Living in what was then a small, yet “scientifically” aware city, winter nights and power cuts brought together the perfect combination of factors to be initiated into astronomy. The visit of Haley’s comet in 1987 gave further impetus and it was then, that I procured by first and only binoculars to date, and it opened up new vistas in my view of the entire universe.
Astronomy implores one to extend the greatest of the senses—the mind to extend itself each time it is presented with more information each ore puzzling than the previous. IT is to this higher force that I have bowed in respect almost a decade ago. Obviously not the most fashionable activity to undertake and I would not be surprised if a mental picture of “Cuthbert Calculus” like character is not conjured up should one care to think of an astronomer.
My own experiences with astronomy in the early 90’s were stymied by lack of access to quality information of the kind that is both easily accessible and affordable. The Internet if you remember was yet to become the ubiquitous angel it is today. However, I must also say it gave me an opportunity to explore the subject through a combination of self-exploration and scraps information gathered from reference books and friends who knew a fair bit about the subject. I must also add I was also quite fascinated by the Indian story of astronomy and how as a child I remember the pivotal role played by the almanac in our family’s daily life. I told myself I would one day bridge what then in my mind an unbridgeable chasm.
Well enough of the self. Let me move on to the object of this section of the website. My little attempt here is to catalog my experiences with amateur astronomy in this part of the world and hope it is useful to other amateurs who may be seeking such information.
Sky watching in Bangalore: Bangalore briefly described lies in the middle of the Southern Indian Deccan plateau (Lat. 13N, Long. 77E) and is at an altitude of about 1000 meters ASL. The weather can be described as temperate tropical climate with the highs in summer reaching about 35-37 Celsius and the lows in winter hover around 15-17 Celsius mainly during Dec-Jan. (Yes, Global warming is believable!). Precipitation is mainly from the south-west monsoon which hits the south west coast of India in early June and lasts till September in a good monsoon year. Rain from the eastern seaboard during the south east monsoon in Dec-Jan is also not uncommon but is seen to be rare. That apart depressions in the Bay of Bengal do have an effect, being only 350 km from the coastline.
Now, why did I get into a small geography lesson? Well it helps to get an idea of the weather and climatic conditions which would clearly show the best months for star gazing as well as the longevity of such best viewing months. The best time for star gazing in Bangalore and its environs would be Sept to may each year and I can say that this applies for most of India too except for the winter months of Dec-Jan where heavy fog in Northern India prevents good viewing nights.
Do you need a telescope to start off on star gazing? Well here lies the beauty, you need nothing and when I say that I mean it except for your eyes and any normal vision enhancers you may be wearing such as spectacles or contacts. The first activity you need to undertake is to familiarize yourself with the night sky much like a driver familiarizes himself with the roads where he will be driving before actually setting going off to drive. Knowing the night sky is a must before one can start any serious amateur astronomy watching.
Now a some basic geography of the sky. The sky out of Bangalore is the northern sky, which means there is a southern sky which one can only get to see as one goes south of the equator. The sky above the earth is basically divided by the equator (if it were to be extended outward from the crust of the earth) and all objects in three dimensional space seen north of the equator are part of the northern sky and the rest part of the southern sky. Now to the object references. The first thing to note here would be the directions of north, south, east and west which are easily noted by locating the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset. Please ensure though that you also know the season because the sun goes way back north during summer and way south during winter.
The practical way to approach this is to start watching the stars. Depending on the time of the year (see table below), you can see the following prominent stellar agglomerations. It is very important you watch them regularly (meaning at least once in two days and each time viewing them at different times—see table below) and also keep track of their movements for a couple of months. Preparation and location: The next important activity before you actually get out to watch the stars is the preparation. Good preparation is usually of great value. Preparation would include—a small note book for making notes, setting aside time (it can take up to 2 hours on any given day) on a relatively clear night (by which one means that you don't see an cloud in the sky at least over half the horizon), drawings of any particular asterisms you intend tracking and of course a good watch and a torch light. Some astronomers advise that you carry a torch with red film stuck on the light and I have seen it being useful. The idea here is to help the eye to quickly adjust between the night light and the light used to read / make notes. Since red light deviates the least, it is recommended to keep the distortion to a minimum.
Location: The environs of Bangalore are definitely not the greatest place for star gazing given the intensity of the city lights, but there are a few things one can start doing and then as you become more proficient, move to the more secluded places. The best place to pick to start your star gazing activities is at home on your terrace or at worst at the nearby field. While the latter might be an odd choice, it is still a good option to get started and to get ones bearings. Remember it is best to allow about 5-10 minutes for your eyes to adapt the surroundings after you leave a lighted area. Early morning after 2AM is also a particularly good time to watch the night sky not only because the sky is clearer around that time but also because it is silent.
Update on viewing spots - Ladakh is the place to be I had the opportunity to recently visit Ladakh in late August and I must say it is an astronomers dream destination. The skies could not be clearer considering you are at about 14000 feet asl and there is almost no hint of clouds to obscure the sky (at least not during the time I was there). With no city lights to scatter and no pollution to obscure the view, this place with its quiet surroundings and grand panoramic views affords the best viewing pleasure to the amateur astronomer. So if you headed towards Ladakh, dont forget to take your binoculars or your telescopes along. Of course check up in advance about the weather consitions because I am told winters can be bad up there.
Star terminology and famous stars
Magnitude of stars (negative?), apparent v real magnitude - Need to complete this section
Sirius, Regulus, Castor and Pollux, Antares, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Capella, Vega, Polaris
Famous Asterisms
Ursa Major (The Great Bear or Saptarshi Mandala)
Cassiopeia
Orion the hunter
The Great Square of Pegasus
Polaris (Pole star or Dhruva Tara)
Planets:
Jupiter
Saturn
Venus
Mars
Constellation and constellation gyaan Need to complete this section
88 constellations, IAU, Naming of constellations and stars within these constellations
Perseus, Andromeda, Zodiac constellations(12), Lyra, Hercules, Cepheus, Auriga Messier Objects and NGC instroduced (What's the big fuss about these guys?) Interesting sidelights, Greek mythology, Indian equivalents for stars and where can one find them.
More advanced tools and references
HNSKY (the best companion)
Stellarium (another brilliant piece of software to help decipher the constellation patterns)
Atlas charts
SETI@home Project
Contact
ramas_smx.at.hotmail.com
