Can I use a telescope in my back garden?
You don't need a telescope the size of a house, or a credit card without a spending limit to enjoy the night sky.
In fact, I think you should start off with nothing more than your eyes and a back garden, window or even balcony..
How can I start astronomy?
Astronomers study planets, stars, and other celestial bodies.
They use ground-based equipment, such as optical telescopes, and space-based equipment, such as the Hubble Space Telescope.
Some astronomers study distant galaxies and phenomena such as black holes and neutron stars..
How far is the outer space from Earth?
Yet the edge of space – or the point where we consider spacecraft and astronauts to have entered space, known as the Von Karman Line – is only 62 miles (100 kilometers) above sea level.
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How long does it take for a gas giant to form?
Rocky planets like Earth develop over millions of years, followed by gas giants like Jupiter, which build upon rocky cores.
But new evidence from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggests that some gas giants may sprout in less than one million years, more like planetary wildflowers than trees..
How long does it take to grow a planet?
In the warmer parts of the disk, closer to the star, rocky planets begin to form.
After the icy giants form there's not a lot of gas left for the terrestrial planets to accrete.
Planets that are rocky like Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars may take tens of millions of years to form after the birth of the star..
How long does it take to make a solar system?
Over about 100,000 years, the competing forces of gravity, gas pressure, magnetic fields, and rotation caused the contracting nebula to flatten into a spinning protoplanetary disc with a diameter of about 200 AU and form a hot, dense protostar (a star in which hydrogen fusion has not yet begun) at the centre..
How much does it cost to build an observatory home?
Others buy prefabricated domes and mount them on their homes or other small buildings.
You can set up a home observatory for about $20,000, says Suzy Gurton, education manager at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, in San Francisco..
What is the field of astronomy?
Astronomy - The general field of natural science concerned with celestial objects including Solar System, Galactic and Extragalactic objects.
Most of the enrolled students in the field work in this overarching area..
Where do I start in backyard astronomy?
Observing the Moon is one of the easiest ways to get started with astronomy.
You can track the lunar cycle, and use binoculars or a telescope to see how your view of it changes.
When the Moon is full, for example, it tends to be dazzlingly bright and one-dimensional..
Where to start astronomy?
Astronomers study planets, stars, and other celestial bodies.
They use ground-based equipment, such as optical telescopes, and space-based equipment, such as the Hubble Space Telescope.
Some astronomers study distant galaxies and phenomena such as black holes and neutron stars..
Why astronomy is important?
Observing the Moon is one of the easiest ways to get started with astronomy.
You can track the lunar cycle, and use binoculars or a telescope to see how your view of it changes.
When the Moon is full, for example, it tends to be dazzlingly bright and one-dimensional..
- Historical Context
The Royal Observatory was founded by Charles II by way of a Royal Warrant in 1675, and shortly after John Flamsteed (1646-1719) was appointed as the first Astronomer Royal. - The solar neighborhood lies about 8.5 kpc from the center of the Galaxy (see Sackett 1997).
At that distance, there are very few, if any, true bulge stars.
Hence, the solar neighborhood stars are a mixture of thin disk, thick disk and halo stars.