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Norfolk is one of the best places in the country
to observe the night skies, according to Mark Lawrik-Thompson, Chairman
of the Norwich Astronomical Society (NAS).
Since his first views of Saturn through the NAS
observatory telescopes at the age of nine, Mark's fascination with
astronomy has soared.
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| A view of the planet Saturn sparked Mark's
interest in astronomy |
His particular interest is with all things faint
and fuzzy - like galaxies and areas of star
formation - and in photographing the many fascinating objects to
be seen.
Mark's enthusiasm for educating the public about
astronomy has led to him being elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society.
Guidance for budding stargazers
Here he tells budding stargazers how to get started
in astronomy. Each month he previews the events in the skies over
Norfolk.
You can ask him any astronomy question via this
website or call the phone-in on the last Thursday of every month
on BBC Radio Norfolk.
Essential equipment
If you're not sure where to start the best thing
to do is to buy a planisphere, a red torch and take a visit to your
local astronomical society - see the Internet links on the left
for details.
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| The Herschel Dome in Seething houses a 10"
telescope - you can get started with some basic equipment. |
Planisphere
A planisphere is a circular plastic device that
will show you which constellations can be seen in the sky at any
time of the year.
Planispheres come in two sizes: the larger version
with a diameter of about eight inches (20cm) is easier to work with.
It is made up of two plastic disks fixed together
at the centre. The bottom disk has a map of the sky with the days
of the year around the edge.
The top disk has the hours of the day around the
edge; by aligning the date with the time of day you will get a map
of what you can see in the sky.
Red torches for night vision
You need to see what you are doing when working
outside at night. It can take up to an hour for the eye to adapt
to the dark so the astronomer has to be outside
for about an hour before they start to see things at their best.
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| There is a lot you can see with the naked
eye - a red torch will help them adapt to the dark. |
White light from an ordinary torch destroys the
'dark adaption' so a red torch is well worth purchasing. It will
help you read your planisphere without compromising your dark adaption,
or that of those around you.
These two inexpensive pieces of equipment should
give you a great start, but you will also need some patience.
The British weather is often unfair to the keen
astronomer - but stick with it and you will soon learn your way
around the sky and see some amazing sights.
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