Amateur Astronomy

Learn the Sky Nights 2002!

An Introduction to Amateur Astronomy

Have you ever wondered about what that bright star is near the moon? Or how do amateur astronomers know where to look in the sky? Have you ever gone to some of the astronomy websites and wondered what the heck they were talking about?

Then this 'course' is for you!

For six Friday nights from 8-10pm in June and July (2002), we covered some of the basics of amateur astronomy.

Because this was such a popular program, we do plan on having it again next summer (2003). So stay tuned when we announce the details in Spring '03!

week	date	topic
week 1	14 June 2002	alt az, planispheres, satellites and constellations
week 2	21 June 2002	RAdec, starcharts, starhopping, planetarium software
week 3	28 June 2002	types of objects, Messier and other lists
week 4	12 July 2002	types of scopes, setting up scopes
week 5	19 July 2002	astrophotography and digital imaging
week 6	26 July 2002	observing projects, resources

Elizabeth Warner, the observatory director, will be teaching the program. If you have any questions, please email her or call her at 301-405-6555.

Learn the Sky Nights 2003

It's almost here! We're nailing down the final details and will post the info about the program for 2003 after Memorial Day 2003!

Last Updated: Monday June 09, 2008 by Elizabeth Warner