Literature      05/23/2020

What can be seen in the sky through a telescope. What can be seen with a telescope? Using binoculars to explore the Milky Way

Colored and bright photographs of galaxies, planets and star clusters can enchant anyone who is not indifferent to space and the study of the Universe. And many of us, inspired by the experience of astrophotographers, will want to try this exciting hobby ourselves. On the one hand, everything is quite simple: there is no need for special skills or long training sessions, as when skating. I bought myself a telescope, the necessary lens, waited for the night - and you can proceed. But in fact, not everything is so simple. It seems to many of us that as soon as we point the telescope tube at the night sky, colorful planets the size of a soccer ball, numerous star clusters and even entire galaxies will pop up from everywhere. Like in the movies. Or maybe a comet will immediately fly by in front of you and wave its shining tail at you? Unfortunately no. The reality is much more prosaic. Nevertheless, with the correct use of the telescope, you will get a lot of pleasant emotions and impressions from viewing space objects.

First, let's try to figure out how a telescope works. First, the ability to zoom in on distant objects - the magnification of a telescope - has very little to do with what kind of picture you see in it. Even on the cheapest telescope, you can achieve almost any magnification, but this does not mean that you can see something. The main characteristic of a telescope is its resolution, or the ability of an optical instrument to draw two closely spaced details in focus. For clarity, imagine a phone camera. Remember the old Nokias with 1-2 megapixel cameras? Now compare them with the cameras on modern iPhones. It seems to be, and there and there the camera. And you are the same. And fit into the frame equally well. You can zoom in and out. But the photos are completely different: one is dull, blurry, completely without details. And on the other, beautiful and bright, you can even see the tips of the eyelashes. It's all about resolution. The same is true for the telescope. Imagine that the telescope is the "camera" of your eye. And if you buy a cheap and simple "camera", you can clearly see objects magnified, for example, 70 times. If you increase further, they will become dull and blurry. And if you have a good, expensive camera, you can get up to 500x magnification without losing image quality. In this case, the size of the objects will be the same as the size of your face in both photos in the phone example.

Resolution is measured in arcseconds (it's only 0.00028 degrees). The larger the diameter of the lens, the better the resolution and the more distant objects you can see. In order for the image to be as clear and sharp as possible, ideally the magnification should be no more than the diameter of the lens in millimeters. For example, for a 100x magnification, you need a 100mm lens. Some use 1.5x to 2x magnification for this diameter, if lens quality and atmospheric conditions allow. You should not increase these values ​​further.

You probably can't wait to find out what you can see through a telescope. We will tell you about it and answer FAQ that arise in novice astronomers. First, let's dispel a few popular myths:

Will I be able to see an artificial satellite?

No, they're moving too fast. You are unlikely to be able to catch the satellite "on sight".

Can I see a star through a telescope?

To see - yes, to see - no. The only star you can see is the Sun.

Well, if you hope to examine in detail the stellar disks and find out how the stars in the constellation Ursa Major differ from the stars in Ursa Minor - alas, it will not work. The closest star to us, Proxima Centauri, is 7 times smaller than the Sun and is 4 light years away. In order to see it, you would need a telescope with a mirror with a diameter of 140 m, which is impossible in terrestrial conditions. The largest in existence this moment optical telescopes, the Great Canary Telescope (Gran Telescopio Canarias), has a mirror diameter of only 10.4 meters. Therefore, in the near future, we will be able to see stars only as luminous blurry spots surrounded by concentric rings.

What about the footprints of the first man on the moon? American flag? Lunokhod?

No, no and NO. Why, then, do we see entire galaxies that are so far away from us, but cannot see objects located on the Moon, very close to us? For the same reason as distant stars. The resolving power of any optical telescope is too small to see such small objects, although they are at a much closer distance. Using the same Gran Telescopio Canarias telescope, objects of this size can be distinguished at a maximum distance of 10,000 km. And the Moon is removed from us by as much as 380 thousand km. Therefore, the smallest object that can be seen on it must be at least 20 m in size. In addition, galaxies glow and stand out against the dark background of outer space, while objects left on the Moon do not. They do not give any contrast, and the most that we could see there is a faint shadow.

