A Beginner's Guide to Astronomy



Astronomy is both a science and a hobby and it's a subject that is accessible to almost everyone. Indeed, humans have gazed at the night sky with a sense of wonder and fascination for millennia and the starry skies have inspired poetry and philosophy as well as science and exploration. It's a hobby the whole family can enjoy and anyone can join millions of others who enjoy this subject just by stepping outside on a cloudless night and looking up at the sky.

You don't even need a telescope to start enjoying astronomy. You can pick out major constellations, the moon, and several planets using the naked eye or with a pair of binoculars that you might already possess for other purposes. However, part of the fun of astronomy is the use of the telescopes and they vary from simple designs that cost less than £100 to complex pieces of equipment that cost thousands.

The best way to start your exploration of the cosmos is to pick an evening when the weather is calm and the sky is clear of clouds. You can start simply by looking out of your window or by standing in your garden, but the more sky you can see the more scope you have for exploration, so if you can go to anywhere that is open land then so much the better. Also, being out in the country and away from street lights will reduce the amount of light pollution that so hinders the amateur astronomer.

Take a star chart or a beginner's guide to astronomy book. You can download and print start charts from many astronomy websites and your local library will probably stock many such books. Of course you could simply buy your own book and start your astronomy library. Over time it's likely to grow into quite a collection.

Make sure you're dressed appropriately and that you are warm and comfortable. Some of the clearest nights for star gazing in Europe for example are during the winter. The air is much clearer and the visibility is so much better as a consequence. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and if you do take a torch in order to refer to a book or star chart then use a dim setting so that the light from the touch doesn't spoil your night time vision. If you're fortunate enough to live in a remote part of the countryside, near a desert or up a mountain then you have a distinct advantage over town dwelling astronomers!

If you're budget does stretch to some equipment then the two basics are; a pair of binoculars and a telescope. The binoculars can be used for a quick check of an intended target area of the sky before you change the position of your telescope. Your first telescope might be one made by companies like Celestron, Meade, Skywatcher, or Orion. All these companies are recognized experts in their field and provide a range of telescopes for both amateur astronomers and professional star gazers.

When you start searching for a suitable telescope you'll probably come across references to refractor telescopes and reflector telescopes. To learn about the differences between these two types and more information, astronomy guides, and telescope reviews visit the two sites listed below.

What is Astronomy?

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects. That appear outside of Earth's atmosphere. These include: Planets, Stars, Comets and Galaxies.

Astronomy is one of the few jobs, that are nearly 4000 years old. Almost all Astronomers are also Astrophysicists. All professional Astronomers are both. The most important cahracteristic for a person who wishes to become an Astronomer is a powerful spirit of inquiry.

A really important discovery in Astronomy was when Astronomers discovered that all Stars circle a specific point in the sky. Known as the celestial point. On a normal, and clear night you can see 3000 different stars.

Ancients made a lot of important and valuable discoveries related to the Universe. But they also had their fair share of misunderstandings. The Ancients noted that positions of the Sun, Moon, and Planets change from night to night. Which is correct. But their biggest misunderstanding was thinking that the Moon, Sun, and other Planets orbit a motionless Earth. Religious teachings heavily supported this theory until the late 1600s.

There are a lot of important Astronomical studies. Here's a list of them: Optical Astronomy, X-ray Astronomy, Gamma-ray Astronomy, Ultraviolet Astronomy, Infrared Astronomy, Radio Astronomy, Cosmic-ray Astronomy, Gravitational Astronomy, and Neutrino Astronomy. In total there are 10 different types of Astronomy, including normal Astronomy.

Many people believe that Astronomers get payed a lot of money. However, this is not true.

Discoveries related to the Universe have been made since Human existence. And they'll be continued to be made until Humans walk the Earth.

The Ultimate Fate of the Universe

The Ultimate Fate Of The Universe is a highly discussed topic in Cosmology. The Ultimate Fate Of The Universe is various theories on what will happen to the Universe in trillions of years. Or as some call it, "the end of the Universe". The Ultimate Fate Of The Universe is also a major theme in Science Fiction.

There are six main theories predicting the fate of the Universe. The Big Freeze or Heat Death, Big Rip, Big Crunch, Big Bounce, Multiverse, and False Vacuum. Each one is different than the other, and is backed up by scientific evidence. So it's really hard to actually decide which one is the most accurate.

Most scientists and astronomers think that The Big Freeze is the most likely one to happen. The Big Freeze theory states that all stars in the Universe will seize to exist. So the Universe will become far to cold to sustain any life at all. So the Universe will be engulfed in a Galactic freeze. This theory is the one that most scientists and astronomers think will occur because if it's strong facts.

Dyson's eternal intelligence states that even under the most harsh conditions in the Universe. A really advanced civilization could still survive. If they only use the amount of Energy that they have to use. But no more. It also states that the civilization would need to hibernate for a longer period of time, and have less activity.

Keep in mind that all these are just theories, anything can actually happen. Only time will tell.

Idea of the Reflecting Telescope

Having telescope will become one of the best things in your life, especially if you own the reflecting telescope. It is the unbelievable thing that will amazingly enable you to see the stars and even planets intimately, and all the things will be the same as the fancy world. There is no limit for people to unravel about the hidden fact of the universe, and it is one of the steps to do that. By using the telescope, space seems to be close to you, but you need to understand about the proper way and places to purchase that one.

