Brian Ventrudo

Solar System Observing – Tour of the Planet Saturn

The planet Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on Feb. 28, 2024, then emerges slowly in the early-morning sky in March and April in the constellation Aquarius where it remains throughout the year. It grows in apparent size and rises a little early each day until it reaches opposition on September 8, 2024. The month before and after this date will...

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Stargazing Tools – Choosing and Using Binoculars

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month you get a practical overview of binoculars and how to choose a good pair for astronomy. If you use the advice in this section, you may save yourself quite a bit of money and end up with the very best pair of binoculars for your personal situation. And every stargazer needs a pair of binoculars. Audio and notes are below…
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Science of Stargazing – Star Brightness and Names

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

In this lesson on the science of stargazing, you get a clear explanation of the sometimes confusing “magnitude” system that astronomers use to describe and compare the brightness of stars and other celestial objects. You also learn how to decipher the systems that astronomers use to name stars. To many beginners, the star-naming system is literally...

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Deep Sky Tours – April

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

You continue touring some excellent deep-sky objects this month with a look at more open star clusters and few superb double stars, which are surely are underappreciated objects for visual observers in this age of digital imaging. As a slightly more challenging sight, you learn to find a planetary nebula, a glowing cloud of gas ejected by a dying m...

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Sky Tours (South) – April

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

This month’s tour of the southern night sky takes place in two parts. First, you look towards the northern horizon to continue a look at the constellations of the zodiac, the constellations that mark the ecliptic and the plane of the solar system. The Moon, Sun, and planets are always found along the zodiac, so it pays to know these stars. These an...

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