Home   Genealogy   Leisure   Information   Software   Search   Contact 
JG's Leisure pages
 Art   Astronomy   Films   U3A   Organ   Rubik   Kittens 

Astronomy FAQs

Links for weather and what to see.

I have been interesested in Astronomy since I was a kid but have only just got down to doing anything serious about it. I have joined the local astronomy club and have developed a web site for them: South East Essex Astronomical Society.

I have a home brew 10" cassegrain/newton that I bought second hand and am just coming to terms with finding my way around. You can see more about this on my wife's web site where she documented the setting up of the beast.

I once answered a question for someone about the waxing and waning of the moon. It seemed to me that the answer would make a good FAQ so I have put it in to HTML and decided to start a list of FAQs for beginners. These will all be biased towards those interested in stars and the solar system or are just curious about things but have no expertise. My aim is to give the answer in a way that the reader can see why things are the way the are. This is not a place for the serious amateur, unless wanting to contribute some ideas.

FAQ Question
001 How can you tell when the Moon is waxing or waning?
And why is it called wax or wane?
002 Are those telescopes in the mail order catalogues and chain stores any good?
I have £150 to spend, what scope does that give me?
003 What are R.A and Dec? (Right Ascension and Declination)
How do I know where to look to find an object from the given values?
004 How is the solstice defined? Is it the shortest day, the longest night, or each day either side of the longest night?
Does the leap year have any effect on the date of the solstice?
005 Why did the path that BBC showed for the Venus Transit not match the live images? Did they get it wrong?

If you have any comments or questions about any of the above, please contact me (JG) via the contact page.

 Art   Astronomy   Films   U3A   Organ   Rubik   Kittens 
 Top   Genealogy   Leisure   Information   Software   Search   Contact 

Copyright © 2004 - JG Weston, all rights reserved.

This document is http://www.sturnidae.com/stronme.php.