Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralTraveller
Back in 'the day' ie before computers I used to recommend starting with a planisphere, a Norton's Star Atlas (or something similar - a few broad-scale charts that each cover a fair area of sky) and the naked eye. These days you might substitute suitable software on a lappy or tablet, provided it has a night-vision mode. Then start by learning some basic constellations, the first step in finding DSOs. You can do this when you are short of time, it's a bit cloudy or there is too much moon - any time putting up the scope is too much effort. So, at the moment you will find the southern cross (Crux) high in the south early in the evening. From here you can find Centaurus, Carina, Musca and even Corvus. Low in the east you should be able to identify Scorpio and from this you will find Sagittarius and Ophiuchius. If you master that you won't have to waste an hour with the scope set up just to work out what basic part of the sky you're looking at.  |
What he said :-)
My balcony has a view that spans from about NW all the way to SSE. But I can only see up to about 60 degrees altitude fr most of it. This is actually pretty perfect, in the course of a year, I get to see everything, but am forced at any one time to concentrate on one set of constellations. Right now I am exploring the wonders of Scorpio and Sagittarius (old friends), Lupus which is less famous but full of lesser-known wonders, and some more traditionally "northern" constellations like Bootes, Hercules and Coma Berenices and seeing some Messier objects that we don't see for very long down here.
My point is this: once you have got to know the broad sweep of sky, spend some time just in one small part.
Spending the whole night exploring star clusters and double stars in Crux (the Southern Cross) is a great way to start. It's a small but wonderful constellation and when you realise how much there is packed into a small space of sky you can get a real sense of satisfaction out of how you spent your time.