Why do I need a telescope then? you ask disappointedly and stomp your foot. Do not rush to despair. There are a lot of amazing, fantastic in their beauty things that you can observe through a telescope.

1. Moon

The Moon is the only satellite of the Earth and a wonderful object for observation. Even a small telescope will be enough to view its many craters, crevices, seas and furrows. At magnifications from 100x, it will not even fit into the field of view of your telescope. You will have to look at it piece by piece. And the most interesting thing is that you can observe the Moon at least every night, if the weather permits. Depending on the changing phases of the moon, you will be able to see more and more details.

Photo taken by amateur astronomer Vladimir Suvorov for www.site

2. Sun

Here it is, the only star that you and I can see through a telescope. But take your time! Before observing the Sun, be sure (!) Buy a reliable solar filter, otherwise there will be nothing to consider it. No self-made films, smoked glasses and floppy disks! Save your eyes! The sun can only be observed through a special, professionally manufactured solar filter. Otherwise, vision can be irreparably damaged - up to complete blindness. Only once is enough, unfortunately. Remember that the finder when observing the Sun must be closed with a lid or removed - without a solar filter, looking at the Sun through the finder is no less dangerous than looking through the telescope tube.

Once you have purchased a solar filter and attached it securely to your telescope tube, you are ready to begin your observations. Even with the smallest telescope, you can see sunspots - dark spots on the bright surface of the Sun. The sun rotates with a frequency of 25 days, and by observing the movements of the spots every day, you can see its rotation. The sun is the only astronomical object that can be observed during the day.

3. Planets

The planets of our solar system can also be seen through a telescope. They won't look as big and bright as they do in photos taken with spacecraft flying near them. Rather, the planets will look like luminous peas. For example, Mercury, when viewed through small telescopes, will look like an asterisk. If you use a telescope with a larger diameter, you can see the phase of Mercury - a small "sickle".

The brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon is Venus, also known as the morning star. Sometimes you can even see it during the day with the naked eye. It is impossible to see any details on Venus, because it is covered with a dense, opaque atmosphere. But you can observe phases similar to the moon.

Mars, on the other hand, is visible even through a large telescope as a small circle, so the myth that once a year it can be seen in the sky as a huge red disk, the size of two moons, is really just a myth. During oppositions, when the distance between Mars and Earth is minimal, dark spots can be seen on the planet, which are called seas.

Saturn will definitely not disappoint you. This is perhaps the most beautiful planet. The ring can be seen even in the smallest telescope. It is best to observe Saturn in telescopes with a diameter of 200 mm or more. Then you can see its satellites, the main separation between the rings (Cassini gap) and cloud belts.

Jupiter, from which the history of astronomical observations began, has a slightly flattened appearance due to its rapid rotation around its axis. Even with a small telescope, you can see two bands on the planet's disk - these are cloudy belts. If you look at Jupiter through a larger telescope, you will see 5-6 bands. The famous giant vortex in the form of a red spot is also visible. And you can also notice the four Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto), which cast their shadows on Jupiter when they pass in front of the planet's disk.

Uranus and Neptune, even in the largest telescopes, will be visible as bluish-green luminous peas.

4. Galaxies

Each galaxy is made up of billions of stars. In a telescope, they are visible as small colorless specks. At sufficiently high magnification, one can see their shape and spiral arms. Surely you have seen on the Internet a lot of colorful photos of what can be seen through a telescope. Including many beautiful color photographs of galaxies taken with electronic cameras. The fact is that these photographs were taken with a long exposure, when light accumulates in the camera's matrix. As a result, they are so bright. And our eye is not able to make a long exposure, so we see most space objects in black and white. The Andromeda Nebula is one of the closest galaxies to us. And even it is at a distance of 2.5 million light years. Due to its great remoteness, the light travels to us for a very long time, and now we see only how the galaxy looked 2.5 million years ago, when there were no people on Earth yet.


