Burnham’s Celestial Handbook

Burnham’s Celestial Handbook is an astronomy book that has been something I have heard about over and over again ever since I have really been into astronomy. I was always dubious as to their value to my astronomy as they were old (1978), not available new that I could tell (if they were really good, wouldn’t they still be in print?) and pretty large (2138 pages total).

Burnham's Celestial Handbook covers After getting a set in good shape from a used book store, for more than the original new price I might add, I have spent some time looking through them and actually using them. What I have found is that they can indeed be very useful.

Burnham's Celestial Handbook spines If nothing else, Burnham’s Celestial Handbook will make you learn. To use them you need to read the first 101 pages which tell you how to use the books. These pages alone are worth the price of admission as they discuss topics such as sidereal time, celestial coordinates, the classification of stars and galaxies, the H-R diagram of stellar luminosities, spectral classes, and of course, the nomenclature used throughout the book. Even if you are familiar with most of this the review is quite nice. After getting antiquated with the basics he starts systematically and alphabetically going through all the constellations detailing all the objects within each one. The pages are filled with pictures, charts, diagrams and his “descriptive notes”.

Burnham's Celestial Handbook star chart A great example is his notes for Alpha in Canes Venatici: “ALPHA (12 Canum) Mag 2.89 (slightly variable); Spectrum A0p or B9.5p. Position 12537n3835. Name- COR CAROLI, “the heart of Charles”. The popular story is that the star was so named by Halley in honor of King Charles II of England. According to R.H.Allen, “This was done at the suggestion of the court physician Sir Charles Scarborough, who said that it had shone with special brilliance on the eve of the King’s retun to London, May 29, 1660.” Of course the text goes on quite a bit just about this star but this excerpt should give you the general idea of the wealth of not just scientific information but the story behind some of it as well.

Burnham's Celestial Handbook sample pages One could spend their lifetime simply following in the footsteps of Burnham as laid out in Burnham’s Celestial Handbook. How he completed such a fantastic work is beyond me. That may be why such a project is a rarity. If you have not read at least some of this set I urge you to do so. If you have a copy and no longer ready it, I would ask you to share it with others. Make sure that your astronomy club’s library has a copy.

You can often find copies of this wonderful astronomy book on Amazon.


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Dark site etiquette

Dark site etiquette is an important part of astronomy to ensure that everyone enjoys their evening under the stars.

Dark site etiquette

When you are going out to an astronomy club dark site there are some guidelines you should follow to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Some of them probably seem like commons sense, and they are, to someone who understands what is going on. Unfortunately a lot of newcomers have no idea and this can cause friction. Help avoid the friction and stares by following a few simple astronomy etiquette guidelines.

