Astronomy For Dummies. Maran Stephen P.
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Название: Astronomy For Dummies

Автор: Maran Stephen P.

Издательство: Автор

Жанр: Зарубежная образовательная литература

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isbn: 9781119374381

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СКАЧАТЬ find some programs advertised in astronomy and science magazines and on websites (see the previous two sections); they’re updated occasionally for increased usefulness. You need only one program to get started, and that one may be the only program you ever need. The best way to select the planetarium program that suits you is to talk to experienced amateur astronomers at your local astronomy club. What works for them likely will work for you.

      

I recommend that you start out with Stellarium as the personal planetarium program on your desktop or laptop computer. It’s a free, open-source program available for computers running most operating systems. It shows you the night or day sky at your place and time, or you can adjust it to check the sky at a later date. Visit the Stellarium website at www.stellarium.org to learn about its many features, view sample screen shots, or download the program to your computer.

      A great many astronomy-related apps for smartphones and tablet computers are available for your consideration. Here are some that might work well for you:

      ❯❯ CraterSizeXL: Use this iPad and iPhone app to calculate the possible danger if a potentially hazardous asteroid is headed for Earth (I discuss PHAs in Chapter 7). Fill in the available information on the object, and CraterSizeXL predicts the impact energy in units of Hiroshima-equivalent atom bomb blasts, crater size, and more. Damage from an asteroid hit can be in the trillions of dollars, but the good news is that you can download the app for about a buck.

      ❯❯ Sky Guide: This award-winning app by Fifth Star Labs creates beautiful maps of the sky, complete with musical accompaniment (which you can mute). Walk outdoors and spot some stars that you don’t recognize? Just turn on the app, press Sky Guide’s compass icon, and point the phone at the stars. Sky Guide (available for iPhone, iPad, and even for Apple Watch) displays a map of the region, names the constellation, draws lines between stars to indicate its shape, and prints the names of the brighter stars alongside them. It also shows you where the planets are and does much more. Check out the developer’s website at www.fifthstarlabs.com.

      ❯❯ Galaxy Zoo: This app is free for Android and Apple phones and tablets. It’s for citizen scientists who help advance the science of astronomy by classifying the shapes of an astronomical number of galaxies that the Hubble Space Telescope (and others) have photographed. Join more than a quarter million volunteers worldwide in this worthy effort. (I describe galaxies and how to join Galaxy Zoo with your home computer, smartphone, or tablet in Chapter 12.)

      ❯❯ Google Sky Map: If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can use this free app to identify visible stars and planets or to enjoy images of numerous celestial objects from NASA and other sources.

      ❯❯ GoSatWatch: iPhone and iPad owners can use this app to learn where artificial satellites are orbiting and to predict when satellites will pass over your location (or any other) on Earth. (I describe artificial satellite observing in Chapter 4.) Satellite Safari is a similar app for both Android and Apple devices.

      ❯❯ SkySafari 5: This highly rated planetarium program (for Android devices, iPhone, and iPad) is available in different versions at prices ranging from about $1 for the simplest version to about $20 for the most advanced. The more you pay, the more features you get. With the basic version, you can point the phone toward the sky, night or day, and it identifies the celestial objects visible (night) or invisible (day) that are up in that direction. Start with the cheap version and see whether it does everything you need.

      ❯❯ Star Chart: This free iPhone and Android app is a simple way to identify stars and constellations.

      Visiting Observatories and Planetariums

      You can visit professional observatories (organizations that have large telescopes staffed by astronomers and other scientists for use in studying the universe) and public planetariums (specially equipped facilities with machines that project stars and other sky objects in a darkened room, accompanied by simple explanations of sky phenomena) to find out more about telescopes, astronomy, and research programs.

Ogling the observatories

      You can find dozens of professional observatories in the United States and many more abroad. Some serve as research institutions operated by colleges and universities or government agencies. The U.S. Naval Observatory is in the heart of Washington, D.C., and has high security, so you must arrange tours in advance; they’re usually on Monday nights (details are at www.usno.navy.mil/USNO). Some facilities are on remote mountaintops, such as the University of Denver’s Mt. Evans Meyer-Womble Observatory, billed as the “Highest Operating Observatory in the West,” at 14,148 feet; learn more at mysite.du.edu/~rstencel/MtEvans. (At the time of this book’s publication, the observatory was not operational because it was still recovering from disastrous high winds that damaged the dome and the telescope during the 2011–2012 winter season.)

      Certain observatories are dedicated to public education and information; cities, counties, school systems, or nonprofit organizations often operate these facilities. Here are some of the top sites:

      ❯❯ The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in London, England: One of the most famous observatories in the world, at one time the Royal Observatory (www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory) was a professional research facility, then called the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The observatory is “home” of the prime meridian, from which longitude is measured around Earth. Equally important, it was the original source of Greenwich Mean Time, which set the standard for timekeeping worldwide.

      ❯❯ Lowell Observatory, on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona: Research observatories vary in the degree to which they accommodate visits from the public, but Lowell is especially welcoming. You can even look at planets or stars on some nights: The observatory advertises that you can “Peer through the telescope that Percival Lowell used to sketch Mars or visit the telescope that helped Clyde Tombaugh discover Pluto.” (However, the latter telescope was removed from its dome in 2017 for about a year’s worth of renovations.)Lowell has a fine visitor center with a theater and exhibit hall and offers frequent tours. Check out its website at www.lowell.edu. (I discuss Percival Lowell and Mars in Chapter 6 and Pluto in Chapter 9.)

      ❯❯ The National Solar Observatory, at Sunspot, New Mexico: This observatory runs Sun-watching telescopes in Lincoln National Forest above the little town of Cloudcroft, which is high above the city of Alamogordo. You can check out its Sunspot Astronomy and Visitor Center (daytime visits only) and take a tour of the observatory as well. See nsosp.nso.edu/pr for more.

      ❯❯ Mount Wilson Observatory, in the San Bernardino Mountains above Los Angeles, California: Mount Wilson, where the expansion of the universe and the magnetism of the Sun were discovered, is a landmark in the history of science. Albert Einstein was a special guest there, but you don’t have to be a Big Brain to enjoy your visit. Self-guided tours are free; guided tours occur, for a fee, on Saturdays and Sundays. For a (high) price, you and your friends can even pool your money and book viewing time on the 100-inch telescope, which Edwin Hubble used to discover that the universe extends far beyond the Milky СКАЧАТЬ