BASICS ASTRONOMY 1

Martin Crow

Getting started

Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society

www.cmhas.wikispaces.com

Aims and goals of the course

An introduction to the basics of how to observe the night sky.

How to use binoculars and telescopes.

How to find things in the sky.

The essentials of how to begin the study of astronomy.

Definition of Astronomy

Astronomy is pretty much the study of everything physical in the universe.

Basic glossary of termsStars: Shines by its own light. Our Sun is a star.

Planets: An object that is only seen through reflected light.

Solar Systems: A star and its retinue of planets.Galaxies: A system of stars. The Milky Way is our Galaxy.Universe: Everything that we can see.

Asteroids: Rocky objects - orbiting debris.Comets: Icy / rocky objects – develop “tails” when in the inner Solar system.Meteors: Dust and debris vaporising as they enter the atmosphere.

Basic glossary contd.

Eclipse / Occultation: When one body passes in front of another and obscures it.

Parsec: Is 3.262 light years or approx 63000 A.U. You also get kilaparsec , megaparsec and gigaparsec

Ecliptic: The line of apparent motion taken by the Sun across the sky.

Astronomical Unit (A.U.): The mean distance from the Sun to the Earth approx. 150 000 000 km.Light Year: The distance light travels in one year approx. 9 500 000 000 000 km or approx. 6300 A.U.

Where am I?

Basic glossary contd.Orbit: The path followed by an object due to gravitational attraction.Universal Time (U.T.): Time at the Greenwich Meridian

Plough

Plough

Polaris

Cassiopeia