Dark Site Etiquette Guidelines

  1. If you park anywhere near where people are observing make sure you arrive before dark and park your vehicle so that the headlights are pointed away from the observing field. This makes sure that when you leave before the serious observers or astrophotographers (and you will leave before them unless the sun has already risen) your headlights will do as little damage as possible.
  2. Get everything out of your vehicle as soon as you arrive. Stack it next to the vehicle if needed but whatever you do avoid opening the doors and causing the lights to come on repeatedly after dark. It is amazing how bright your interior lights are once everyone’s eyes have adapted to the dark. Many astronomers and astrophotographers go one step further with this dark site etiquette by removing or disabling their interior vehicle lights completely.
  3. Speaking of amazingly bright lights, do not use that super bright LED flashlight or the light on your phone to shine on the walkway so you can see where you are walking. Wait by your car until your eyes adjust to the darkness or bring a dim red astronomy light (available on Amazon or telescopes.com) to light your way. Even if your light is red, never shine it at anyone’s eyes or towards their equipment unless you ask first. Astrophotography is about photographing dim lights in the night sky, many of them red, so your red flashlight will ruin an hour long exposure and tend not not make you any friends. If you want a red flashlight used one specifically for astronomy as they are not stupid bright, one such as the Celestron 93588 Astro Night Vision Flashlight is an excellent choice and very affordable. Getting a dedicated red light for this will show everyone you really care about dark site etiquette.
  4. Never touch someone’s telescope without their express permission. They could be imaging and you are fumbling for an eyepiece to look through, destroying their image they have been exposing for the past hour. Or maybe they are in the process of aligning their telescope and your touching could move it off center messing up the computer’s calculations. Or they could be one of “those” people and they could get pretty hostile that you got handsy with their $1200 eyepiece on their $10,000 telescope (why did you bring it out here then goofus?).
  5. Watch where you step. Remember that many of these telescopes run off power cords, and those power cords run across the ground to outlets. Also watch for the legs of tripods. Tripping over either one can completely destroy an astrophotographer’s entire evening and cause a visual observer to waste thirty minutes or more setting everything back up.
  6. Use the restroom before you come out, some dark sites have no facilities. The bushes may be fine for you but you will be in mixed company and quite possibly have other people’s children running around.
  7. Laser pointers should only be used by experienced astronomers who frequent this dark site. Not only is it dangerous to point a pointer towards a person, it is more than bright enough to ruin someones image should the beam enter the area where they are shooting. In addition, it is not only bad astronomy behavior, but it is also a federal crime in the US and many other countries to point at an aircraft. Do you know where the local flight patterns are around this dark site? I know exactly where they are around mine because I constantly see planes there.
  8. If you borrow something, take it back immediately when you are finished. This is not only respectful but makes sure that the item is available should someone else want to borrow it.
  9. Lastly, if you take your children, please make sure they understand the expected astronomy behavior and keep a close eye on them. While most astronomy events welcome children and indeed are geared towards them in many cases, everyone wants both the child and the very expensive telescopes to survive the night undamaged.

When in doubt about astronomy behavior, ask around. Most astronomy gatherings have more experienced people who will be happy to lead you around and show you the appropriate dark site etiquette. Don’t let these guidelines scare you, we all make mistakes. As long as they see you are making an effort you will probably be excused for any little faux pas you may inadvertently commit.

I hope you enjoyed my article on dark site etiquette!


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Getting Started: Visual Astronomy released

Getting Started: Visual Astronomy is quite a departure for me as most of you know I am primarily an astrophotographer and spend comparably very little time visually observing. When you are imaging for up to ten hours at a stretch however that still leaves a lot of time for visual observing, so compared to many others around me I do a lot of visual observing. It is all relative. There are a lot of fantastic books on general astronomy and observational astronomy. The one thing that I could never find however is a book that got right to the point on how to visually observe that was easily portable. This led me to do the research and write my own.

Getting Started: Visual Astronomy Getting Started: Visual Astronomy is a standard sized book just like my others that gets right to the heart of the matter. It is designed to get you up and observing quickly. It answers all the basic questions and some of the more advanced ones as well making sure you know how to use the equipment you have, and what equipment you may be interested in purchasing. From naked eye observations, through binoculars and all the way to the different types of large telescopes, you will find all the information you need to get out under the stars and begin your journey. It even includes a few biographies of important people such as the father of modern observational astronomy, Galileo Galilei, so that you get a feel for the history of observational astronomy.

You can get more information, read the table of contents and introduction and more at the book’s home page here:

https://www.allans-stuff.com/va/

Look for Getting Started: Visual Astronomy in both print and Kindle editions from Amazon. The first person to review the book on Amazon had this to say: “This book will help you get started in Astronomy and answers every question you have plus plenty more you didn’t know you had. From buying your first telescope to how to read star maps this book offers a step by step guide on everything. Written in a well structured format that makes the information easy to digest. Well worth the sticker price for the amount of information contained. I highly recommend.”

I hope you enjoy Getting Started: Visual Astronomy!


