Hello

[Moonraker]

Hello there everyone,

Just thought i would introduce myself, My name is matt and Iam very new to the world of Astronomy. Ive currently got a Tasco Luminova 114MM Reflector Telescope and was surfing for people in Australia who could help me get started and let me know what would be good to see this time of year when i came across this web site.Can anyone recommend any good books that might help me? Iam currently reading a book at the moment which seems to be quite good as it has lots of usefull hints for people getting started in Astronomy, its called The Night Sky by Steve Massey.
Anyway have to go now,looking forward to chating to you all soon.

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum

the best beginners book that I know of is, unfortunately

-written mainly for Northern Hemisphere observers (so all the maps and directions are upside down)

-not easily available in Australia (I had to buy it from Amazon). A copy was available in my local library though, so you never know-check there first


if you are willing to live with these problems it is a great book and I cannot recommend it highly enough

It is called

Turn Left at Orion
by Guy J. Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis

Another book that I have heard highly recommended is :

Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
by Terence Dickinson

again same issues-mainly written for Northern hemisphere observers I think..I havent used this one myself.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Welcome Matt.

What sort of things are you interested in looking at?

If you are new and want to start learning your way around the sky then a Starwheel is a good start. It will help you find and identify many constellations, is cheap and simple to use.

I started out with "The Southern Sky Guide" by David Ellyard & Wil Tirion. I found it to be a good all round starters book. I know it is available at many bookshops. Not only does it explain in fairly basic lingo the hobby you are about to start on, it contains simple but accurate star charts along with many reachable (with your size scope) Deep Sky Objects.

Its not the only good book by a long shot and I am sure everyone here has their favourite.

Hope this helps you get started.

Clear skies
Paul

[Moonraker]

Thanks for your help seeker372011 and paul.

[Vermin (Tom)]

Hi Matt, and welcome (I'm new here too).

Whilst not necessarily a beginners book, Hartungs Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes (Cambridge University Press) is a very comprehensive reference organised by constellation.

Once you know what constellations are visible (using any of the excellent resources listed in the previous posts) on any given date you can look up that section and get descriptions of a wide variety of objects.

The selection usually includes objects suitable for viewing in scopes down to 70mm aperture as well as much larger ones.

I find it indispensable for planning a night out.

Some planetarium software that is very easy to drive is CyberSky (http://www.cybersky.com/) the evaluation version has a limited number of objects but is still very useful for finding the planets and brighter deep sky objects.

V.

[Mick (Michael)]

Hello Matt.

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi Matt, to the forum! How did you find out about us? (sorry, just doing some market research )

"Astronomy 2005" is an excellent almanac with details about what's happening in the sky each month in 2005.. some of the info is pretty advanced, but there's some nice simply sky charts there too which can be as a simple as "look north on the 8th january and look for the comet maccholz next to the pleaides". It's only $20 or so depending on where you buy, so I reckon it's a very good resource and it's like the bible for southerners.

There's also a tonne of websites with info for new people into astronomy, go searching and you'll find a wealth of information.

And then of course there's here.. the IceInSpace forums.. just post your questions and there's a line of people here willing to help you with an answer. Don't feel that any question is too simple or basic.. we're here to help, and astronomy can be a steep learning curve, so take any chance you get to receive a helping hand, it simply means you'll learn quicker and get to the good stuff quicker!

Is that Tasco on an EQ mount or is it Alt-az? I've seen quite a few of them about, it should give some good views for you of the planets and moon and brighter DSO's.

You should also look at buying a reasonable pair of binoculars, something like 7x50, 10x50 or higher. They are great for people starting out in skygazing, and can be handy for terrestrial use too of course!

Anyway hope to see you back here some more!

[ving (David)]

hi matt, welcome to the forum....

that book you are reading isnt too bad hey. I've read it too. It's got some good info on planets and what you can expect to see.

I'd recommend a good sky chart of some sort, wheather it be print or electronic it doesnt matter really but it'll come in real handy for findig constellations and such. also visit you local library and borrow some books with charts that show some of the more interesting objects in the sky.

clear skies to you sir!

[iceman (Mike)]

also visit you local library

Recommended by the librarian!

Just be careful visiting libraries around southern nsw.

[rumples riot]

Hi there Matt, welcome to our community. I find that magazines are also good reading, there are at least four regular publications in Australia and they have all sorts of infomation including Star charts. They tend to cater for all levels of knowledge and are a entry point into this great hobby.

The main thing with this hobby is to not only read, but get familiarized with the night sky. So star charts in magazines will help in this regard. Which will lead you onto more advanced reading. Practice getting out and recognising the stars, There are many sites to see, some faint, some bright and some not visible in your current scope.

I am sure you can learn lots of things here also. All you need to do is ask the question and I am sure there will be many responses.

Best of Luck with you new journey

Paul

[Moonraker]

WOW, what a responce!. thanks everyone for all the usefull help,
Can tell Iam going to like it here.

Iceman in responce to your questions, I found a link to this site at the Universe Today web site. The telsco I have has a EQ mount which Iam told is quite good once you know how to use it.

Again thankyou for all your assistance and look forward to chating to you all in the forums.

[Dave47tuc (David)]

Welcome Matt,

I'm with Mike, get the 2005 Astronomy almanac. This will be a great place to start.

Learn your sky without a telescope as much as you can first.
This will help you so much later on. As Paul has said.

Best.

[Striker (Tony)]

OMG I did something right....I went out and bought Astronomy 2005 and thats before I saw these posts.......too bad I cant understand a word it says......lol.....

Honestly those charts look like connect the dots to me....I need to study.....

Oh sorry..Hi matt.....lol

[DougAdams]

Hi Moonraker (the first Bond movie I saw at a cinema...tender age of 13!).

The best starter books I've seen are:

"Turn Left at Orion" by Consolmagno and Davis
"A Walk Through The Southern Sky" by Heifetz and Tirion.

The first book is great - teaches you about telescopes, observing techniques, and how to find around a hundred objects. A great starters book.

The second book is excellent in teaching you how to locate the southern constellations, along with tips in how to measure angular distances with your hands, etc.

As you get more into it, these three books I find really good - I even read them for pleasure!

"Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes" by Malin & Frew
"The Messier Objects" by O'Meara
"The Caldwell Objects" by O'Meara

These are more targetted at the faint fuzzy stuff, but again great to read - gives you tips on what to look for in these objects.

I think I picked all of these books up at Technical Bookshop in Swanston Street Melbourne at one time or another.

[Striker (Tony)]

"Turn Left at Orion" by Consolmagno and Davis

Ok I might have to check this one out.....but what would happen if accidently turn right at Orion....being everything seems back the front and upside down......hehe

[ving (David)]

Originally posted by iceman
Recommended by the librarian!

Just be careful visiting libraries around southern nsw.

oh, laugh it up fuzz ball

[iceman (Mike)]

haha I was wondering when you'd find that post.. took a while

[ving (David)]

i only just got to work!