Q&A: What are the most essential astronomy topics prior to go to collage/University ?
by Tim Pearce, Los Gatos
Question by Louis Hamer: What are the most essential astronomy subjects in advance of go to collage/University ?
I would like to know what are the most vital topics in astronomy, Like i want to get forward of myself, so i can learn more…
Many thanks
Louis
Best solution:
Solution by c
Math and pc programming are the foundation of all modern-day astronomy.
Know superior? Depart your private answer in the feedback!
Issue by William C: how do I start mastering Astronomy?
I’m taking Astronomy subsequent 12 months as a junior science class and I considered I wanted to get a head commence by understanding on my personal. How would I get the principles covered? What would I will need to understand?
Any internet sites or guides that are suggested would be appreciated!
Many thanks.
Most effective solution:
Response by nikazkool
discuss to ur teachers at shcool e.g sciense,
search things up on the web
hope this helps
What do you feel? Response below!
May 5th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
The best thing you can do is make sure your maths is up to scratch. They’ll be plenty of time to study astronomy at uni – decent colleges tend to labour the key points in the lectures. However, if you find yourself struggling with the maths you’ll begin falling behind quite quickly.
May 5th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Math and science. computers are a bonus also
May 5th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Technical report writing, good study habits, keep a sense of humor and an open mind.
Don’t worry too much about what’s going on right now in astronomy. You’ll be flooded with that all to soon. Get a good grasp of the basics and the rest will follow. Check out the school’s library for research journals in astronomy. That’ll show you what’s going on.
May 5th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
I strongly recommend NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). It’s an easy-to-read non-technical introduction to astronomy, and will really help you be prepared for next year. Enjoy!
May 5th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
“Nightwatch” by Terence Dickinson.
Astronomy magazine (or its online site, astronomy.com).
For some great images and some good technical info, nasa.gov and hubblesite.gov.
May 6th, 2011 at 12:02 am
Geoff G is correct. And go to your local library for many more books on the subject.
A Google search will turn up more astronomy websites than you can possibly imagine. Be prepared to spend many wonderful hours immersed in the subject.
May 6th, 2011 at 12:42 am
There are plenty of books and websites out there. You may want to join a local astronomy club for starters. Look into getting a planisphere to show you where things are in the night sky (see what it looks like at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphere) They are usually less than $ 20. Also, go to http://www.skymaps.com/index.html and grab a free skymap. Whatever you do, don’t invest a lot of money into an expensive telescope. Try a good pair of binoculars first. Some telescopes (the less expensive ones) will give you the image UPSIDE DOWN. It’s not a defect, it’s just the way they work. After a while, if you still feel that you REALLY have an interest in astronomy, THEN consider buying a telescope. There are a lot of models and they have different features and capabilities, not to mention prices. You don’t want to buy a telescope only to find out later that your interest was only passing and then have it in the attic collecting dust.
May 6th, 2011 at 1:16 am
You need to learn a few things to familiarize yourself with the night sky. Polaris “the north star” is a good starting point, the constellations (Leo, Virgo, cancer, etc) are also easy to identify, if you know where to look. I suggest learning sky charts, and familiarizing yourself with them. If you can locate the big dipper, in the northern sky, draw an imaginary line, from the bottom 2 stars, up to the right, and they will point to Polaris, the North Star, it is the brightest star in the North. If you could poke a hole in the dipper, and let the water run out, it would fall onto Leo the lion. Leo is a set of stars that are in a shape of a backwards question mark, just below the big dipper. They represent the lions mane, and head. Here is a web site that will help you see what is in the night sky in your area. When you get to the “Sky Map” paragraph, just click on “Nearby city” , scroll through the choices, and enjoy.
http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/
May 6th, 2011 at 1:40 am
You are a rare breed! I am proud of you!. I would try to get ‘starry night’ program it is a fantastic program that’s updatable. second I would get a subscription to sky or any publication that focuses on the area that you are most interested in.
I don’t know where you are in your education but if you are public high school PLEASE get ‘Astronomy for Dummies’ by Maran Stephen P. you will love it! it is a start
May 6th, 2011 at 2:03 am
You can read books about Astronomy or answer questions on Y!A in this section, start with the easier questions. Not only that, you can watch astronomy videos.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:11 am
Whatever interests you:
Go on google and search for images of the planets and other astronomical objects
Stay here and answer questions. If you don’t know the answer, look it up.
Buy an astronomy book. I bought a huge full color astronomy book for like seven dollars at a bookstore last year.
Go outside on a clear night away from city lights and look at the sky.
Buy an Astronomy or Sky and Telescope magazine. Subscribe if you like it.
Read wikipedia articles about astronomical objects.
If there’s an astronomy club near you, attend a meeting or a star party.
Take math, physics, and photography in school since these can be relevent to astronomy. You’d be amazed how relevent the story problems in a calculus class can be.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:28 am
Here’s what I did, I just started to read about space and I loved everything about it ever since.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:42 am
Astronomy begins with math. Observations serve the purpose of getting data to use with the math. There is some technical art involved in observing well, but mainly astronomy is a kind of applied math.