Expert: Tom Whiting - 12/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: I live in las vegas and beneath orions belt, i.e. toward the horizon, at 11:45 pm on Nov 16, 2007 I see a brilliant flickering blue/white planet or star. What is it?

ANSWER: Hi Will,
Yes, that's the brightest star in our night sky, the Dog
Star Sirius, at -1.5 magnitude. And that's exactly the
same way we find and identify it...just follow Orion's
3 Belt stars right down to Sirius. No other stars are brighter, but 2 of our planets are...Jupiter and Venus,
so if you see something brighter, it's one of those two
planets.  {If it's just a little brighter, then it's Jupiter, but if it's super brighter, than it's Venus.
Venus rises in the East around 3:30 am, whereas Jupiter sets now in the southwest around 7 pm.}


It's flickering (twinkling) because of our atmosphere. If we had no atmosphere, all the stars would be steady pin-points.  In fact, anytime you see a change in color, rapid change in brightness, change in shape like a flattened sun near the horizon, reddish or orange moonrise, halo around the sun or moon, in fact anything that's not the norm.....then that's all atmospherics "interfering" with our normal view of the night sky.
So it's Sirius (brightest star in Canis Major), thus it's
"real" Astronomical name is Alpha Canis Majoris. It's proper or common name is Sirius, and it's nickname is the Dog Star.
Hope all this helps,
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tom, Thanks for your answer to my first question. I just didn't see the response until now. I want to buy a telescope. Any suggestions for an entry level scope and considerations given that i live in las vegas? Thanks. Will

Answer
Hi Again Will,
Well, it's a big jump from the Dog Star to a scope.  Reason being that in our great hobby of observational astronomy, other than binoculars and a good star chart, equipment (scopes) come LAST, not first;  knowledge comes first.
For if you can't point your finger to the Orion Nebula, the
Beehive star cluster, the double open cluster in Perseus,
the planet Saturn, the beautiful double star Albireo, all naked-eye objects in a dark sky, how are you going to point a small field of view telescope toward them?  You can't.
So knowledge of the naked-eye night sky, comes FIRST.

In addition, what do you want to specialize in?  Deep Sky
Objects, Lunar/planetary details, comet hunting, variable stars, nova and supernovae hunting, asteroids, splitting
double/multiple stars?  etc etc.
(And you will specialize....we all do...there is just too much
out there not to).   And scopes are like airplanes....all airplanes fly, but you don't send a bomber to do a fighter's
job.  Scopes are exactly the same way...there is a scope out
there that maximizes each of those activities mentioned above.  Otherwise, we'd all have the same type of scope,
wouldn't we?  But we don't....attend a star party and you
see all different sizes and types of scopes.  Why?  Because
we each have our own area of interest, that's why.  You
have to learn yours, before a scope.  Plus you have to learn
the naked eye night sky too.  All this takes 3-6 months of
activity....so make your first "scope" a pair of binoculars
and a good star chart.  Binoculars do a surprisingly good job
on the night sky...they get you halfway to a decent scope
(Say a 6 or 8 inch Newtonian Reflector telescope) for a fraction of the cost.   
So join the local astronomy club (I'm sure a town the size
of Las Vegas  (unless it's Las Vegas, N. M.)  ;-)
has an astronomy club.  Go out on observing sessions with them outside of town, away from the light pollution,
and to their meetings.  Look thru their scopes and find out
what their interest is.  Astronomy clubs are always welcoming new members who are serious about observing the night sky.  Attend their star parties.
But first, it would pay you to first read up on our club website
as to whether you are cut out for this hobby in the first place,
so go to:
http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting
and punch on "Tom Whiting's Sound Advice to the Novice"
and read it...it will save you a lot of time and trouble down
the road, as we have all been there at the beginning.

Another reason for all this, there is no such thing as a cheap\
"entry level"  scope...they just don't work, those el-cheapo's
you see in department stores...they look nice for a few hundred dollars, but you are just throwing your money away.
Decent scopes have to ordered from Orion, Discovery, etc.
This is one of the few activities that a decent product has to
be mailed ordered, and not purchased locally.  Local scopes
are all crap, unless you happen to have a Celestron or Meade
dealer local.  There are scopes nice to look at, and there are
scopes nice to look thru...you want the latter.
Laws of optic's dictate that the minimum figure on any lens
or mirror surface be ground to better than 1/4 wavelength
of light (5 millionths of an inch) to work properly, and due to that optic law, there is no such thing as a workable, entry level, cheap telescope (Sorry, just the laws of optics).
So you either go "first class" into this hobby, or not at all,
that's the way it is.  Typically, if your not prepared to spend
at least $400-$500 for just the basic scope, then don't go at
all....or, work on your night sky while you do save up enough for a decent 6 or 8 inch DOB mounted Newtonian telescope,
Our minimum "entry level" as you call it.
So do your research, before you plunge in...please....so it will save you some time, money, and heartaches down the road.
Hope all this helps,
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA


FOLLOW UP:
By heartache, I mean someday you won't have to say to yourself, I wish I hadn't bought that, or done that....

Ok, I checked Sky & Telescope website under clubs and
organizations...if it's Las Vegas, N. Mexico, there isn't any
so start your own club.  If it's Las Vegas, Nevada, you are
fortunate like us in Erie PA with 2 groups, and here they
are (cut and pasted below ) and if you need anymore help, please contact me directly at bwhiting@velocity.net
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting


Name
Astronomical Society of Nevada - Las Vegas
Category
Club
Address

1456 LITTLE SPRING CT
LAS VEGAS
Nevada USA
89128-0599
Contact
Joe Goffeney
e-mail
joeg@sierrahealth.com
phone
702-433-8175
URL
http://www.asnlv.org


Name
Las Vegas Astronomical Society
Category
Club
Contact
Geary Keilman
e-mail
geary.keilman@lvastronomy.com
phone
702-561-7469
URL
http://www.lvastronomy.com
other information
200 members strong!


Like us in Erie PA, looks like one is probably a "fireside"
chat meetings  only group, whereas the other one actually goes out observing quite a bit....you'll have to check on which is which, because I just don't know from the information given...so check them both out.
Tom