Spring 2006

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The Night Sky

Mike Hale

Observing the stars, planets and the moon has always been a source of interest to many, and those who have been lucky enough to witness a fireball or comet will know first hand the excitement of such an observation.

If you’re interested in doing some sky watching, I would recommend a pair of 5x70 binoculars and a copy of The Night Sky by Terrance Dickinson.

To keep the eyes dark-adapted while referring to the book during an observation session, use a flashlight covered with red transparent plastic which ensures that the pupils of the eyes remain fully dilated.

The web contains many sites but only a few can be relied on to give accurate and up to date information. Here are a few that can be used by students and teachers.

www.cascaeducation.ca
The “Canadian Astronomy Education” has a wealth of information for teachers and students.

www.cleardarksky.com
To find out if the skies will be clear at your location, “Clear Sky Clock” will save a lot of guess work in the determination of sky conditions for the night you wish to carry out observations.

www.skymaps.com
For monthly star charts www.skymaps.com will send you their latest star charts via email. These star charts are particularly useful for student use at night.

www.rasc.ca
For those wanting more detailed information, The Observers Handbook published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will give all the information that amateur and professional astronomers need for observations.

Recommended monthly magazines are SkyNews, Sky and Telescope and Astronomy.

Mike Hale is a retired science teacher who monitors the night sky.