The Plight of the Amateur Astronomer

The following is a brief reply to an '*Amateur* Astronomer' who sent me an e-mail about his struggle with the concern, that - as much as he loves astronomy - he had no business pursuing it, in fear that he didn't have any formal education and, therefore, that he couldn't, possibly, make any significant contributions to the field. I only wish I could have gone on, at length...

Matthew, I've been an astronomer for several decades, and I've just recently acquired a certificate in Astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

I have done research in several areas, including the former Harvard SUNSEARCH extragalactic supernova search; I have monitored sandstorms and polar cap growth/shrinkage on Mars; I am co-discoverer of a supernova in spiral galaxy M66, and - was even one of the six astronomers, worldwide, to suggest the term, the "Great Expansion", as a replacement term for the "Big Bang", to the International Astronomical Union of Great Britain when they asked for suggestions, via "Sky & Telescope" magazine (it was accepted in 1992).

I have met and spoken with the late Dr. Carl Sagan, about one of his first books, attended many astronomy workshops, with people such as the theoretical physicist, Philip Morrison of MIT, and got in a one-on-one with, the late, Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto.

I have sent my children's names to a comet, and to Mars, through the "Deep Impact" program at NASA. I have allowed the SETI Institute to use one of my computers to sift through time-series data from the Kepler Space Telescope, in its search for exoplanets, and, I have written an essay for the AAVSO of Cambridge, MA, for their webpage on exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life, under the heading, "The Stories Variables Tell"... do you actually think I could have done any of this, without some intense University, and lots of hands-on training at the various university observatories of the field? Do you think that - a mere 'amateur' - should be entitled to any of this?

You bet you are! - and I've done all that.

Moreover, other, more qualified amateurs have far surpassed anything I have done. But like you, I am an AMATEUR ASTRONOMER... and, like you - I'm lousy at math. I did all of that - and more - without any 'formal' training in astronomy, whatsoever. That certificate in Astrobiology came long after the fact.

But this isn't really about me. This is about YOU. YOU can do any of that or all of it. It will come with your desire, and passion, for amateur astronomy.

Dale Alan Bryant
Senior Contributing Science Writer

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4 Useful Tips for the Novice Stargazer

Taking a moment to marvel at the stars in the night sky is a wonderful experience. But it can be difficult to fully appreciate what you see when everything is so far away. There are several steps that can be taken to make stargazing that much more enjoyable. Let's take a look at a few of the most useful tips:

Where to watch?

The stars are easily appreciated in the countryside or in the city. But, it will always benefit to have a high viewing platform to stop buildings or LED streetlights from having a negative impact on your view. Try to find an area that is mostly dark and clear of any light source. Streetlights can reduce your ability to see in low-light conditions which means the stars won't be so noticeable in the sky.

Stargazing - Image Credit: BBC Stargazing Live.

However, if you still want some type of light to see at night, a red flashlight will not impact your dark adaptation.

Use binoculars

Rather than invest in high-tech tools such as a telescope, you can simply start your stargazing with a decent set of binoculars. Even though they cannot give the high magnification of a telescope, they are still a great improvement in using the naked eye. Also, it isn't necessary to pay a lot. There are plenty of budget binoculars that make it possible to see the craters on the moon.

A telescope can be used later when you have a basic understanding of the night's objects, such as the constellations or planets. Beyond searching for the most popular stars, there is also the option to look for other things such as the International Space Station.

Best time to look

The preferred time to look for stars is on cold and crisp nights when the sky is clear. Any night with the moon not present is helpful. A full moon can light the sky too much and make it difficult to see the best of the stars. The views on summer nights are likely to be less clear because of the buildup of blur and haze which will impact the view. Also, it will help if there is low or no humidity.

Use a star chart

A star chart is a useful way to learn the shape and size of the different stars in the sky. There are plenty of charts to download online. Alternatively, there are several apps that can help identify the stars, which are great for those that prefer to use modern technology.

Discover how to name a star with help from the international star registry.

By Leo Eigenberg

Article Source:  4 Useful Tips for the Novice Stargazer

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2018 Mars Opposition

Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the sun. But Earth is closer to the sun and therefore races along its orbit more quickly. Earth makes two trips around the sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip. So sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the sun, very far apart, and other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor and passes relatively close to it.

During opposition, Mars and the sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. From our perspective on our spinning world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. Then, after staying up in the sky the entire night, Mars sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east. Since Mars and the Sun appear on opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in "opposition." If Earth and Mars followed perfectly circular orbits, the opposition would be as close as the two planets could get.

Artist's concept of Mars Opposition on December 24, 2007. The distances between the sun, the planets, and the distant nebula are not to scale. Image credit: NASA.

Of course, nothing about motion in space is quite that simple! Our orbits are actually elliptical (oval-shaped), and we travel a little closer to the sun at one end of our orbits than at the other end.

Mars oppositions happen about every 26 months. Every 15 or 17 years, opposition occurs within a few weeks of Mars' perihelion (the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun). This year, Mars opposition occurs on July 27, 2018.

An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars' orbit. When it happens while the red planet is closest to the sun (called "perihelic opposition"), Mars is particularly close to Earth. If Earth and Mars both had perfectly stable orbits, then each perihelic opposition would bring the two planets as close as they could be. That's almost the way it is.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this striking image of Mars during the 2016 opposition and an illustration of the relative 'tilt' in the orbits of Earth and Mars. Image credits: NASA.

But once again, nature throws in a few complications. Gravitational tugging by the other planets constantly changes the shape of our orbits a little bit. Giant Jupiter especially influences the orbit of Mars. Also, the orbits of Earth and Mars don't lie in quite the same plane. The paths the planets take around the sun are slightly tilted with respect to each other.

So, with all these added factors, some perihelic oppositions bring us closer together than others. The 2003 opposition was the closest approach in almost 60,000 years!

Mars's orbit is more elliptical than Earth's, so the difference between perihelion and aphelion is greater. Over the past centuries, Mars' orbit has been getting more and more elongated, carrying the planet even nearer to the sun at perihelion and even farther away at aphelion. So future perihelic oppositions will bring Earth and Mars even closer. But we'll still have bragging rights for a while. Our 2003 record will stand until August 28, 2287!

Article Source: Mars in Our Night Sky - Mars Opposition

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