Backyard Stargazer for October 2016
By Francis Parnell
For October let’s take a look at a few highlights in the sky; then, let’s talk telescopes for Christmas.
Francis Parnell, the Backyard Stargazer of Darlington
At dusk on the 5th, the waxing crescent Moon can be spotted about 6-degrees to the right of yellow Saturn in the southwest. Spot twinkling Red Antares, the Scorpion’s heart, 6-degrees below Saturn.
On the 7th, the first-quarter Moon is about 8-degrees to the far upper right of Red Mars, then about 8-degrees to the upper left of it on the night of the 8th.
Look southwest at dusk on the 26th to find Saturn approximately 5-degrees to the upper left of bright, white Venus.
Again looking southwest on the 27th, Saturn, Venus, and Antares are fairly close together. They form a vertical line 7-degrees tall with yellow Saturn at the top, Antares at the bottom, and brilliant Venus in the middle. Binoculars will give a really nice view.
From time to time someone will ask, “What do I look for when buying a telescope?” I always tell them that if you’re not familiar with the stars and constellations it’s best to get some star charts and binoculars – learn your way around the night sky first! You can print out star charts at both Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazine websites. But with Christmas coming, here’s some advice on what to look for along with the websites of three companies that sell quality telescopes.
• First: Don’t go into a store that sells telescopes and believe the hype on the box that claims, “see Saturn’s rings at 450 power!” Usually these are cheap 60-millimeter (2.4 inch diameter lens) imports with a shaky tripod that never lets you view a steady image at medium to high powers. Fact is, magnification isn’t the most important thing in a telescope; it’s the diameter of the lens or mirror. The larger the lens or mirror, the more light gathering power it has and the brighter the image will be, which allows more magnification.
• Second: Visit the Francis Marion University Planetarium or FMU and ScienceSouth public viewing sessions. Check out some quality telescopes in action. Talk to the astronomers; they’ll be glad to answer your questions about telescopes.
• Third: If you decide to purchase a telescope for you or the family, be sure to get one that you will use and enjoy! Too many people buy a large, heavy telescope and use it a few times, only to have it end up in a closet gathering dust.
Check out Orion Telescopes at telescope.com then click on “How To Choose A Beginners Telescope”, Meade Telescopes at meade.com then click on “Step into the blue”, or Celestron Telescopes at celestron.com.
Francis Parnell of Darlington has been an amateur astronomer for over 46 years, and was on the staff and helped out at the Francis Marion University Observatory from 1982 until 2006 by showing visitors “what’s out there.” With the help of a friend, Mr. Ernest Lowry, he built his own telescope in 1986. And, because of light pollution, for the last 31 years he has been advocating for the advantages of using fully-shielded lighting at night.