Brian Ventrudo

Sky Tours (South) – A View of the Northern Stars

This month you get a whirlwind tour of the stars of the far-northern hemisphere, stars which are forever hidden by the Earth under your feet. It’s good to know a little about the other part of the sky because there is much to see there. And with a little luck you may get to travel north of the equator to see the northern skies.
The maps for the nor...

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Sky Tours (North) – A View of the Southern Stars

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you get a whirlwind tour of the stars of the deep-southern hemisphere, stars which are forever hidden by the Earth under your feet. It’s good to know a little about the other part of the sky because there is much to see there. And with a little luck you may get to travel south of the equator to see the deep southern skies.
The maps for t...

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Solar System Observing – Comets

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

In our look at the solar system this month, we examine comets, perhaps the most unpredictable and visually striking objects in the night sky and one of the most fun to observe. It's always hard to tell when a reasonably bright comet will make an appearance, but when it does, you want to be prepared. This section will get you ready for the next 'Gre...

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Stargazing Tools – Basics of Astronomical Imaging

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month we tackle the basic ideas of astrophotography. This is a massive subject and an expensive pastime, both in terms of time and money. But you will learn enough this month to get started taking some basic images with techniques that can lead, with a little practice, to surprisingly good results.
Click here to download notes for 'Basic Astr...

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Science of Stargazing – The Cosmic Distance Scale

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you learn about Type Ia supernovae, fearsome events that call attention to themselves over millions of light years and help astronomers estimate the size of the universe. And you learn about the “cosmic distance ladder” by which we try to understand the scale of the universe from our solar system to the edge of the known universe.
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