WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Astro Minute: A Stargazer's Guide to the Galaxy, Part I

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

Here are some of the tools you'll need to find your way around the night sky.

Welcome to the Astro Minute, where we're exploring the universe 60 seconds at a time. I'm Lauren Smith, and today we're focusing on focusing on the night sky. If you love the night sky, but you also love gear, start here. Grab a red flashlight, a planisphere, and binoculars. A red flashlight protects your night vision, which is reduced for at least 20 minutes by any other color of light, including that of your phone. Use the red flashlight to avoid stepping on Desert Rats, and also to see your planosphere, a circular wheeled chart of the sky. Turn the wheel of the planisphere so that your current time and date are aligned.

Lie flat on your back, hold it above your face flat against the sky with the chart side facing you. Point the arrow marked north to the north. Compare the chart to the sky to see what's up. And finally, grab your binoculars. Astronomy binoculars are amazing, but even a simple pair will startle you with what they reveal. That's your Astro Minute.