Page 3 - BBC Sky at Night Beginners Guide to Astronomy - 2017 UK
P. 3

WELCOME














               WELCOME









                  TO THE NIGHT SKY






                                         Since 2006, I have   contents have naturally fallen into three
                                         written a monthly    areas: in ‘Need to know’ we’ll help you
                                         guide for Sky at     understand the sizes, distances and basic
                                         Night Magazine to    nature of the skies; in ‘What to use’ we
                                         help beginners get   cover the equipment you can use to study
                                         to grips with many   the night; and in ‘What to see’ we’ll look
                                         aspects of the night   at the objects and events that are waiting
                                         sky. The idea is to   for you in the night skies above, such as
                                         make stargazing      eclipses, double stars and the Milky Way.
                                         as accessible as      It’s amazing how much we’ve covered,
                         possible, from helping you to learn the   and it just shows what an incredible and
                         constellations to the practicalities of   varied subject astronomy is. We hope you
                         how to use a telescope. In providing this   fi nd the Beginners’ Guide to Astronomy
                         knowledge of the night sky, the intention   useful as your stargazing quest begins.
                         has always been to keep jargon down
                         to a minimum so the basics can be
                         understood with ease.
                           Now, for the fi rst time, we’re bringing
                         these guides together into one ‘manual’.
                         If you’re curious about astronomy, this
                         guide has everything you need to know   Anton Vamplew
                         to get off to the best possible start. The










                                                          ABOUT ANTON

                                                           Astronomy writer Anton Vamplew has s
                                                           appeared regularly on TV and radio to to
                                                           give his accessible insight into
                                                           observing the night sky, including on
                                                           Blue Peter and across the BBC World
                                                           Service. His popular fi rst book has
                                                           been updated: New Simple Stargazing ng
                                                           is now available on the iPad.


                                                                                         skyatnightmagazine.com 2012  03
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