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What Objects To Focus On For School Astronomy?
IceDiver writes "I am a teacher in a small rural school. My Grade 9 students are doing a unit on astronomy this spring. I have access to a 4" telescope, and would like to give my students a chance to use it. We will probably only be able to attempt observations on a couple of nights because of weather and time restrictions. I am as new to telescope use as my students, so I have no idea what objects would look good through a 4" lens. What observations should I attempt to have my students make? In other words, how can I make best use of my limited equipment and time to give my students the best experience possible?"
Advantages: Easy to find in the sky. Viewable during daytime hours.
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
1. The moon.
2. How about the moon?
3. You might want to consider the moon.
4. Have you given any thought to the moon?
No special filters needed, and it's by *far* the most visually impressive with a small aperture. If you can get appropriate filters, the sun is another good option. Everything else.... you might see phases on some of the larger bodies. And you'll probably be able to see the Jovian moons as points of light. That's about it. Perhaps a faint blur for the Andromeda galaxy if you're in a good location.
But the moon looks awesome even through a small scope.
Kneel Before Christ!
Do NOT look at Sun with remaining eye.
No brain, no pain.
A great book for beginners is Turn Left at Orion, by Guy Consolmagno
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundred-Telescope/dp/0521781906
Different things are visible at different times, although a four inch telescope is really only going to be able to see the the brightest objects. A little better than binoculars, but surprisingly little better after you account for the perception boost binoculars get by letting you use both eyes.
If you're talking about a nearby observation opportunity, then let me recommend Sky & Telescope - At a Glance and Human Spaceflight Realtime Data as sources of interesting things to look for. You can also nearly always find a satellite or two around dusk, if you know where to look. Nasa has some pages about that as well.
Make sure you have some information to talk about about everything you plan to look at, since most of the class will be standing around the telescope rather than actually looking through it at any given time.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
You didn't mention the location of your school (probably wisely); however, it would be useful to know at least the vague region in which you live, as it impacts what's visible at different times of the year.
The moon, Venus, and Mars are good places to start. NASA has a "Near-Earth Object" program (http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/) that may be of interest to you.
Also, while man-made objects aren't necessarily directly related to astronomy, the International Space Station is also quite visible with the naked eye; I'm sure a telescope would make the observation much better. Again, this depends on your location and when the ISS will be visible there.
"You will pay for your lack of vision..." - Emperor Palpatine to Ray Charles
The moon, particularly when it's NOT full, as there is more detail to see when it's not full. Someone mentioned Jupiter and it's moons. Observe them over several nights, have your students sketch what they see, discuss why the moons are in different positions each night/hour. Get a copy of "Skyways" from the Royal AStronomical Society of Canada - it's a resource for teachers (http://www.rasc.ca/publications/index.shtml). The Pleiades star cluster is always beautiful. Saturn will be high in the south east and is always nice even in a small telescope. Mars will be high in Cancer next to the Bee-hive cluster. Both are wonderful small-scope objects and will be very close together. The three bright galaxies in Leo, "The Leo Triplet" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Triplet) will all fit in a field of view nicely. Good luck!
Hi, I help run an astronomy group (San Diego Astronomy Association) and I think I can help you out - feel free to contact me directly if you have questions.
:)
Right now I would recommend showing off:
The Pleiades (M45) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades_(star_cluster)
The Great Orion Nebula (M42) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_galaxy
You can also check out the planets - right now Mars is pretty close and bright, but it isn't much to look at through a 4" telescope. You can show off Saturn, but it doesn't rise until kind of late. You should be able to see the rings, but right now they are edge-on.
Depending on where you are located, you may also be able to check out some smaller galaxies and nebula. Also, depending on where you are located, get in contact with an astronomy group and see if you can visit a local amateur observatory. We have a site about an hour from down town San Diego where we have a 22" telescope available for public viewing once a month and we also have public events held almost weekly where we bring telescopes generally around 10" in size (I bring my 16" on clear nights).
