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Hello and welcome to this introduction to Sirius Stargazing. I'm TK, I'm an astronomy
educator, and my ambition in life is to bring the stars to as many people as I possibly
can. Astronomy is often seen as an unapproachable hobby; complicated, expensive and potentially
very disappointing when you're just starting out, and I want to change this by bringing
you a guide to seeing the night sky that's easy to follow and really won't cost you that
much at all. Actually, you might have some of the equipment you need already. Each episode
will feature one particular object that makes a great target for novices and experienced
stargazers alike, including how to find it, and I think most importantly, what it actually
is. See, I believe that what makes astronomy so rewarding is not only finding and seeing
something amazing for yourself, but also really understanding what it is that you're looking
at, whether it be something near by, such as the Moon or another planet, or something
much further away like a star, a nebula, or even another galaxy. As a Sirius Stargazer,
you'll get to see all of these and more. So, what do you need to get started? Well, one
of the most common things I'm asked by people who want to get into astronomy is what telescope
to buy, and I always give everyone the same advice: don't start with a telescope, start
with binoculars. Binoculars are an excellent way to get used to the sky, and what they
lack in power, they more than make up for elsewhere. Firstly, they have a wide field-of-view,
making it less frustrating to find what you're looking for. They're also very portable, typically
require no setup, and compared to telescopes they are very inexpensive. Granted, you can
buy large binoculars designed for astronomy, but they're much pricier and this defeats
the purpose of Sirius Stargazing. So the size I'm going to recommend are the very common
and usually cheap 10x50s; the 10 indicating that they give you 10 times magnification,
and the 50 being the diameter of the objective lenses in millimetres. They might seem modest,
but they're not to be sniffed at. See, on a clear night you can see about 2,500 stars
with the naked eye. With 10x50s, you can see hundreds of thousands. Don't worry if you
already have a pair of more compact binoculars - such as 7x30s - as most of the objects
in these videos will still be accessible to you. Now, to find your way around, I suggest
picking up a planisphere. I'll be using star charts to point out where our targets are,
for the most part in relation to the constellations, and a planisphere is the perfect tool for
working out where the constellations are going to be at any given time on any given night.
Try to find one that's laminated, rather than made of paper or card, and if you look after
it you'll never need to replace it, but before you buy make sure it's marked for the correct
latitude roughly where you are, otherwise you'll be very confused. I should note, by
the way, that this series is aimed at people in the Northern Hemisphere, but some of the
objects that we look at will also be visible in the Southern Hemisphere depending on the
time of year. The final thing I recommend picking up is a red torch. Within half an
hour of being in the dark, your eyes will dark adapt, allowing you to see fainted objects.
If you then look into a bright light, you'll be dazzled and you'll have to dark adapt all
over again. However, red light allows you to see what you're doing and read your planisphere
whilst you're out, without breaking your night vision. It's pretty handy. Once you have all
of that, you'll be ready to explore the treasure chest that is the night sky through binoculars.
Just make sure that you're subscribed to my channel to see the videos as they come out.
You can also follow me on Twitter, and I'll post new videos there as well. I really hope
you decide to give Sirius Stargazing a go, and that you find these video helpful. Until
next time, clear skies.