A follow-on course from Astronomy for Beginners.
This course will develop recording skills such as note-taking, sketching and photography and the discipline of the observer.
You should finish this course with confidence in your ability to tackle real astronomical observations and, perhaps, contribute to a regular observing programme.
Outline
1: Learning to See - develop the discipline of seeing what is really there.
2: How to choose equipment - identify the key features of an optical device suitable for astronomy.
3: Real Observing - complete a set of astronomical observations.
4: Astrophotography - identify the key features of a suitable astrocamera
5: Project - demonstrate the ability to apply the lessons of Topics 1 to 4.
Who should take this course?
New astronomers with a little bit of background knowledge, or people with a long-term interest in astronomy, who have not attempted any practical work. This course may also appeal to artists and photographers who would like to extend their skills.
You will need
Basic projects can be attempted with no special equipment save pencil and paper. However, the course will be more rewarding to owners of some kind of optical aid, the basic being a pair of binoculars. A good telescope is desirable but not essential.
Cameras are good for sharing observations, however a snap-shot model will not be useful. The minimum spec is that some sort of long-exposure mechanism should be available (usually a “B” setting). Digitals with this facility are great due to the ability to post the results in the NCS.
Film cameras get good results too, but better feedback from the tutor will be enabled by some method of getting the prints into a computer (either by a scanner or by asking for a PhotoDisk at development time). A scanner is also beneficial if sketching is the preferred method of recording observations.
Entry Requirements
The level of knowledge required is roughly the exit-level from “Astronomy for Beginners” – a basic knowledge of constellations and the properties of stars and planets, some knowledge of the interaction of the Sun and Moon and aspects of the Sun as a star.
How long is this course?
About 30 hours,
and we suggest you set aside about 4 hours a week - but it's up to you.
You will have tutor support for 4 months.
You will have access to your course for a year.
Your tutor
Your tutor for this course is 
Mark Toner.
You can find out more about on
the Tutors page.
Further information
There is no formal assessment for this course, but you will be expected to tackle projects to show your understanding of the course – not just to your tutor, but to yourself. A project can be tackled jointly with other students.
Do you have any further questions? Visit our Contact
Us page and ask away.