5. Starry clusters

Star clusters, or pleiades of stars, are spherical and scattered. All the stars in the cluster are linked together by gravity and move as a whole in the gravitational field of the galaxy. Open clusters usually do not have a definite shape or appreciable concentration towards the center. One of the most famous open clusters is the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. The scattered pleiades will be seen as more or less uniform clusters of stars. And spherical ones look like round spots, which, with a telescope diameter of 150 mm or more, will decay into stars. They are like a swarm of bees: the closer to the center, the more densely they are located to each other.


Photo taken by amateur astronomer Richard Flynn (USA)

6. Double stars

Not only planets can revolve around stars (as in our solar system), but also other stars. Such pairs or small clusters of stars are called binary or multiple. Although you won’t be able to see the stellar disks in detail, as we have already said, double stars are undoubtedly worth your attention. Often they come in different colors - for example, one star is yellow, the other is red or blue. You can observe these little shining lights even with a small telescope or binoculars. One of the most beautiful double stars is Albireo in the constellation Cygnus.

7. Nebulae

Nebulae, like galaxies, need to be observed in very dark skies. In urban illumination, you are unlikely to be able to see something in detail, it is better to go further into nature. You will also see nebulae only in black and white, for the same reason - our eye is not able to accumulate light and is insensitive to colors in the dark. Imagine that you are in a dark room. Look at the objects around, they will all be in different shades of gray. Your eyes will switch from "color sensitivity" mode to "light sensitivity" mode. To view the nebula in detail, you will need a telescope with a diameter of at least 200 mm. But even with a small telescope, you can see the Orion Nebula, the Ring in the constellation Lyra, the Dumbbell Nebula in the constellation Vulpecula and many others.


Photo taken by amateur astronomer Richard Flynn (USA)

8. Comets

Comets appear in the night sky many times a year. You just need to know where and when to look for them (for this it would be nice to get a calendar of astronomical phenomena). Like nebulae and galaxies, comets are visible as small specks of light, but with tails. Bright comets are much rarer, and they're all over the astronomy news, so you're unlikely to miss them.

9. Ground facilities

The telescope can be used not only for its intended purpose, but also as a large telescope. Do you want to see a house far away on top of a mountain? Or a train leaving in the distance? See the inscription on the billboard far from you? You can see all this with a telescope. Remember that astronomical telescopes tend to show upside down images. Therefore, for ground-based observations, you will additionally need a special inverting prism.

So we told you about what you can see through a telescope. Of course, at first not everything will turn out, you need a certain skill. But the more you practice, try different telescopes, nozzles, filters, the more colorful and diverse objects you will be able to see. And if you want to take a picture. And do not think that an expensive telescope is necessary for a good result. An experienced amateur with a small telescope will see much more than a beginner with a bunch of expensive optical equipment. Astronomy and astrophotography is a fascinating hobby that has many followers around the world. Go outdoors, climb on your rooftop, take your friends with you, share a photo of what you see through a telescope with them, travel the world with a telescope - your possibilities are limited only by your own imagination.

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August 2017

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« What can be seen with a telescope? - such a question is asked by a novice astronomer. Depending on the design of the pipe, the diameter of the lenses and mirrors, space may seem like a blurry cluster of spots or a vibrant and bright picture of a new world. Wherein main characteristic, affecting the quality of the image, becomes the aperture - the ability of an optical device to collect light beams. The more light the optics transmits or reflects, the brighter the final picture for the observer. For example, let's take two telescopes of 100 and 200 mm: the latter will have an image 4 times brighter. There is another dependence, the larger the lens diameter, the finer details can be distinguished on the Moon, planets, or closer stellar pairs can be resolved. The main thing is that the atmosphere during observations should be as stable as possible and suitable for resolving fine details. That is why , and with different pipe diameters show the observer strictly defined space objects(planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, etc.), forming only outlines or a more detailed or even color picture of the world. The visibility of space objects is affected not only by the aperture, but also by the design of the device. All telescopes available to the average user are divided into three types:

  • - traditional and most popular among the buyers of our store because of the ease of operation and acceptable sizes. Suitable for observing the moon, planets, double stars.
  • - have a concave mirror and are devoid of chromatic aberrations. Due to the special design, refractors can be smaller and lighter, meaning from 150 mm, create a clearer image. With regard to reflectors, the rule works - the maximum aperture at the minimum price
  • – equipped with a spherical primary mirror and aberration-compensating lenses (meniscus or correction plate). Combining the advantages of refractors and reflectors, these telescopes provide a more detailed picture when comparing optical instruments with the same aperture. Their main disadvantages are: high price, low light transmission compared to refractors, and slightly lower image contrast.

