Brian Ventrudo

Sky Tours (South) – July

Scorpius
While winter is now underway in the southern hemisphere, the Earth has turned into a position to reveal the thick band of the Milky Way nearly overhead at southern latitudes. This is one of the most spectacular sights in all of nature. Here you look towards the center of our galaxy from our position near the edge of its flat disk. This mon...

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Sky Tours (North) – July

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you examine the stars of northern summer along with the prominent constellations Lyra, Ophiuchus, Serpens, and Scorpius. Overhead you see the blue-white glow of the bright star Vega. And as you look to the east, you once again see brighter stars along the rising plane of the Milky Way. Dominating the southeastern sky, the star Antares, a...

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Solar System Observing – Lunar Seas and Craters

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you tour the most visible features on the face of the Moon, the dark lunar maria or 'seas'. While their name is misleading-- these seas are bone dry-- these features tell us quite a bit about the early history of the Moon and the inner solar system. After touring these features, you also get a look at the types of craters visible on the ...

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Stargazing Tools – Telescope Mounts

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

A German equatorial mount.
This month it’s time for a quick look at mounts, a key piece of equipment often overlooked by first-time telescope users and buyers. When evaluating a telescope, you must take into account not just the optics, but also the size, cost, stability, and type of the mounting system. In a way, a telescope mount is as important ...

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Science of Stargazing – How Stars Evolve

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you discover how massive, mid-sized, and small stars evolve over the course of their lifetimes. An understanding of the lifecycles of stars is invaluable to you as a backyard stargazer because it helps you gain perspective on what you're looking at as you examine stars and star clusters in the night sky.
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