“Deep-sky. objects”. are. defined. as. those. lying. beyond.
the. confines. of. our. own. solar. system.. This. includes.
single,. double. and. multiple. stars,. pulsating. variable.
stars,.star.clusters.and.asterisms,.nebulae,.and.galaxies.
–.including,.of.course,.our.own.magnificent.Milky.Way.
Galaxy..There.are.a.number.of.ways.of.locating.these.
wonders,.including.modern.telescope.technology.such.as.
computerized.target.acquisition.and.tracking.(known.as.
“Go-To”.systems)..But.perhaps.the.most.fun.–.especially.
with.a.point-and-look.telescope.like.the.Astroscan.–.is.
the.traditional.technique.of.“star-hopping.”.This.involves.
using.a.good.star.map.like.those.in.
The Edmund Sky
Guide
. that. came. with. your. telescope. (or. the. more.
detailed.
Edmund Mag 5 Star Atlas
). to. work. your. way.
from.a.bright,.easily.recognized.star.or.star.pattern.to.the.
object.you’re.seeking..Along.the.way,.you’ll.encounter.
many.unsuspected.sights,.and.learn.the.constellations.
as. well!.
The Edmund Sky Guide
. has. some. wonderful.
illustrations.on.how.to.find.your.way.around.the.sky.
Single Stars and Star Colors
When.you.first.get.your.Astroscan,.you.may.not.know.
one.star.from.another..They.may,.in.fact,.all.look.alike.to.
you..But.they.really.aren’t,.and.a.few.minutes.of.careful.
scrutiny. will. show. you. that. there. are. lots. of. individual.
stars,.just.as.there.are.individual.people..As.you.learn.
more,. you’ll. soon. understand. that. every. star,. just. like.
every.person,.is.unique.and.special..The.quickest.way.
to.experience.this.is.to.just.take.your.Astroscan.out.on.a.
clear.night.and.see.for.yourself..Place.it.on.a.low.stool.or.
Discovering the Deep-Sky
O-Type Stars
Blue
above 30,000˚ C
B-Type Stars
Bluish-white
10,000 to 30,000˚ C
A-Type Stars
White
8,000 to 10,000˚ C
F-Type Stars
Yellowish-white
6,000 to 8,000˚ C
G-Type Stars (Sun)
Yellow
4,600 to 6,000˚ C
K-Type Stars
Yellow-orange
3,700 to 4,600˚ C
Stellar
Temperatures
M-Type Stars
Reddish-orange
2,200 to 3,700˚ C
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stellar Colors
within Orion
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Castor
white
Pollux
yellow
Capella
yellow-white
Procyon
white
Rigel
bluish-white
Sirius
bluish-white
Aldebaran
orange
Betelgeuse
reddish-orange
picnic.table.(which.is.ideal.for.casual.viewing).and.seat.
yourself.comfortably.beside.it..With.the.28.mm.(16X).low-
power.eyepiece.simply.scan.randomly.across.the.sky..
Go.slowly.so.you.can.see.the.individual.stars.cross.the.
field.of.view..If.you.live.in.the.city,.you.may.see.between.a.
few.and.a.few.dozen.stars.at.any.one.time,.while.in.dark.
country.skies.you.may.literally.see.thousands.of.them!.
The. first. thing. you’ll. notice. is. that,. unlike. the. planets,.
stars.don’t.look.any.bigger.in.your.Astroscan.than.they.
do.to.the.unaided.eye.–.they.are.simply.much.too.far.
away.to.show.any.noticeable.size.except.with.the.world’s.
largest.telescopes..Now.look.at.the.way.the.stars.clump.
in.some.places.and.seem.spread.out.in.others..For.the.
most.part.they.are.completely.randomly.distributed,.but.
if.you.keep.scanning.you.may.see.a.cluster.of.stars,.or.a.
fuzzy.spot.that.isn’t.a.star.but.rather.a.nebula..
Notice.that.the.stars.come.in.many.different.brightnesses,.
something.which.you.can.easily.see.with.the.unaided.eye,.
but.with.your.Astroscan.you.realize.the.scale.extends.to.
stars.much.fainter.than.that..Now.look.at.one.of.the.very.
brightest.stars.visible.(
The Edmund Sky Guide
.has.a.list.
of.the.50.brightest.ones).and.try.to.determine.its.color..
Some. people. can. see. star. colors. easily,. while. others.
have.difficulty..Color.vision.doesn’t.work.well.in.the.dark..
However,.because.the.Astroscan.makes.the.stars.much.
brighter,. about. 250. times. brighter. in. fact,. you. have. a.
much.better.chance.of.seeing.their.color..
Set.the.eyepiece.slightly.out.of.focus,.since.the.defocused.
image.is.larger.and.makes.it.easier.to.determine.colors..
Now.go.look.at.some.other.bright.stars;.you’ll.soon.find.
that.the.sky.is.alive.with.subtle.celestial.hues!.There.are.
white. stars,. bluish. stars,. yellowish. stars,. orange. stars.
and.reddish.stars..(There.are.even.some.greenish.stars.
–.see.the.next.section.).Star.colors.are.an.indication.of.
temperature,. the. white. and. bluish. ones. being. hottest.
and.the.red.ones.coolest,.while.the.yellow.and.orange.
ones.fall.in.between.in.temperature..Don’t.expect.to.see.
brilliant.colors,.since.celestial.hues.are.typically.subtle..
But.they.will.become.much.easier.to.distinguish.as.you.
become.a.more.skilled.observer.
One.other.thing.to.be.aware.of.in.observing.single.stars.is.
that.there.are.those.that.change.noticeably.in.brightness.
over.a.period.of.hours,.days.or.even.years..Known.as.
“variable.stars,”.these.pulsating.suns.are.fascinating.to.
watch.if.you.have.the.patience.to.follow.them.over.time..