Here it is appropriate to tell a little about the designs and additional features of telescopes. If you need to additionally observe terrestrial objects (remember that not all telescopes provide direct image), then your choice should fall on the azimuth mount.

Rice. Amateur telescope in the field. Preparing for Observations

So, you should roughly understand what can you see with a telescope various types and diameters of lenses. Based on this information, you can choose a telescope based on your own desires and requests. It should be noted that the more complex the design of the telescope and the greater its magnification, the greater the price. But all the same, all observations of the sky, regardless of the type and quality of the telescope, will give you real pleasure from familiarizing yourself with the secrets of the structure of the Universe.

The Orion Nebula. A very bright and impressive object. With the naked eye, the nebula is perceived as an indistinct glow, with binoculars it is visible as a bright cloud. And by the way, the size of this “cloud” is such that its substance would be enough for about a thousand Suns, or more than three hundred million Earth planets.


Levehuk Skyline PRO 1000 EQ

The Pleiades star cluster. Located in the constellation Taurus. There are about 1000 stars in the Pleiades, but of course, not all of them are visible from the Earth. The blue halo around the stars is the nebula in which the star cluster is submerged. The nebula is visible only around the most bright stars Pleiades.


The photo was taken with the Levehuk Skyline PRO 1000 EQ telescope.

Moon. With the naked eye, we would see only a luminous crescent. Dark spots are lunar seas, light areas are hills. It is the seas and hills that form the "smiling face" on the full moon.


The photo was taken with the Levehuk Skyline PRO 2000 EQ telescope.

Lunar surface. The craters are clearly visible. The Soviet moon rover and the American flag are not visible. To see them, you need a giant telescope with a mirror hundreds of meters in diameter - this is not yet on Earth.


The photo was taken through the BRESSER Messier NT-203 telescope.

The Andromeda Galaxy (or Nebula) is one of the closest galaxies to us. Close is a relative term: it is about 2.52 million light-years. Due to the distance, we see this galaxy as it was 2.5 million years ago. There were no people on Earth then. What the Andromeda Galaxy looks like right now is impossible to know.

And finally…


The photo was taken with the Levehuk Skyline PRO 1000 EQ telescope.

Learned? Yes it Jupiter! And it can also be seen with a telescope. Like Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and many other space objects.

Watch for starry sky best outside the city, where there are no lights and lights. Although in the city you can see a lot of interesting things. Any telescope will do for a start, and then you can switch to professional models. Beginners should not buy a telescope on their own, it is better to consult with experienced astronomers. You can catch and question them in the Days of Open Astronomy (DOA), which take place in many cities of Russia (DOA schedule -). Fans of their craft gather at these events, who can tell everything and even more about astronomy, and allow you to look through a telescope for free.

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Refractor 60-70 mm, reflector 70-80 mm.

  • Double stars with a separation greater than 2” - Albireo, Mizar, etc.
  • Weak stars up to 11.5 stars. quantities
  • Sunspots (only with aperture filter)
  • Phases of Venus
  • Craters on the Moon with a diameter of 8 km
  • Polar caps and seas on Mars during the Great Opposition
  • Belts on Jupiter and in ideal conditions the Great Red Spot (GRS), Jupiter's four moons
  • Rings of Saturn, Cassini Fissure under excellent visibility conditions, pink belt on the disk of Saturn
  • Uranus and Neptune in the form of stars
  • Large globular (eg M13) and open clusters
  • Almost all objects of the Messier catalog without details in them

Refractor 80-90 mm, reflector 100-120 mm, mirror lens 90-125 mm.

