[SOUTHERN 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

®
Your First Steps
SkyandTelescope.com in Astronomy
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU can see a galaxy
21⁄2 million light-years away with your
unaided eye? Or that you can see craters
on the Moon with ordinary binoculars?
These and countless other wonders await
your gaze every clear night. The first step
is simply to look up and ask, “What’s
that?” And when you do, you’ll take the
first step toward a lifetime of cosmic
exploration and enjoyment. What’s the
best way to get started on this exciting
adventure?
Read It and Reap
The joy of astronomy comes from finding
your way around the starry sky and
understanding what you see. A great place
to start is your local library or bookstore.
Browse the astronomy shelf for beginner’s
guides that will teach you about the
Moon, planets, and constellations. Check
the magazine rack for Sky & Telescope, the
hobby’s essential monthly magazine. It
offers practical tips for observers as well as
articles on many fascinating astronomical
topics.
Another great resource is the World
Wide Web. Start at Sky & Telescope’s site,
SkyandTelescope.com, or you can use any
search utility to look up topics such as
“amateur astronomy” or “stargazing.”
Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
Go out on any clear, dark night and famil-
iarize yourself with the star patterns over-
head, using the constellation maps on the
following pages.
If you live in a brightly lit city or town,
find a place where there’s less light pollu-
tion (or at least a spot free from the glare
of nearby lights) so you can see more
stars. The ability to look up and say,
“There’s Alpha Centauri!” or “That’s
Saturn!” will provide pleasure — and a
sense of your place in the cosmos — for
the rest of your life.
Start with Binoculars
Binoculars are an ideal “first telescope”
for several reasons. They show you a wide
field of view, making it easy to find your
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
way around the sky. They also give you a
view that’s right side up and straight in
front of you, making it easy to see where
you’re pointing. Binoculars are fairly inex-
pensive, widely available, and easy to carry
and store. They’re also versatile; you can
switch from terrestrial to celestial viewing
in an instant. And their performance is
surprisingly respectable. Ordinary 7- to 10-
power binoculars improve on the unaided
eye about as much as a good amateur tele-
scope improves on binoculars — and at a
far lower cost. For astronomy, the larger
the front lenses are, the better. High optical
quality is important too. But any binocu-
lars already knocking around the back of
your closet are enough to launch your
amateur-astronomy career.
Use Maps and Guidebooks
Once you’ve learned your way around the
night sky, binoculars can keep you busy
for years. With good maps and reference
books, you can identify dozens of the
Moon’s craters, plains, and mountains.
Binoculars will show you the ever-chang-
ing positions of Jupiter’s moons and the
crescent phases of Venus. They’ll also
reveal most of the 109 “M objects,” the star
clusters, galaxies, and nebulae cataloged by
18th-century astronomer Charles Messier.
Binoculars will let you split scores of col-
orful double stars and allow you to follow
the fadings and brightenings of numerous
variable stars. All this and more is possible
— but only if you know where to look and
what to look for. Moreover, the skills you’ll
develop using maps and guidebooks with
binoculars are exactly the skills you’ll need
to put a telescope to good use.
Seek Out Other Amateurs
There’s nothing like sharing an interest with
others. There are hundreds of astronomy
clubs worldwide; Sky & Telescope’s Web site
includes a directory of them. Call a club
near you to find out when it holds meetings
or all-night observing sessions called “star
parties.” These events offer a wonderful
opportunity to try out different telescopes,
learn new skills, and make friends.
Southern Hemisphere Version
Astronomy doesn’t deserve
its reputation as a tough,
expensive hobby to get
into. You just need
to begin with the right
advice.
When It’s Time for a Telescope,
Plunge in Deep
Eventually you’ll be ready for your first tele-
scope. This is no time to skimp on quality.
The telescope you want has two essentials.
One is high-quality, “diffraction-limited”
optics. The other is a solid, steady, smooth-
ly working mount. You may also want large
aperture (size), but don’t lose sight of port-
ability and convenience. Remember, the
best telescope for you is the one you’ll actu-
ally use.
Many telescopes have built-in comput-
ers and motors that will point them to any
of thousands of celestial objects at the
push of a few buttons. These are a lot of
fun to use and can help you locate sights
you might otherwise overlook. But it’s still
helpful to know your way around the sky
— especially if your batteries run out!
It’s true that telescopes can cost many
thousands of dollars, but it’s also true that
some good ones can be had for only a few
hundred dollars. Can’t afford the scope
you want? Save up until you can. Another
year of using binoculars while building a
savings account will be time you’ll never
regret.
Relax and Have Fun
Don’t get upset if you can’t find a particu-
lar object or because the view in your tele-
scope is less than perfect. Learn to take
pleasure in whatever your eyes, binoculars,
or telescope can show you. The more you
look, the more you’ll see. Set your own
pace, and revel in the beauty and mystery
of our amazing universe!

