these “hand
spans” from thumbtip to little fingertip is
a little less than the length of the Big
Dipper. Compare this with the size of the
Dipper on the charts. You can work your
way around by remembering this rule:
One hand span in the sky is slightly less
than an inch on the chart. Pretty tiny!
The maps are drawn for an observer at
40° north latitude (for example, Denver,
New York, Madrid). If you’re far south of
there, stars in the southern part of the sky
will appear higher than the map shows,
and stars in the north will be lower. If
you’re far north of 40° latitude, the reverse
will be true.
The Moon and planets are not plotted
because they’re always changing position.
Find the line arcing across each chart
labeled “ECLIPTIC.” This is the line near
which the Sun, Moon, and planets always
travel. It’s called the ecliptic because it’s
where eclipses can occur.
If you see a bright “star” near the eclip-
tic that’s not on the map, you’ve located a
planet. To figure out which one it is, con-
sult the latest issue of Sky & Telescope or
visit SkyandTelescope.com and use our
Interactive Sky Chart.
Looking Deeper
Take the maps out often, and try to learn a
new constellation each night. You are
establishing the landmarks you’ll need for
finding your way when you start using
binoculars or a telescope.
Once you know at least some constella-
tions fairly well, you can start exploring
the sky a lot more deeply with optical aid.
For this you’ll need larger star charts that
show more close-up detail.
The maps here show stars as faint as
magnitude 4.5. This is about as faint as
you can see with the naked eye through
suburban light pollution. Also plotted are
some interesting objects for binoculars or
small telescopes: star clusters, nebulae, and
galaxies. When hunting for these faint
sights you’ll have an easier time if you use
larger charts that show stars to at least as
faint as magnitude 6. (Higher magnitude
numbers mean fainter stars.)
People who get serious about using a
telescope will want even more detailed sky
charts — ones that show stars as faint as
magnitude 8 or so. Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil
Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott is the set
most widely used. The latest edition shows
81,000 stars to magnitude 8.5 and 2,700
galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae.
Clear skies!
Greek Letters on Star Maps
The brightest stars in each constellation
are named with lowercase Greek letters. A
constellation’s most brilliant star is often
called Alpha, the first letter in the Greek
alphabet. The letters are used with the
Latin genitive form of the constellation
name, so the Alpha star of Centaurus is
called “Alpha Centauri.”
Here is the lowercase Greek alphabet as
used by astronomers:
α Alpha ι Iota ρ Rho
β Beta κ Kappa σ Sigma
γ Gamma λ Lambda τ Tau
δ Delta µ Mu υ Upsilon
ε Epsilon ν Nu φ Phi
ζ Zeta ξ Xi χ Chi
η Eta ο Omicron ψ Psi
θ Theta π Pi ω Omega
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Jan/Feb
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.

When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart

Early Jan. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Jan. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Feb. 8 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Feb. Dusk above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
The chart is also useful in early October at 5 zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
Facing Nor th
a.m.*, early November at 2 a.m., and early edge to the center can be found
December at midnight. in the sky about halfway
from horizontal to
*Daylight-saving time straight up.
DRA
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 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Mar/Apr
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.

When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart

Early Mar. 11 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Mar. 10 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Apr. 10 p.m.* direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Apr. Dusk above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
*Daylight-saving time zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the edge to
Facing Nor th the center can be found in the sky
The chart is also useful in early about halfway from hori-
December at 5 a.m., early δ
zontal to straight up.
µ
January at 3 a.m., and
early February at 1 A
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 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® May/Jun
SkyandTelescope.com Every issue of Sky & Telescope
Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early May 1 a.m.* Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late May Midnight* Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early June 11 p.m.* direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late June Dusk* above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
*Daylight-saving time zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
Facing Nor th edge to the center can be found in
The chart is also useful in early the sky about halfway from
February at dawn, early horizontal to straight
March at 4 a.m., and up.
early April at 3 α GA
RI β
a.m.*. Fa
γ
SIOP
CAS AU
D A L IS

W
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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Jul/Aug
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.

When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart

Early July Midnight* Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late July 11 p.m.* Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Aug. 10 p.m.* direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Aug. Dusk* above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
*Daylight-saving time zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
Facing Nor th edge to the center can be found
The chart is also useful in late April in the sky about halfway
at dawn, late May at 3 a.m.*, from horizontal to
and late June at 1 a.m.*. PE straight up.
RS α
EU ra
S me dian C A M E LO
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Pe teors P A R D A LI
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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Sep/Oct
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.

