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About Amateur Astronomy Guide
Dear Reader,
Welcome again to Amateur Astronomy Guide. The idea about this site was born long ago, but I never had the time to sit down and put it together. This so desired free time never came, so I decided to start writing whenever I could. And so, slowly but surely, I managed to put together a few paragraphs, then a page and so on. I will add more pages to this website and update the already existing ones as often as I can.
I was fascinated by the night sky since I was a little boy. As my interest in the cosmos grew larger, I wanted to learn more and more. Fortunately for me, there was National Astronomy Observatory and Planetarium in my hometown, and I could join their out-of-school study groups. I had a great teacher there, to whom I’m really thankful. I’ve learned quite a lot, and participated in many expeditions and countless observations. After many amazing years, I went to pursue University degree in astronomy. Years later, and a few degrees behind, here I am, sharing my knowledge and experience with you.
What are you going to find here? First of all, this site has informative purpose and it's oriented toward beginner amateur astronomers. It’ll show you the most common "targets" on the night sky, plus some of the most necessary information about them. Second, you will be provided with the basic "How to" knowledge about amateur astronomy - everything about how to observe and photograph different astronomical events. Last but not least, you will find some useful tips and tricks too.
What are you not going to find here? If you are looking for some lengthy description of a particular instrument or a tool, this is not the right place. Nor you need such an info and I’ll tell you why. What you must know is how different equipment works in general. Should you learn that, you can use that knowledge and apply it to other similar instruments with no problem.
Example: You had never used equatorial mounts before. A friend of yours has a telescope with such a mount and lets you borrow it. Do you need to know every single bolt in it, its specific design, where exactly the knobs are, or how long they are? Nope. Find out how it works (maybe your friend will show you how). Don't try to memorize where everything is located! When you feel comfortable enough, you could use other mounts that have different designs, because you know how they work in general. They will all work the same way, no matter whether you are using small telescope or large one, or even a professional (more than 1m in diameter). I realize that this example might be a bit silly, but you get the point.
You should remember that only through observing you could get better. Having good equipment and reading books/websites/magazines/etc. is very helpful, but if you don’t practice what you’ve learnt and observe, all that would be wasted. Build your knowledge, make observations on a regular basis, and you will be ready for whatever the sky throws at you!
Best wishes,
Blagoy Rangelov
p.s. If you want to learn more about me visit my personal website at blagoy-rangelov.com.
Welcome again to Amateur Astronomy Guide. The idea about this site was born long ago, but I never had the time to sit down and put it together. This so desired free time never came, so I decided to start writing whenever I could. And so, slowly but surely, I managed to put together a few paragraphs, then a page and so on. I will add more pages to this website and update the already existing ones as often as I can.
I was fascinated by the night sky since I was a little boy. As my interest in the cosmos grew larger, I wanted to learn more and more. Fortunately for me, there was National Astronomy Observatory and Planetarium in my hometown, and I could join their out-of-school study groups. I had a great teacher there, to whom I’m really thankful. I’ve learned quite a lot, and participated in many expeditions and countless observations. After many amazing years, I went to pursue University degree in astronomy. Years later, and a few degrees behind, here I am, sharing my knowledge and experience with you.
What are you going to find here? First of all, this site has informative purpose and it's oriented toward beginner amateur astronomers. It’ll show you the most common "targets" on the night sky, plus some of the most necessary information about them. Second, you will be provided with the basic "How to" knowledge about amateur astronomy - everything about how to observe and photograph different astronomical events. Last but not least, you will find some useful tips and tricks too.
What are you not going to find here? If you are looking for some lengthy description of a particular instrument or a tool, this is not the right place. Nor you need such an info and I’ll tell you why. What you must know is how different equipment works in general. Should you learn that, you can use that knowledge and apply it to other similar instruments with no problem.
Example: You had never used equatorial mounts before. A friend of yours has a telescope with such a mount and lets you borrow it. Do you need to know every single bolt in it, its specific design, where exactly the knobs are, or how long they are? Nope. Find out how it works (maybe your friend will show you how). Don't try to memorize where everything is located! When you feel comfortable enough, you could use other mounts that have different designs, because you know how they work in general. They will all work the same way, no matter whether you are using small telescope or large one, or even a professional (more than 1m in diameter). I realize that this example might be a bit silly, but you get the point.
You should remember that only through observing you could get better. Having good equipment and reading books/websites/magazines/etc. is very helpful, but if you don’t practice what you’ve learnt and observe, all that would be wasted. Build your knowledge, make observations on a regular basis, and you will be ready for whatever the sky throws at you!
Best wishes,
Blagoy Rangelov
p.s. If you want to learn more about me visit my personal website at blagoy-rangelov.com.