  • Double stars with a separation of 1.5" or more, faint stars up to 12 magnitude.
  • Structure sunspots, granulation and flame fields (only with aperture filter)
  • Phases of Mercury
  • Lunar craters about 5 km in size
  • Polar caps and seas on Mars during oppositions
  • Several additional belts on Jupiter and the BKP. Shadows from Jupiter's moons on the planet's disk
  • Cassini gap in the rings of Saturn and 4-5 satellites
  • Uranus and Neptune in the form of small disks without details on them
  • Dozens of globular clusters, bright globular clusters will decay into stardust at the edges
  • Dozens of planetary and diffuse nebulae and all objects in the Messier catalog
  • The brightest objects from the NGC catalog
  • In the brightest and largest objects, some details can be distinguished
  • Galaxies are mostly hazy patches with no detail.

Refractor 100-130 mm, reflector or mirror lens 130-150 mm.

  • Double stars with a separation of 1" or more, faint stars up to 13 magnitude.
  • Details of Lunar mountains and craters 3-4 km in size
  • You can try with a blue filter to see the spots in the clouds on Venus
  • Numerous details on Mars during oppositions
  • Details in the belts of Jupiter
  • Cloud belts on Saturn
  • Many faint asteroids and comets
  • Hundreds of star clusters, nebulae and galaxies
  • The brightest galaxies show traces of a spiral structure (M33, M51)
  • A large number of NGC catalog objects (many objects have interesting details)

Refractor 150-180 mm, reflector or mirror lens 175-200 mm.

  • Double stars with a separation of less than 1", faint stars up to 14 magnitude.
  • Lunar formations 2 km in size
  • clouds and dust storms on Mars
  • 6-7 satellites of Saturn, you can try to see the disk of Titan
  • Spokes in the rings of Saturn at their maximum opening
  • Galilean satellites in the form of small disks
  • The detail of the image with such apertures is already determined not by the capabilities of optics, but by the state of the atmosphere
  • Some globular clusters resolve to stars almost to the very center
  • Details of the structure of many nebulae and galaxies are visible when observed from urban illumination.

Refractor 200 mm or more, reflector or mirror-lens 250 mm or more.

  • Twin stars up to 0.5" apart under ideal conditions, stars up to magnitude 15 and weaker
  • Lunar formations smaller than 1.5 km
  • Small clouds and small structures on Mars, in rare cases - Phobos and Deimos
  • Lots of detail in Jupiter's atmosphere
  • Encke division in Saturn's rings, Titan's disk
  • Neptune's moon Triton
  • Pluto as a faint star
  • The maximum detail of images is determined by the state of the atmosphere
  • Thousands of galaxies, star clusters and nebulae
  • Almost all objects of the NGC catalog. The brightest nebulae have subtle colors
  • Many objects in the NGC catalog show details not seen in smaller telescopes

What instrument is designed to study stars and planets? A telescope, of course, but besides it, the riches of the Universe can also be seen through binoculars. And budding researchers celestial bodies, and experienced amateur astronomers should not neglect it. Binoculars can become the best friends of a tourist who wants to get to know the celestial abyss full of stars in the evening; city ​​dweller looking out the window at the moon. A variety of binoculars are available at an optical supply store and are well suited to get to know the pleasure that can be found in looking at the night sky. John Shibley, enthusiast and lover of binoculars, has prepared some tips for those who are interested in these devices and their capabilities.

For beginners, binoculars are better than telescopes

This conclusion is due to the fact that most beginners in amateur astronomy are simply not ready for full-fledged work with a telescope. Completely confused in the settings, you can lose interest in the lesson itself, and the complex details of the equipment only worsen the situation. - the device is quite simple, even with the most advanced models, difficulties usually do not arise during use.

A pair of binoculars with different characteristics can provide the desired level of skill in handling observation optics for the night sky. For beginner astronomers, the magnification and aperture ratio of binoculars may be sufficient to see much of what is "up there". Even moderately powerful ones are able to "show" 7 times more than what can be seen with the naked eye. In parallel, you can practice handling planispheres (moving maps of the starry sky), and so on.