When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart

Early Sept. 11 p.m.* Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Sept. 10 p.m.* Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Oct. 9 p.m.* direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Oct. Dusk* above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
*Daylight-saving time zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
Facing Nor th edge to the center can be found
The chart is also useful in late June at in the sky about halfway
dawn, late July at 2 a.m.*, and JO
R from horizontal to
MA SA
late August at midnight*. β
UR straight up.
β
A
Fa U
R γ
IG α W
ci A α M81 N
ng g
M82
n
E
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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Nov/Dec
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Northern Hemisphere for latitude 40° N.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.

When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart

Early Nov. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Nov. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Dec. 8 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Dec. 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
The chart is also useful in early August at zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
dawn, early September at 3 a.m.*, and early Facin g North
edge to the center can be found
October at 1 a.m.*. γ ε
ζ
in the sky about halfway
&
Mi Alco
za r
r from horizontal to
Di
β
pp
Bi er
g
straight up.
M
A
UR JO
SAR
Fa α W
ci S N
ng E ng
N L
U ci
E M8
1 β O C Fa
M8 AC R
2 DR E
H
Y
L M IN O R
N URSA D i p p ee
r
X Littl
γ
Polaris
Poll

ga
Ca

α
u

Ve
sto
x

CA
β

ME
α

LO US E
PA PH
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RD CE

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7
MI

LY

M5
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α
NI

Cap

S
CASSIOPEIA µ

ireo
ella

NU
α

Alb
γ
AU

γ
M37

Cluster δ
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β
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Double
M36

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RIG

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α

α
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MONOC EROS
Facing East

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AQU ILA
ANDROMEDA
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DE LP HI NU
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β
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S n
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PHOENIX
Di ar
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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 ®
Exploring the Moon
SkyandTelescope.com

The Moon is by far the most rewarding ce-
lestial object for a small telescope. Even a
very small instrument will reveal its bleak,
blasted landscape of mountain ranges,
plains, hills, valleys, and craters. Even
binoculars show many features, and there
are enough interesting sites on the Moon to
keep a telescopic explorer busy forever.
You’ll notice right away that except
when the Moon is full, it is divided
by the terminator, the line sep-
arating lunar day and
night. Here is where
detail shows best.
When the Moon
S
(growing) crescent, we see the parts on the Refractors and Cassegrain reflectors give
right edge of the map. At first-quarter phase mirror images when used with a star diago-
we see the entire right half, and so on. nal; so does any other instrument contain-
To use this lunar map, turn the chart ing an odd number of mirrors. If you find
until it matches your view. Note: Some tele- this to be a problem, take out the star diag-
scopes give a mirror image, which will not onal and view “straight through.” A correct
match this map no matter how you turn it. image is much easier to compare with any
map.
Once the map is oriented, it will be
simple to identify the major craters,
mountains, and other features.
In time, the geography of
MARE
FRIGORIS this alien world will
Aristoteles become as familiar
Plato
to you as that of

PS Atlas
U
IS

is a waxing AL S our own.

IN

SINUS Hercules
R

MT
S
O

IRIDUM Pico
R

LA
SOM CUS
NIO
MARE Piton S RUM
SU
U CA
CA T S
M
IMBRIUM
MARE
Archimedes
S E R E N I TAT I S
SS
TT

MARE
MM
EE

Aristarchus
IINN

CRISIUM

P
NN

A M
NN

L N
O
EE

U I
PP

S
OCEANUS Eratosthenes MARE
AA

MARE Plinius UNDARUM

SINUS VA P O R U M MARE
AESTUUM MARE
T R A N Q U I L L I TAT I S SPUMANS
Copernicus
Kepler

MARE
SINUS
MEDII FECUNDITATIS
PROCELLARUM
Grimaldi
Langrenus
Theophilus
Ptolemaeus
Cyrillus MARE
Alphonsus N E C TA R I S
Gassendi

MARE Arzachel
Fracastorius
MARE NUBIUM
HUMORUM
ry
ey
ita

ato
v
Va l

er
l
Rhe

bs
O
ick
/L
O

Maurolycus
UC

Tycho

Longomontanus

Clavius

 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.