Purchasing the Right One

The first thing you have to know before eventually buying the reflecting telescope is recognizing the fact that there are lots of types of telescope obtainable on the market. And every telescope comes up with its own good sides and downsides. One of the instances is the Newtonian reflector telescope. Additionally, you can select the other kinds as well.

It means that the word "best" is really relative, and cannot be generalized for all people. There are three types of telescopes offered for beginners: the Newtonians, achromatic refractors, and the Dobsonians. If you are the beginner, the most common first scope like a 70mm or 80mm achromatic refractors will be the great selection to get you started. What about the Newtonian telescopes?

The next consideration you need to have in buying the reflecting telescope is accessories. In this matter, please ensure that you get the right ones, and there are quite a few selections that you can pick one of them. The different focal lengths of eyepieces will help you by providing different magnifications of reflecting telescope.

There will be no benefits of having reflecting telescope that completed with great technology if you cannot use that tool rightfully. The only reason is that because it needs much money, and will be the expensive investment. It will be silly of damaging the telescope because of your inability to know how to use it, right?

How to Find a Telescope Shop

Buying a telescope is one of the best things you can do. A telescope allows you to navigate the heavens. It is a good idea to check out a telescope shop, the question is how do you find them? This article is aimed to help you discover that.

Summary of contents:
* Why Buy A Telescope From A Telescope Store?
* Finding A Telescope Shop
* Great Tips To Buying An Astronomical Telescope

* Why Buy A Telescope From A Telescope Store?
There are several benefits to buying a telescope from a telescope shop. The biggest benefit is that you get to see all the different telescopes available. This is not as good when it is done online, as you only have a picture to go by.

Buying from a telescope shop also has the benefit that you can ask a sales representative about astronomy, and which scientific instrument will be serve you. There are many different types, so having an idea of what you want can help. Looking online, there is much information to help, however, a salesperson maybe able to give a unique perspective, as many of them are interested in astronomy.

* Finding A Telescope Shop
Telescopes are not as popular as groceries! This makes finding these stores a difficult task. It is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

There are still many stores dotted around the world. If you are willing to travel, you can go and find a telescope store. The difference is that it depends if you are willing to make the travel.

There are several ways to find these telescope shops. Here is a summary, and we will look at them in more detail:
* Yellow Pages
* Newspapers & Classifieds
* Magazines
* Online

* Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages is one of the first places that it is wise to look into to find telescope stores. The best sections to check are Binoculars & Telescopes section or Photographic Equipment. Depending on the amount of stores within the area covered there may be some details there.

* Newspapers & Classifieds
Another great way to find telescopes is to look through newspapers and classifieds. In most cases these adverts will be for used models, however, if you are looking for a bargain, this is the best route for success.

* Magazines
There are a few dedicated magazines that deal with astronomy. Magazines such as Sky & Telescope have many details for stores. Though this is a US based magazine, there are others that deal directly for the country you reside in - in most cases.

* Online
Buying online is great; the only problem is that you can't see the telescope. The truth is that researching online can help you find a local store.

* Great Tips To Buying An Astronomical Telescope
Make sure you look online. Though buying through a store is great, the truth is that great savings can be made online. There is also the benefit that you can find a bigger range.

Make sure that you have adequate space for the telescope. They take up more room than what would seem apparent, considering that they need space to move around.

Gigantic Bubbles Boiling on Surface of Betelgeuse


Giant star Betelgeuse shed the equivalent mass of the Earth every year but how do it does is not properly understood. Using state of the art imaging techniques, astronomers have revealed a vast plume of gas and gigantic bubbles boiling on the surface of star Betelgeuse. The new technique will provide clues to how they shed the mass?


The images show that the whole outer shell of the star is not shedding material evenly in all directions, which may be due to either large scale gas motions caused by heating, or because of the star's rotation. Betelgeuse's atmosphere is bouncing vigorously up and down in bubbles that are as large as the supergiant star itself, and could be responsible for the ejection of the massive plume into space.


Betelgeuse is the nearest star to Earth.

The Big Bang

The Big Bang is the most widely accepted theory on how the Universe was created. Many years ago, a lot of astronomers thought that the Universe had no beginning or end. They believed it was infinite. But This theory proved that the Universe had a beginning and it isn't infinite.

This huge explosion happened about 15 billion years ago. The minute this huge explosion occured , the Universe started heavily expanding. Even to this day. During the time of this event, all the matter and energy in the Universe was contained in one point. As of now, scientists and astronomers don't know what existed, prior to the Big Bang. Many people just describe this as "nothing". It's often questioned, what was this "nothing". But obviously, no one actually knows what there was.

Ever this has happened, the Universe has been expanding constantly. The main person behind the idea of this theory is Edwin Hubble. He's highly credited for making the observation of the Universe expanding. Since the Universe is always expanding, the distance between galaxies is always increasing. Which means, that there was a time when all the galaxies were tightly packed together into a single point. And the distance between them gradually increased.

Although, This is the most widely accepted theory on how the Universe was created. There are still many people that don't believe in The Big Bang. There are various other theories out there, that explain how the Universe was created. But again, this one is the most widely accepted.