AST 101: Still Interested in Astronomy?

Astronomy, the oldest of the sciences, is also the youngest. We live in the next golden age of astronomy, when the universe in all its glory is opened up at all wavelengths. Astronomy is very much in the news:

There are rovers exploring Mars.
Our invasion of Mars continues with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Spacecraft are orbiting Saturn, and coming home from Comet Wild 2.
Deep Impact hit comet Tempel 1, as planned, on July 4.
The Hubble Space Telescope continues to return spectacular data.
The 8-meter class VLT and the Gemini telescopes are now returning data.
The Chandra and XMM/Newton X-ray observatories are providing spectacularly different views of the hot universe.
The Spitzer Space Telescope is providing us with an unprecedented view of the cold universe.
Cosmologists are learning truly bizarre things about the nature of our universe.

With every new telescope new vistas are being opened, and our horizons are broadened.

But astronomy is far more than space spectaculars. Because astronomy deals with objects that anyone can observe and comprehend, from our planet and its moon to the Sun and the planets to the stars, many people devote a lifetime to astronomy, not as professionals, but as amateur astronomers and armchair observers. You too can explore and comprehend alien worlds.

If you are still interested in astronomy, there are many ways to remain up to date on the latest discoveries. The New York Times and Newsday are excellent sources of science news. Read the Tuesday science sections.

Astronomy Clubs and Associations

A good source of information is the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. A basic student membership costs $35 per year, and includes a subscription to Mercury magazine. The ASP is devoted to popularizing astronomy, and is composed about half and half of professionals and amateurs. The ASP has an active program for primary and secondary school science teachers. Contact the ASP at 390 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco CA 94112.

There are a number of local astronomy clubs. They include:

The Custer Institute (Box 1204, Southold NY 11971).
Astronomical Society of Long Island (1011 Howells Rd, Bayshore NY 11706). ASLI meets monthly at CW Post in Westbury.
Amateur Observer's Society (98 Lloyd Ave., N. Babylon NY 11703). AOS meets at Nassau Community College
Amateur Astronomers Association (1010 Park Avenue, New York NY 10028).

Write for more information. In addition, there is (sometimes) an Astronomy Club on campus.

Magazines

Two excellent magazines are Astronomy and Sky and Telescope. Astronomy is oriented more towards the interested layman, with lavish color illustrations. Sky and Telescope is oriented more towards the serious amateur astronomer, and is read by most professionals. Check out the Sky & Telescope web site. In my opinion, it is the better magazine for conveying new discoveries and the important scientific concepts. You can find associations of amateur astronomers, notices of star parties, etc. in both magazines.

Scientific American usually has an astronomically-oriented article every month, but the level of prose is fairly high. Science News, which comes out weekly, is a good source of the latest news.

Reference Books

An excellent reference work is Norton's Star Atlas (Longman Scientific and Technical Press), first published in 1910 and now in its 17^th edition. It has the best star charts around.

I don't expect that any of you would rush out to buy another astronomy textbook, but... Perhaps the best text available for conveying a physical feel for how and why things are as they are is The Physical Universe, by F. H. Shu, published by University Science Books. This is at a more advanced level than the text we used, but anyone contemplating science teaching will find it an excellent reference.

Picture Books

Astronomy is photogenic, and well suited to coffee-table style picture books. Some of the best are:

Exploring the Southern Sky, by Lautsten, Masden, and West (Springer-Verlag).
Galaxies, by T. Ferris. Often available cheap as an overstock book.
The Hubble Atlas of Galaxies, by A. Sandage (Carnegie Press).
The New Astronomy, by N. Henbest (Cambridge University Press).
The New Sun, by J.A. Eddy, available from the Government Printing Office as NASA SP-402.

Other Popular Books

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. New popular astronomy books appear frequently. There is an annual review in Mercury magazine. Most are worthwhile.

Intelligent Life in the Universe, by I.S. Shklovshii and C. Sagan (Delta). Out of print, and the astronomy is somewhat outdated, but a classic.
The First 3 Minutes, by S. Weinberg. The story of the Big Bang.
A Brief History of Time, by S. Hawking. All about time and cosmology, by an amazing man. A best-seller for over 2 years!
The Harvard Books on Astronomy (Harvard University Press). These include Galaxies, by H. Shapley, The Milky Way, by B. and P. Bok, and Our Sun by D. Menzel. The science is very out of date, but they are still good reads.
Darkness at Night, by E. Harrison, (Harvard U. Press). A historical account of Olber's paradox, with more emphasis on philosophy than on physics.
Anything by Donald Goldsmith or Tim Ferris.
For the history of astronomy in this country, anything by D. Osterbrock.

More Courses

The Physics and Astronomy department offers two more introductory level astronomy courses. AST 105 concentrates on the Planets and the Solar System. AST 248 concentrates on the question of life in the universe, and teaches basics of astronomy, physics, chemistry, and biology.

About Telescopes

Astronomy is an observational science, and as you now know, you can observe for yourself. You can even make your own telescope. But before you consider investing serious money in a telescope, get a pair of binoculars (7x50 or 10x50 are good, but even the standard 7x35 model will do). You can explore the heavens nicely from a dark site with a good pair of binoculars. Binoculars provide a wide field of view, and good views of the Milky Way and open clusters. If you want to buy a telescope, do not be mislead by ads promising high magnification. High power is rarely useful; a wide field is usually preferable for casual skywatching. Reflectors are better than refractors - they are simpler, easier to maintain, and often of better quality. Check out the Edmunds Astroscan 2000, or the bottom of the line Celestron reflectors. Check the ads in Astronomy or Sky and Telescope. However, you should be aware that the only way to see galaxies as more than fuzzy patches is through astrophotography. If you have an interest in astrophotography, peruse Sky and Telescope.

Clear Skies