Archives for the 'amateur astronomy' Category
Christmas Star Parties
Published on 20 Dec 2009 at 1:25 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy.
I do several public star parties each year. Overall, it probably amounts to a little more than one every two months. Typically, I give a public talk about some topic in astronomy, and then we do viewing through telescopes that I bring. Usually, there are a few amateur astronomers who come and set up their […]
Summer Star Parties
Published on 4 May 2009 at 9:58 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under amateur astronomy, skywatching.
Mark your calendars.
I will be doing two star parties this summer at Dinosaur Valley State Park, in Glen Rose, TX. The dates are June 27, 2009, and July 18, 2009. As soon as it is dark enough to see the projector, I’ll have a short presentation. Then, we’ll have telescopes set up for viewing until […]
Binocular Astronomy Star Party/Class
Published on 5 Apr 2009 at 2:33 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under amateur astronomy, skywatching.
Last month, I wrote about using binoculars for astronomy. That is really the best way to get started, in my estimation. The cost is less than that of a telescope, they are typically easier to use, and binoculars can be used for many other purposes besides astronomy.
So, what do you need to do […]
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Binocular Astronomy
Published on 23 Mar 2009 at 11:12 am.
8 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, skywatching.
I am often asked what sort of telescope that I recommend for beginning amateur astronomers. What often surprises people is that I don’t normally recommend a beginner buying a telescope. Rather, I suggest that a beginner buy a good pair of binoculars. There are several reasons for this. Even seasoned amateur […]
The North Texas Skywatch Star Party
Published on 10 Nov 2007 at 12:45 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, observing.
For those of you who live anywhere in the North Texas area, mark you calendars for Saturday, November 17, 2007. That is the date of the 11th Annual North Texas Skywatch Star Party. The event will be held at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, near Mineral Wells Texas (west of Fort Worth). […]
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Pocket Stars
Published on 7 Oct 2007 at 12:46 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the freeware program Stellarium for computers. It comes in multiple forms available to multiple platforms. You can load the program onto a notebook computer and take it with you into the field. But, sometimes, a notebook computer is a bit much to carry. […]
Stellarium
Published on 24 Sep 2007 at 7:05 pm.
20 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy.
Last week, I had a couple of posts where I posted a sky view created using computer software. When I was first learning astronomy, this tool was not available. We had star charts, for sure, but you had to do all the work yourself looking at star charts to try to imagine what […]
