Let’s consider some of the hardware that will make things easier (Figure 1). Wherever the charts come from you will need to star hop to your target. As you would expect, the Variable Star Section provides charts for those variable stars they have under study. If it is comets or asteroids you are after then the Computing Section has a set of charts for these bodies. Another useful resource is the Aladin Sky Atlas which offers a more ‘photographic’ representation. If your particular interest is deep sky objects, galaxies, clusters and nebulae, you might consider downloading one or more of the Deep Sky Log Atlases which show stars down to magnitude 10, 12 and 15 depending on which one you select.
Alternatively there are a number of good star atlases available commercially. The software for PC and mobile devices outlined in a previous tutorial will likely meet your needs. You will obviously need some sort of star map or atlas. So what is star hopping? It is starting from a known object, usually a readily visible star and following patterns of stars until the desired target is reached. In this tutorial we will focus on the last method and conclude with a brief introduction to the free “Hopper” software available from the BAA Computing Section. Star hopping from an easily identifiable start point.
There are a number of different ways of locating an object: This article goes to the next level and shows how find interesting objects in the sky. The problem is that the sky is a very big place and your telescope will likely have a very small field of view, possibly no larger than the full moon.Īn earlier tutorial discussed how to find constellations. Except of course you have to find them before you can actually see them! All you have to do is turn your telescope skyward and there they are. There is a heaven full of objects of beauty, wonder and mystery waiting for you to discover. A red dot finder, a low power wide field eyepiece and a telescopic finder.If you have a telescope then the sky is the limit – literally. Three useful pieces of equipment for star hopping.
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