9th January 2014

Get Started Today: Budding Astronomer

So many of my fandoms are grounded in one shared thing: the sky. Things traveling through it. Characters living out in it. Things blowing up in it. It’s Doctor Who. It’s Star Trek. It’s Star Wars. It’s nearly every book I loved as a child. Understanding the sky seems like a natural extension of this love.

I also had the unique experience of growing up in a place where I could see the stars any night of the week. As such, I’m really damn good at pointing out constellations and I’ve seen my share of meteorological events. Spotting a shooting star? Easy. Knowing where to go for meteor showers. Simple. If you you’ve always wanted to extend your fandom and do the same, here’s how I suggest you get started.

Get a Travel Telescope: When you get WAY into it, you can go ahead and get a much more high powered machine. But for now, you just need something portable with high magnification and clarity.I suggest the Celestron Travel Telescope.

Study up! Here’s some great books for beginners:

National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky

NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

Apps will be your best friend: Honestly, you can’t even imagine how much easier star gazing is now than it was 10 years ago. With these apps, you will be spotting constellations in 5 minutes. It’s that easy. Try these:

Star Walk (iTunes)

Meteor Shower Calendar (Google) (iTunes)

Sky Guide (iTunes)

Google’s SkyMap

Charts are great for spots where you don’t have reception:

Orion Star Target Planisphere

2014 Moon Calendar

US Space Travel Timeline (FREE!)

Are you a novice astronomer? What do you suggest budding astronomers pick up for their newest hobby?