Morrison Planetarium’s quarterly report on meteor showers, space events, and astronomy-related news. Reservations for the planetarium are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and there are a limited number of reservations available per day. Dark Universe
Investigate two of today’s greatest cosmic mysteries—dark matter and dark energy—in this vast, data-fueled starscape of beauty and wonder. Both sides of the team are working on a conceptual design for the higher-power system with funding from the National Science Foundation. Flora Paganelli, a project scientist in NRAO’s radar division, says it’s the first time she’s been able to help craft a ground-based telescopic tool as it’s being built. Previously, she was a member of the Cassini Radar Science Team, and she also worked at the SETI Institute before joining NRAO.
Both have current science and space news followed by mainly technical articles in the front of the magazine. The middle portion is devoted to the current month’s sky events, with a centerfold sky map. Up to now, I haven’t included any resources specifically for our solar system, but this is a good place to mention a few for the Moon.
PROMPT telescopes at CTIO are back online after a 7-month shutdown. Connect with local amateur astronomers from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society. These are the three groups of volunteers that make Star Parties happen on Griffith Observatory’s lawn. Explore a virtual observatory online that generates images of any part of the sky at wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays. Out of the three cameras, DSLR/Mirrorless cameras are the best choice for beginners thanks to their ease of use. Monochrome cameras are best but not beginner-friendly, as they need to be paired with different filters.
Discover the best telescope for adults right here. places Mercury higher above the horizon than at other times of the year. A small telescope will increase the fun by resolving the phases as Mercury goes from a small, nearly full disc to a larger, thin crescent in the evening and from a larger, thin crescent to a small, nearly full disc in the morning. Unfortunately, even the most experienced observers only give Mercury a quick glance, forgoing a chance to potentially observe surface detail.
Generally, to see the planets, you want a telescope with a long focal length to give you a larger image for a given eyepiece. Refracting telescopes are often best because they have an unobstructed view and so provide the best image contrast. Larger aperture gives more resolution of fine detail, assuming your sky conditions allow it. Newtonian telescopes work fine as well, but if you use a Newtonian reflector telescope, make sure it is well collimated.
If you choose a reflector or Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, you will need to adjust the mirrors’ alignment every few months. They usually come at around $20-$30, but there are cheaper alternatives. Back in the day when there were no smartphones or computers, the only way to learn the positions of the stars and Deep Sky Objects was by looking at an atlas or a sky map. Nowadays, you can download many interactive sky map apps on your smartphone, the most popular options being SkyView or Stellarium.