Astronomy Adventures and Vacations. How to Get the Most Out of Astronomy in Your Leisure Time

261 Pages·2017·22.04 MB·English

by  Timothy Treadwell

Timothy Treadwell
Astronomy
Adventures and
Vacations
How to Get the
Most Out of Astronomy
in Your Leisure Time
The Patrick Moore
The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/3192
Astronomy
Adventures
and Vacations
How to Get the Most Out
of Astronomy in Your Leisure Time
Timothy Treadwell
Timothy Treadwell
Stafford, UK
ISSN 1431-9756 ISSN 2197-6562 (electronic)
The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
ISBN 978-3-319-50000-3 ISBN 978-3-319-50002-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-50002-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017936363
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017
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Preface
Astronomy is a wide-ranging hobby and can involve much more than just observ-
ing through an eyepiece. Many people who do not own a telescope, or observe,
have an interest in the area and are looking for ways to pursue this in their leisure
time.
The purpose of the book is that every reader, regardless of age, budget, or experi-
ence, will find some very practical advice that can be used to enrich their hobby and
experience a sense of awe. Readers can experience an “overwhelming and bewil-
dering sense of connection with a startling universe that is usually far beyond the
narrow band of our consciousness,” as neuropsychologist Paul Pearsall once put it.
When I considered which of my own observing experiences to include in the
book, I looked at events that everyone should experience in their lives at least once,
and ways of developing skills to enhance enjoyment of the hobby. Thus, the book
is structured so that each chapter explores some of these areas.
Astronomy is a hobby that, for many, relies heavily on hardware and software
for its enjoyment, so we explore the astronomy/telescope industry and the thrill of
visiting a specialist shop or astronomy show in Chap. 1. In Chap. 2 we examine
how science centers, museums, and planetariums can enhance our experience even
in cities. Everyone should experience looking at the Milky Way from a truly Dark
Sky Site (Chap. 3). In Chap. 4, Observe the Deep Sky through a large Dobsonian
telescope at a Star Party.
The following chapters look at places that are worthy of further exploration, so
Chap. 5 looks at astronomy in the National Parks of the US, Chap. 6 looks at the
v
vi Preface
unique astronomy opportunities of observing in Hawaii and in Chap. 7 experience
the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
For Northern observers, Chap. 8 goes in search of the treasures on view in the
Southern Skies. In Chap. 9 we look at viewing a solar eclipse, and in Chap. 10 we
look at how mankind has recorded and embraced natural astronomy-related phe-
nomena. Chap. 11 looks at how we can enhance our viewing and skills by use of
professional assistance.
In the latter part of the book, we look at the Space Age and how you can engage
with it. In Chap. 12 we look at experiences available through NASA’s visitor’s
centers and other space-related sites. Chap. 13 looks at the unique facility that is the
GCTC, Star City in Russia. Chap. 14 looks at how you can meet and spend time
with a moonwalker, Apollo astronaut, or Shuttle astronaut. Finally, Chap. 15 looks
at how you can experience a rocket launch or cosmonauts returning to earth.
The chapters are arranged by topic and the reader can dip in and out of this book,
so it does not need to be read in chapter order. Throughout the book, sky darkness
readings magnitudes are from the Sky Quality Meter discussed in Chap. 3.
Currency conversions for Pound Sterling to US dollars are based on conversion of
$1.30 to the pound. To simplify the text, any web links and further reading can be
found in the Appendix.
Stafford, UK Timothy Treadwell
Photo Credits
I was a little daunted when it came to putting the photos together for this book.
First, I did not own a digital camera until 2010, so for trips prior to this, I had no
useable photographs for the book. I had used disposable cameras on four trips to
the US and to North Africa and Europe. Even after 2010, it was difficult to get use-
able pictures with my digital camera. On two trips to Iceland, I had no usable
photos of the aurora, and people were getting good photos on mobile phones! This
is why I have looked to better photographers than me to provide many of the pho-
tographs in the book, and I am extremely grateful for their kind generosity in allow-
ing their pictures to be used here.
Chapter 1 – Telescope Shops and Astronomy Shows.
Blake Estes, Simon Bennett, Dave Lawrence, Michael Peoples, Carey Johnson.