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Total Lunar Eclipse 04/15/14

Last night I was able to not only view, but image a total lunar eclipse. There are a lot more lunar eclipses than there are solar for us to view. That doesn’t make them any less amazing. The weather cooperated wonderfully as a front blew through earlier in the day making sure that the air was extremely clear, although cold. As the clock passed 1:30am the shadow on the moon started to grow. At first it was so dim you really didn’t even notice it. It took me looking at the moon through binoculars and at the images from two different camera’s before I was sure it had started.

total lunar eclipse progression It is interesting to watch a total lunar eclipse and see the progression on camera. Your eyes are amazing devices and compensate for the moon dimming where the camera does not. You sort of notice that everything is getting dimmer around you but it doesn’t really sink in until you have to adjust the exposures on the camera to keep things looking even. The so called “blood moon” looks almost as bright as the full moon, but it is tremendously dimmer. The lunar eclipse schedule is pretty quick and it is all over before you realize it. If you get the chance to watch lunar eclipse live, put aside at least an hour or more. Some last less than an hour and some last for three or more hours.

total lunar eclipse Once the eclipse is in totality it is hard to pull yourself away from looking at it long enough to check the pictures and make sure the exposure is correct. This is when you need your camera automated. You can automate higher end cameras by using a computer to control it or using a device that takes exposures on a set schedule or interval called an intervalometer. Some cameras, and even video cameras like a GoPro can take multiple exposures at a set interval without external control.

If you haven’t seen a total lunar eclipse in person you really should make it a point. The next two are October 8th of 2014 and April 4th of 2015 for a good portion of North America.

You can read more about a lunar eclipse at Wikipedia.


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Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian Review, not all dobs are equal

After purchasing my new Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian I thought I would share some information on it.

In doing research for my upcoming book “Getting Started: Budget Astrophotography” I was in need of an 8″ Dobsonian telescope. Lots of people have this type of telescope so it is absolutely one that needed to be discussed in the book. Like most people, I wanted the best scope for the best deal I could get and I had heard a lot about Zhumell Dobsonian telescopes, that led me to Hayneedle.

If you are curious about the design of the Dobsonian, read more at Wikipedia.

Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian Most people who know me know that I typically have a brand preference that I stick with. They also know that I will only stick with that brand if the price, performance and quality are close to the competition. This meant that I wound up comparing the Orion XT8 vs Zhumell Z8. In this case they weren’t really close so I went with the Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian telescope which is the house brand for Hayneedle. To start with the price between the Zhumell and its competition is very close, not really enough to worry about. The Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian comes with both a 9mm 1.25″ eyepiece and a 30mm 2″ eyepiece whereas most competitors including the Orion only ship a 25mm 1.25″ eyepiece or something close. In addition they ship a screw on moon filter and laser collimator, the Orion ships with a collimation cap and cheap reflex finder.

Zhumell accessories While I prefer a red dot finder the 8x50mm right angle finderscope on the Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian is a very nice finder and typically considered an upgrade to a simple red dot. Another huge win for the Zhumell is the dual speed crayford focuser that is just as smooth as silk.

Zhumell focuser Finally, my favorite feature is that the Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian has adjustable pivot points so you can balance the scope (Orion has nothing like this), and then adjustable tensioners on each side (not flimsy little springs or friction tape) so you completely control balance and resistance, nice.

Zhumell pivot points

To make this telescope perfect they should offer a kit that swaps the 8x50mm finderscope with a deluxe red dot, and maybe throw in a 2x barlow which would effectively give you the equivalent of 4.5mm (pretty much unusable), 9mm, 15mm and 30mm eyepieces. Other than that little pickyness, I highly recommend this telescope and consider it the best Dobsonian telescope in this size and price range. If you are in the market for a Dobsonian, this should be on your short list. You can sometimes pick up the Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian used HERE or head on over to telescopes.com to get a new one.


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Huntsville astronomy club’s new website

The Huntsville astronomy club (Huntsville Amateur Astronomy Society) in Huntsville Texas is finally getting ready to move to a new website, complete with image galleries and a forum of our very own. The new address is www.huntsvilleastronomy.org and should feature a lot of great information not just for those in our area, but for anyone interested in astronomy in general. Come on by and take a look!

Huntsville astronomy Once you are finished looking at the new site be sure to email us tell us when you would like to come out to a meeting and meet the gang. We meet at the SHSU observatory which you can find with this Huntsville Texas Map that has the observatory marked. There is a lot of stuff going on in Huntsville astronomy!

The website has a lot of cool information, a forum where you can  communicate with other people, tons of astrophotography from our members, astronomy related weather forecasts, an all sky camera so you can see what the sky looks like at the observatory in real time, links to our member’s websites, and much more.

