Young Astronomer Interest

[orestis]

hi everyone,

i'm 14yrs old and am very interested in science especially the astronomical side of it thats why i'm an amatuer astronomer.

What i want to find out is in what kinds of ways can i contribute to science by doing visual observing with my 5'' reflector and i'm in the market for a 10'' dob so hopefully that helps.

I've heard about variable star observing but i'm a bit scared of the fact at trying to get the mags visually and i have limited equipment basically just my scope and eyepieces.i love sketching what i see at the ep so anything including sketching i will love.

I'm currently reading lots about astronomical topics trying to expand my knowledge but i thought maybe i could do some practical work too, to help me out.

thanks in advance
Orestis

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Hi Orestis, you might like to join in on this conversation.

Variable Star Observing- What's Involved?

[Rob_K]

Hi Orestis! I reckon you'll take to variable star observing like a duck to water! We've all seen your sketches - that's exactly the sort of thing that provides an excellent lead-in to visual observations, because your eye has learned to discriminate subtle differences in brightness.

Check Suzy's thread for lots of good links. AAVSO is the best starting point.

Cheers -

[renormalised (Carl)]

One of the best pieces of equipment you can use for keeping an eye on variable stars is a good pair of binoculars and/or a short focal length scope...like a small refractor. You use the binos to get a good look at a wide field and then zero in on the star with the scope. But even the brighter variables are quite amenable to observing with binos. Once you get a good eye in on discriminating the brightness differences in stars, you can then track any changes in brightness for many variables.

Ultimately though, you'll want a good scope with an EQ mount so you keep track of your star and a photometer to measure any brightness variations. Quite a few variables can only be measured using sensitive equipment because their variations are so small and/or rapid. You'll also have the added benefit of being able to track transiting exoplanets as well, with the right gear.

[higginsdj]

You might want to consider stellar/lunar occultation work. You need an accurate means for determining the time though ie you need access to an accurate time service or GPS based PPS source.

[orestis]

Thanks guys for the suggestions.
Can't wait to see what sort of obs i can make.

orestis