Chapter 2 – Planetaria and Science Museums.
Blake Estes, Island Planetarium, Sandra Voss, Vladimir Suvorov, Andrew Green,
Tony Willett’s.
Chapter 3 – In Search of Dark Skies.
Simon Bennett, Ainsley Bennett, Kielder Observatory, Galloway Astronomy
Centre, Bodhi Smith Photography.
Chapter 4 – Star Parties.
Michael Peoples, Ainsley Bennett.
Chapter 5 – Astronomy in the National Parks.
Tyler Nordgren, Bodhi Smith, David Lane, Michael Peoples.
Chapter 6 – Hawaii.
Carey Johnson.
vii
viii Photo Credits
Chapter 7 – The Northern Lights.
Galloway Astronomy Centre, Petr Horalek, Andy Gibson, Jack Newton, Wayne
Dicks, Robert Robertsson.
Chapter 8 – Southern Skies.
Paul Stewart, Andrew Green, Hakos Guest Farm, Chris Treasurer/Ian Bruce, Petr Horalek.
Chapter 9 – Eclipses and Other Time-Specific Events.
Sue Davies - Astrofarm, Blake Estes, Michael Peoples, Paul Stewart, Petr Horalek,
Faycal Demri.
Chapter 10 – Observing Other Astronomically Related Phenomena.
Tyler Nordgren, Richard Garner, Bodhi Smith, Carey Johnson, Russell Higgins,
Darren Vaughan – Wightdrone, Sienna Anderson.
Chapter 11 – Enhancing Your Observing Experience.
Marc Bretton, COAA, Astrofarm, Irene Winter, Galloway Astronomy Centre, Andrew
Green FRAS, Jack Newton, Andy Gibson, Matthew Armitage, Sandra Voss.
Chapter 12 – NASA Visitor Centers and Other US Space Sites
Hilda Hanks.
Chapter 13 – Star City - The Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Chapter 14 – Meet an Astronaut.
Autographica Events, Richard Garner, Rick Mulheirn, Hilda Hanks, Lyudmyla
Shcherbanyuk, Andrew Green, Alan Thompson.
Chapter 15 – Cosmic Adventures.
Andrew Green, Roman Eluzarov, Liudmila Levkina, Vegitel Tours, Face in Space.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank John Watson, Elizabet Cabrera and Nora Rawn from Springer
for their encouragement, help, and support with this book. Dawn Holliday for her
encouragement and assistance with the initial book proposal. Geoff Middleton for
his assistance in discussions on chapters. Kyle Mason, Matthew Ash, and Nigel
Regan for their patient IT support.
David Phillips from Intrepid Travel for his assistance and encouragement; Vlad
Shevkunov and Elena Matveeva from Vegitel Tours for making my visit to the
Gagarin cosmonaut Training Centre such a special day. Scott Wiggers and Carey
Johnson, the “Telescope Guy,” who helped organize my astronomy needs on my
visits to Hawaii.
Paul England from Island Planetarium and Andrew Green from Stardome plan-
etarium for their encouragement and Nordgren Tyler for his support with the
National Parks.
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Contents
Part I Astronomy
1 Telescope Shops and Astronomy Shows ................................................ 3
Telescope Shops ........................................................................................ 4
Astronomy Shows ..................................................................................... 8
Astronomy and the Arts ............................................................................ 11
US: Regional Shows ............................................................................. 11
Further Afield ........................................................................................ 14
National/International Events Days .......................................................... 16
Astronomy Magazines .............................................................................. 17
Astronomy Forums ............................................................................... 17
2 Planetaria and Science Museums .......................................................... 19
The US ...................................................................................................... 20
The UK ...................................................................................................... 23
Europe ....................................................................................................... 26
Historical Homes ...................................................................................... 30
Space Memorabilia ................................................................................... 32
3 In Search of Dark Skies .......................................................................... 35
Stargazing in Towns and Cities ................................................................. 35
Dark Sky Sites ........................................................................................... 38
Finding a Dark Sky Site ............................................................................ 41
Commission for Dark Skies ...................................................................... 47
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