How To Start

This page holds a information on several topics to help you get started. It covers a range from beginner articles on observational astronomy, to a Glossary of astronomical terms. Selecting the article title will take you to the information.

Articles

• Getting Started with the Yearbook
• A Word about Binoculars
• The Effect of Latitude on What You See
• Astronomical terms
• Glossary

Links

• Excellent Australian Telescope purchase web site.
• Buying used SCT's (Schmidt Cassigrain Telescopes) from Rod Mollise (PDF download).
• Purchasing Amateur Telescopes FAQ (HTML version) from sci.astro.amateur by Slc.Dennis Bishop.
• Telescopes & Binoculars - How to choose, use, and get the most out of your instrument (from Sky and Telescope).
• The Telescope Review Web Site by Ed Ting "Welcome -- You've found one of the most comprehensive telescope review websites on the Internet! Inside, you'll find detailed reviews of over 100 telescopes, eyepiece reviews, a beginner's advice column, feature articles, and lots more!." Despite this modest introduction, this is a very good review site.
• Astronomical Terms - Zelko Karlovic speaks to ABC Radia presenter Lynne Haultain each Thursday morning at 5.50 am about astronomy and space news. As a part of this service he has provided them with a list of terms that are handy for the amateur star gazer.
• If you are considering building an observatory, the "At Home In A Dome" booklet from Technical Innovations (HomeDome producers) is a worthwhile read. Even if you eventually decide not to use a dome, it has some very good practical advice on observatories.
  The "At Home in a Dome" booklet file is approx. 430KB in size. Once you download the file you only need to open it with the Adobe Acrobat Reader application to view or print its contents.
• Astronomy Thesaurus
  The thesaurus is endorsed by the International Astronomical Union and has been compiled to try to standarise the terminology in the field of astronomy. It is for aiding unambiguous library cataloguing and more precise recall of datafrom computer databases. The thesaurus is intended for use by astronomy librarians and scientists. Please read the introduction for the methods used to compile the thesaurus and for reference to our collaborators - an international team of astronomy librarians without whom this project would not have succeeded.
• Astronomy Unbound - A Virtual Astronomy Text
  An electronic book at School and Undergraduate University level for those who may be taking courses and particularily for anyone with a general interest in astronomy. The contents start on this page from which there are hyper-text links to contributions on Servers world-wide. Links to this Site are welcome. Likewise your comments. Astronomers at the University, under Professor Jim Hough, can act in an editorial capacity

• How to Use a Planisphere
  
• Why Red Torches?
  
• How to Make a Red Torch
  
• How to Find Planets on a Planisphere