Others have joked about using your telescope to point at the Sun - obviously don't do it. Even pointing the scope at the Sun will permanently destroy eyepieces and coatings on optics - and if you happen to look through it, say good bye to your vision. Permanently. However, if you can get yourself a solar filter to put over the telescope, you can safely observe the Sun - which is pretty interesting. You should be able to see sun spots and perhaps prominences with the right kind of filter.
Good luck, and clear skies!
-Bill
Venus will become an evening star in the next few months. If your observations are over a few weeks, it would be an excellent evening target as it will go through its phases, much like our own moon does. If the observations are around twilight, you can even have them attempt to see Venus while the sun is still up by looking in the same part of the sky when the sun is up. It gets harder with age(sigh) but I remember easily being able to do it when I was around the age of grade 9.
The Moon focus on the shadow line, or a time when its around 1 week bfore a full moon, as the terminator(shadow) will show excellent surface relief of features.
Jupiter will be probably be only an early morning target during that time, so thats probably out.
Saturn isnt going to be a very good target, other than to show it as a planet, because it is in the part of its orbit where the rings are tilted almost edge on to earth.
Globular Clusters M13 in Hercules would be an excellent target.
Planetary Nebula The 'ring nebula' in the constellation Lyra will be a excellent target for evening viewing, if its late enough, as from most locations in the US it appears almost at the zenith
Double Stars Even through a 4" scope you can see some amazing color contrasts. Albireo in the constellation Cygnus is one of the best, with one red, one blue star. Also, you can go in to some detail about the different types of telescopes, and their functions.
But most importantly, focus on the history of Astronomy itself. There is a rich history over thousands of years of astronomers that have taken us all the way to where we are now, and we wouldnt be here without those giants of the past; Gallileo Gallelie, Nikolas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Charles Messier(hes the 'M' in all those objects...M13, M31, etc), Edwin Hubble, Edmund Halley.
I envy you. Have Fun!
Many people think that the best time to look at the moon is when it is full. This is the worst time to use a telescope other than when it is cloudy. It is washed out and flat. Try with no more than 1/2 moon then you can see the rough surface due to the shadows. It is worth looking at when full but far better otherwise
The next most important thing is to practice where you will be setting up. You need to be familiar with the sky. Find the planets beforehand so you can point out the ones that are up and some of the major constellations. Remember planets move around a bit as well. If you are some where that is humid, it can be helpful to have a bright spotlight. You can point out locations in the sky. Show them where the Zodiac is (the constellations that the sun rises in and the planets move through). Jupiter and Saturn are also good. If clear and dark enough you can show them the milky way.
Lastly I would hope you have a plan of what to say. I talk about Galileo and the arguments that were being made about the sky before the telescope was pointed at the sky. The moon was thought to be basically featureless and round. Point out the moon and ask them to look at it for a minute. No one had seen a much better view than you are seeing now.
Someone (probably Galileo) first pointed a telescope at the moon and then saw this Prepare for a gasp when they look.
Everything went around the earth, then Jupiter, “see the little dots they move around” and you can see this from night to night in a pattern
One more thing. if your scope does not have a motor mount you will need to frequently move it to make up for the turning of the earth. Also people will bump it and the next person will see nothing but black. This is tricky as they will not tell you if they do not see anything.
I totally disagree with this comment,
and +4 informative is way out of whack, even for the slashdot moderation. I live about 10 miles outside of Chicago, just north of the airport. The light pollution is awful. With an 80mm lens (just under 4 inches), I can easily make out the cloud bands of Jupiter, including the red spot. The moons of Jupiter are clearly visible, and are easily distinguishable from background stars (first and foremost, they don't twinkle). The rings of Saturn are clearly visible (even with small binoculars), and will look like a little UFO in the lens. Andromeda and the Pleides are visible to the naked eye as light smudges, but through a 4 inch lens are easily broken down into the major elements making up these DSO's. The whispy structure of the orion nebula is clearly discernible. Again, this is from extremely light polluted skies. In reasonably dark skies, a 4" scope is plenty for amateur observing.
The parent post is hardly informative.
just my .02,
jeff