Which binoculars to choose to start with to observe the night sky

Try to avoid the temptation - do not immediately buy a huge, super-imposing model of binoculars. This is not where you need to start. If such heavy optics are not mounted on a tripod, then at the slightest tremor of the hands, it will greatly blur the image, and the starry sky will also begin to “tremble”. For beginners, the same 7x50 will be optimal, you can hold it in your hands, and the picture will not blur, it will remain clear. You can see a lot of it. In addition, 7x50 binoculars are suitable for daytime use, for example for bird watching. If a 7x50 is too big for you, or if you're buying binoculars for a child, you can opt for the 7x35.

Binoculars are great for observing the moon


Starting to explore the starry sky, most enthusiasts want to get a good look at the phases of the moon. Those interested in deep space, whether inside or outside the Milky Way Galaxy, usually do not concentrate on the Earth satellite. But the Moon is an ideal target for practicing astronomical skills. To view it with binoculars, it is better to observe at dusk, then the light is not too bright and Luga can be seen in detail. To follow the arrival of the new moon, you need to look at western part sky just after sunset. At such moments, the light reflected from the Earth is clearly visible - you can see all the details with binoculars.

It also shows the phases of change, the line of sunrise and sunset on the front side of the earth satellite. The lunar terminator is clearly visible through binoculars. This is the line between the light and dark parts of the star (more precisely, its day and night sides) and it is best to make observations along it. In this twilight zone, the sun is low (its angle is small) and shadows cast by relief objects can be seen on the surface of the Moon.

Ash-gray spots on the night part of the satellite are also clearly visible through binoculars. These are the lunar seas, so named by medieval astronomers. They are believed today to have formed about 3.5 billion years ago when asteroids collided with the Moon and caused the crust to crack. Lava seeped through the rifts and flooded the pools formed by the impacts. After cooling, it formed the gray lunar seas that can be observed today. The highlands between them are dotted with thousands of craters, and the largest ones are also visible with binoculars. For example, near the Taiho (Tycho), which erupted more than 2.5 million years ago, long white traces of past events are still visible today.

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Using binoculars for research Milky Way

Star clusters that are inside our home galaxy and close to Earth are also visible through binoculars. They occupy a large area in the sky, so they can be observed not only through a telescope. Every autumn and spring, the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters cluster, appears in the sky. Only six of them are visible to the naked eye (the seventh sister, as claimed Greek myths, married a mortal and grew dim). Through binoculars, however, all seven are visible. Plus, like a cherry on a cake, a whole chain of stars that are nearby. The Pleiades are clearly visible because they are located relatively close - only 400 light years from Earth. They are quite young (20 million years, while the age of the Sun is 5 billion) and are held close to each other by gravity.


Not far from the Pleiades is the constellation Orion. The sky hunter wears a girdle of stars. If the night is clear, there are no lights nearby, no city light, then binoculars can be seen that it also contains a section of luminous gas - the Orion Nebula, where right at the moment when you observe, new star. Another similar summer object, the Lagoon Nebula, is in the constellation Sagittarius. In the depths of it are young stars that flood the cloud of gas with ultraviolet radiation, which makes it glow. In a few tens of thousands of years, stellar winds will blow away these cocoons, and a new star cluster will become visible from Earth (you just need to wait).

If you look at the Milky Way through binoculars, you will see that there are hundreds of thousands of stars in it, which are interspersed with spherical blackening voids. These are "pockets" of gas and dust, the material for building new stellar and solar systems, which are just waiting for the moment of merging with new stars.


Looking beyond our galaxy with binoculars

Do you represent? It is possible: in autumn and winter, a completely different galaxy is visible high in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere. An oval flare, similar to a distant star, is located near the constellation Andromeda. Similar to our galaxy, which shines to us through all distances, it can be clearly seen through binoculars. If you move away from city lights, you can even see it with the naked eye. Light traveled from Andromeda for over 2 million years before reaching Earth. Next to it are two small "companions" - the Magellanic Clouds. These are irregularly shaped galaxies with their own orbits. Someday they will break away from each other under the influence of the gravity of the "parent" cluster.