Feature

If the starry skies inspire you with wonder and curiosity, you have the right stuff to become an astronomer

Humans have been awed by the night sky for countless millennia. We know so much more about the universe than our ancestors, but the same visceral feelings about the vast, silent majesty of the cosmos sweep through our senses.

A wealth of objects and phenomena delight night-sky viewers. Some objects, like the stars, star patterns and constellations, are permanent fixtures in the cosmic tapestry, acting as guideposts to understanding and finding your way around the heavens. Other objects, like the Moon and planets, move along a highway through the constellations and appear to change over time. A few phenomena, like comets, meteors and the northern lights, are relatively fleeting but spectacular sights. Some sky events can be predicted with great accuracy, while others spring wonderful visual surprises.

There are enough sights in the night sky to keep astronomers enthralled for a lifetime. By probing the universe further using binoculars or telescopes, astronomers eager to explore the cosmos are capable of revealing a staggering panorama beyond Earth. Moreover, new technology in the form of high-resolution electronic cameras, in conjunction with computer-controlled telescopes, enable far more of the universe to be observed than the eye at the eyepiece alone can take in.

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THE SKY AROUND YOU

As Earth rotates, the stars rise and set, tracing arcs at various heights above the horizon

1 North celestial pole

The northern point in the sky about which all of the stars seem to rotate around the North Star, also known as Polaris.

2 Right ascension

Right ascension is to the sky what longitude is to the surface of Earth, corresponding to east and west directions. It’s measured in hours, minutes and seconds since as Earth rotates we see different parts of the sky through the night.

3 Celestial equator

A great circle on the celestial sphere that lies in the same plane as Earth’s terrestrial equator and is tilted at roughly 23.5 degrees to the ecliptic.

4 Declination

How high an object will rise in the sky. Like Earth’s latitude, declination measures north and south. It’s measured in degrees, arcminutes and arcseconds. There are 60 arcminutes in a degree and 60 arcseconds in an arcminute.

UNDERSTANDING THE NIGHT SKY

Knowing how the heavens work is essential before you get started in astronomy

Learning the basics is key to being able to maximise your enjoyment of astronomy. Being able to find individual objects – whether they’re permanent fixtures within constellations, such as double stars, star clusters or nebulae, or transitory visitors such as planets, comets or asteroids – depends on knowing where to look. At first it may seem a daunting task to learn the layout of the skies, the positions of the main constellations and the names of the brightest stars. But time is on your side – there’s no rush, and the thrill of being able to identify star patterns and individual stars remains with you forever and is a skill that you can pass on to others.