All of the stars you can see with the unaided eye lie within about 4,000 light-years of us..
If the stars are twinkling considerably we have "poor" seeing conditions and when the star images are steady we have "good" seeing conditions.
Poor seeing is most noticeable when observing planets and the moon, whereas deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies are less affected by poor seeing conditions..
This term typically refers to the atmospheric conditions or level of atmospheric turbulence in the local area.
You have almost certainly heard the song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” -- the more a star twinkles when you observe it, the less stable the atmosphere -- meaning you have poor seeing conditions.
Ideal seeing conditions are when there is the least amount of atmospheric disturbances.
The result is sharp, steady views through your telescope.
This can be during hot summer months when the air is heavy and humid or in locations where the topography is flat and there are fewer obstacles for air to interact with..
The seeing effects are caused by atmospheric turbulence through which some of the light arriving from a star is scattered by refractive inhomogeneities.
As the light wave propagates through the atmosphere it experiences fluctuations in amplitude and phase..
Astronomical seeing is why objects in the night sky appear to blur and twinkle.
The worse the seeing, the more they blur.
It is changes in the Earth's atmosphere..
Autumn, Winter and Spring offer the best times to stargaze, and many astronomers refer to an 'observing season'.
From the time clocks go back in October (nights become 1-hour longer) to the time they go forward in March (nights become 1-hour shorter)..
1 — Very poor images, impossible to see details or to sketch. 2-3 — Almost continuous distortion with occasional brief good moments. 4-6 — More continuous distortions with short intervals of good seeing. 7-8 — Intervals of perfect seeing with fine scale distortions between..
By studying the cosmos beyond our own planet, we can understand where we came from, where we are going, and how physics works under conditions which are impossible to recreate on Earth..
Although not aimed specifically at astronomers, major weather services offer apps that display conditions and forecasts. While most of these do have some astronomy information, and some even feature astronomy pages, astronomy data are usually limited to basics like sunrise, moonrise, and maybe an occasional feature on special events like meteor sho.
It's is specifically intended for amateur astronomers. The data comes a forecast model developed by Allan Rahill of the Canadian Meteorological Center . Read from left to right. Locate a column of blue blocks. That's when the sky will likely to be clear and dark.
It's is specifically intended for amateur astronomers. The data comes a forecast model developed by Allan Rahill of the Canadian Meteorological Center . Read from left to right. Locate a column of blue blocks. That's when the sky will likely to be clear and dark.
