Brian Ventrudo

Sky Tours (North) – April

You continue the tour of the northern night sky with a look at three more constellations along the ecliptic: Gemini, Cancer, and Leo. And you learn how to find the two long and faint constellations Lynx and Hydra. The PDF notes contain maps and descriptions of the main stars of these constellations. At the bottom of the page you will find a PDF of ...

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Solar System Observing – Layout of the Solar System

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

In this month’s look at the solar system, you learn about the geometry of the solar system and how it affects our view of the planets as they, and we, continue our constant Newtonian fall around the Sun. After this section, the wanderings of the planets across the heavens will never again be a mystery for you. You also get a look at the retrograde ...

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Stargazing Tools – Evaluating the Night Sky

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

Cloudy nights are all bad for stargazing. But not all clear night are the same. Some are better for observing the Moon and planets, others are better for seeing faint galaxies and nebulae. After this short lesson you will know how to tell the difference between the two. This will help you plan your stargazing sessions, use your time more efficientl...

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Motion of the Night Sky

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

In the first month the course, you learned the layout and important features of the night sky as well as the basics of the celestial sphere. This month you will learn the basics of how the sky appears to move over the course of a night and a year. Armed with this information, you will know why the stars of summer are different than the stars of win...

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Deep Sky Tours – March

Filed Under: Fundamentals of Stargazing

Once you find the stars and constellations described in the 'Sky Tours' this month, you can try to find some of the so-called “deep sky sights”. The best and easiest objects this month are mostly open star clusters, which are groups of fairly new stars which formed together at the same time out of the same cloud of gas and dust. You also learn how ...

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