®
Finding Your Way
SkyandTelescope.com
Among the Stars
Here’s how to use our bimonthly
star charts to identify your
evening stars and constellations.
CAN YOU SPOT THE SOUTHERN CROSS? Orion?
The Large Magellanic Cloud? Your explo-
ration 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 skywatch-
ers in midsouthern latitudes such as Aus-
tralia, southern Africa, and parts of South
America. 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 zen-
tih). 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 May/June chart. Turn
it so the horizon labeled “Facing SW”
(southwest) is right-side up. About a third
of the way from there to the center is the
bright star Canopus. Go outside around
one of the dates and times listed, face
southwest, and look a third of the way from
horizontal to straight up. There’s Canopus!
To the left of Canopus is the fuzzy Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of our Milky
Way’s satellite galaxies. Still farther left, al-
most due south, is the Small Magellanic
Cloud (SMC). Turn the chart so the “Facing
South” horizon edge is right-side up. When
you hold the chart correctly, the SMC is di-
rectly in front of you and not very high up,
Southern Hemisphere Version
and the LMC is to the right and a little high-
er — just the way they look in the southern
and southwestern sky. Nearly overhead, as
you crane your neck up, are the bright stars
Alpha (α) and Beta (β) Centauri, with the
little constellation Crux — the Southern
Cross — to their right.
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 suburb (or
in bright moonlight); they will be invisible or
nearly so through the “light pollution.” 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 about
the separation between the LMC and SMC.
Compare this with the gap between them
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 35°
south latitude (for example, Sydney, Cape
Town, Santiago). If you’re far south of there,
stars in the southern part of the sky will ap-
pear higher than the map shows, and stars in
the north will be lower. If you’re far north of
35° 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 ecliptic
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 estab-
lishing the landmarks you’ll need for find-
ing your way when you start using binocu-
lars 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 subur-
ban light pollution. Also plotted are some
interesting objects for binoculars or small
telescopes: star clusters, nebulae, and galax-
ies. 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 tel-
escope 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 con-
stellation’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 w Omega
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Jan/Feb
SkyandTelescope.com Every issue of Sky & Telescope
Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.

magazine contains a full-color

star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Jan. 11 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Jan. 10 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Feb. 9 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Feb. 8 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in late October at dawn, late Facing North edge to the center can be found in
November at 3 a.m., and late the sky about halfway
December at 1 a.m. Capella α from horizontal to
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 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Mar/Apr
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Mar. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Mar. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Apr. 8 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Apr. 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early December at dawn, early Facing Nor th edge to the center can be found in
January at 2 a.m., and early the sky about halfway
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straight up.
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 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® May/Jun
SkyandTelescope.com
Every issue of Sky & Telescope Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.
magazine contains a full-color
star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early May 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late May 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early June 8 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late June 7 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early February at dawn, early Facing North edge to the center can be found in
March at 2 a.m., and early April at the sky about halfway
midnight. M51 from horizontal to
straight up.
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 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Jul/Aug
SkyandTelescope.com Every issue of Sky & Telescope
Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.

magazine contains a full-color

star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early July 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late July 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Aug. 8 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Aug. 7 p.m. above this
g horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in late April at 3 a.m., late May at 1 Facing North edge to the center can be found in
a.m., and late June at 11 p.m. the sky about halfway
from horizontal to
straight up.

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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Sep/Oct
SkyandTelescope.com Every issue of Sky & Telescope
Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.

magazine contains a full-color

star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Sept. 10 p.m. Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Sept. 9 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Oct. 8 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
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early June at 4 a.m., early July at Facing North edge to the center can be found in
2 a.m., and early August at mid- the sky about halfway
night. from horizontal to
Deneb
α CYGNUS
straight up.
LAC
ERT
A
γ a
Fa Veg
α

W
ci M29
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g n
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E
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α
α
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(C A P
M17
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Facing West
Facing East

M30
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η
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β

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Facing South
 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
 Evening Stars in

® Nov/Dec
SkyandTelescope.com Every issue of Sky & Telescope
Southern Hemisphere for latitude 35° S.

magazine contains a full-color

star chart for the current month.
When to Use This Chart How to Use This Chart
Early Nov. Midnight Go out within an hour or so of the time listed at left.
Late Nov. 11 p.m. Turn the chart around so the edge marked with the
Early Dec. 10 p.m. direction you’re facing is right-reading. The stars
Late Dec. 9 p.m. above this horizon on the map now match the stars
in front of you. The map’s center is overhead (the
These are standard times. The chart is also zenith). So a star plotted halfway from the
useful in early August at dawn, early Facin g Norht edge to the center can be found in
September at 4 a.m., and early α the sky about halfway
October at 2 a.m. α from horizontal to
Ca
pe
lla
S
PERSEU
straight up.

γ
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Kid M3
AU s
RIG β
A DA
ME
Fa

M3 W
8
RO N
ci

β
M3 ND ng
ng

6 M A
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M
37 Fa
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β
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M es
35 α
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S
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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 divid-
ed by the terminator, the line
separating lunar day and
night. Here is where
detail shows best.
Plato
When the
S
waxing (growing) crescent, we see the parts
on the right edge of the map. At first-quarter
phase we see the entire right half, and so on.
To use this lunar map, turn the chart
until it matches your view. Note: Some tele-
scopes give a mirror image, which will not
match this map no matter how you turn it.
MARE
FRIGORIS
Aristoteles
Refractors and Cassegrain reflectors give
mirror images when used with a star diago-
nal; so does any other instrument contain-
ing an odd number of mirrors. If you find
this to be a problem, take out the star diag-
onal and view “straight through.” A correct
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
this alien world will be-
come as familiar to
you as that of

PS Atlas
U
IS

AL S
IN

Moon is a SINUS Hercules our own.

R

MT
S
O

IRIDUM Pico
R

LA
SOM CUS
NIO
MARE Piton US RUM
AS
UC
CA MTS
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
ley
ita

ato
v
er
l

bs
Rhe
a

O
V

ick
/L
O

Maurolycus
UC

Tycho

Longomontanus

Clavius

 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.