CLEAR crisp winter nights are often the best for star gazing in the Australia but, it gets very cold, so don't forget to rug up before doing any extended star watching.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Missed last week’s column? – catch up here
Winter sees our night skies dominated by the Southern Cross, sprawling Scorpio and Sagittarius, in which the heart of our galaxy hides, so it's well worth stepping out into the chill for an astronomical thrill.
There’s a nice crescent moon on Saturday night joined by the three bright planets Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. It’s a good opportunity to take a photograph. There's something magical about those pictures of the moonlight sky and dazzling stars, they convey a special something that daytime photos can't.
Turn off the auto focus mechanism and point the camera at the moon, click, and keep the shutter open for a up to a half second or so.
NEVER use a flash! Take several shots at different speeds and see which gives the best exposure.
Got a smart phone? You can hand hold it over the eyepiece and careful aiming might get you a few nice moon shots. Email them to yourself. Now, go and look at the images on your computer and pick out the best one.
Nothing beats trial and error – it’s the best way to build up experience and collect a good number of moon “selfies.”
Your telescope may be modest but don’t let that prevent you from using it! If it’s wobbly it may be time for a tripod tune up. First tighten the wing nuts at the top of the tripod, where the legs meet the mount head. Shorten the tripod legs as much as you can. The lower the scope, the less it will shake. A telescope magnifies every wobble and vibration in the mount.
You know, I get a lot of people telling me they only have a small telescope and want to know if it’s any good to stargaze with. My answer is sure! Smaller telescopes are capable of doing a lot more than you imagine. I started out with a telescope you could fit in your pocket.
Remember, cheapie telescopes under about $200 are made to a price, not a quality, and the trade-off is in the eyepieces. If your ‘cheapie’ telescope isn’t giving you satisfactory views go get a good quality brand eyepiece from your telescope or camera store. Around $30 -$50 should do it.
Dave Reneke from Australasian Science magazine
