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before you go outside and look up. If you can’t afford a telescope yet its worth getting a set of binoculars for around £20 just to get you started. Also on cold nights a thermos flask of hot chocolate or soup
is a life saver.
Plan your observing - take some time to think about what you are going to look for and where is the best
place to find it. Stellarium is a great PC based tool to do this and it is free to download here http://www.
stellarium.org/. If you’ve got an android phone, download and install Google sky map. iPhone users have
similar apps available, just search “sky map”. Your back yard is probably ok for observing the moon, some
of the more obvious constellations, brighter planets and satellites like the ISS and Iridium flares. If you
want to see more, then you’ll have to head to a darker site - away from light-polluting street lamps. When
I first started astronomy I used to walk down to Gorleston beach, then walk half a mile along the beach
away from the town, lie down on a blanket and just look up. The first time I saw the Milky Way Galaxy
was here and it quickly became one of my most favourite places in the world. If you’re uncertain then
this map will give you some pointers towards ideal dark sky sites around the UK http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/dark-sky-discovery-sites/map.html. This page has two clickable map links that show you
the levels of light pollution in the UK and Europe but the simple rule is - head to the countryside or the
coast and away from street lamps!
What to look out for - some easy-to-find objects to look
out for over the Autumn and Winter months.
The Moon - great for naked eye or binocular observing. Look particularly for detail highlighted by shadows
around the edge of the moon, or at the line where the
day meets the night. (This line is called the terminator).
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014