We meet on a pretty irregular schedule so check the website or email a member for information on the next upcoming meeting. Everyone is welcome, there are no dues, show up, have fun!

Thinking about getting into astronomy or astrophotography and not know where to start? Start by coming to a meeting or contacting the club and we will be more than happy to give you a tour, show you our equipment, and help you decide what you want to do. We can also help make equipment purchase decisions (although you can start a great astronomy hobby with just your eyes or a pair of binoculars!).

Are you a student at SHSU? Be sure to take the SHSU astronomy class! Our Huntsville Astronomy Club president is the instructor so you are sure to have a blast.

Here is a schedule to see when official things are happening at the SHSU astronomy observatory.

Come on out and join us for some astronomy in Huntsville Texas.


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Orion SkyView Pro mount review

A short while back I decided I wanted another EQ goto mount so I picked up a lightly used Orion SkyView Pro telescope mount (SVP). Why the Orion SkyView Pro?

1) Carries more load than my Orion SkyView Deluxe, so better suited for my 127mm refractor

2) Tripod, weights and hand controller interchangeable with my Orion Sirius in case anything happens

3) Uses same interface, drivers and cables for computer control so I am already set up to use it with my laptops

4) OK, yes, I am kind of an Orion fanboy, but with their good products and excellent customer service, it is hard not to be.

Orion SkyView Pro After purchasing the polar scope separately and installing it in the Orion mount, I felt as if I was using the younger brother to my Sirius mount. Setup was fast and easy as the mount worked exactly the same as the Sirius but is lighter. This allowed me to be setup and running, including polar alignment, in about 15 minutes.

Polar alignment scope Running the mount is again, much like the Sirius mount. Since this is an EQ-5 based mount much like Celestron’s CG-5 I expected it to have much more in common with it than the Sirius, and indeed the motor covers, external cables and polar scope covers make it similar in appearance, but not so much in function. While the CG-5 is a capable mount, it has earned the nickname of “coffee grinder”, and if you ever hear one slew, you will understand why. The Orion SkyView Pro goto on the other hand sounds just like the Sirius, quiet and smooth.

Orion SkyView Pro mount Accuracy is exactly what you would expect given it has the same controller, excellent. Load capacity seems higher than listed by Orion (as it is for virtually any Orion mount) and I would have no problems running the Orion SkyView Pro with more weight than a CG-5. The tripod is only 1.5″ tubes as compared to the CG-5 which I believe has 2″ sections, but as with my Sirius mount once the mount is at it’s minimum height (which is always where you want to image from) stability is not an issue at all. If for some odd reason I needed to image from a fully extended position, then I might consider replacing the tripod with the 2″ version from the Atlas.

Orion SkyView Pro controller There are some things I do not like about this mount, starting with the rear cover for the polar scope. This cover just “fits” on, not really snapping, and not screwing, into place. Even looking in its general direction makes it fall off. Heck, while slewing if a cable brushes it, it comes off. Come on guys, I will pay the extra quarter, put some threads on it!

Next, for those of us that really use our equipment, the little rubber coating on the bottom of the tripod feet is a real pain in the rear. Why, you may ask? It eventually comes off. Not all at once mind you, but a little here and there. This messes up your leveling (if you always set up in the same place, once leveled you can lock the legs and never have to level again, until the rubber starts to come off one leg). Save some hassles later, remove the rubber coating as soon as you get this mount.

Lastly, I do wish the polar scope was lit although I generally set up right at dusk so that is not too much of a problem.

Overall the Orion SkyView Pro is an excellent goto mount that I would highly recommend for both visual and lightweight AP work. My only serious complaint is that it is a little too expensive when there are very capable alternatives such as the CG-5 or VX from Celestron. If you could get the SVP, CG-5 and VX mounts for the same price, it is a no brainer for me, the SVP rules the roost. Unfortunately for Orion you can still get the CG-5 from High Point Scientific for $549 new making it a much better overall deal.

Once High Point’s inventory is gone however, the Celestron VX series is showing a price of $799, just $50 less than the SVP, so in that case, I would splurge and take the Orion SkyView Pro over the VX, if for no other reason than how the SVP works with EQMOD and computer control.


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