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In the early 17th century, an Italian Scientist named Galileo, using a crude telescope
considerably smaller than your 4504, turned it to look towards the sky instead of
distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw,
forever changed the way mankind thought of the universe. Imagine what it must have
been like being the first human to see moons revolve around the planet Jupiter or to
see the changing phases of Venus! Because of his observations, Galileo correctly
realized Earth's movement and position around the Sun, and in doing so, gave birth
to modern astronomy. Yet Galileo's telescope was so crude, he could not clearly make
out the rings of Saturn.
Galileo's discoveries laid the foundation for understanding the motion and nature of
the planets, stars, and galaxies. Building on his foundation, Henrietta Leavitt
determined how to measure the distance to stars; Edwin Hubble proposed a glimpse
into the origin of the universe; Albert Einstein unraveled the relationship of time and
light. Almost daily, using sophisticated successors to Galileo's crude telescope, such
as the Hubble Space Telescope, more and more mysteries of the universe are being
solved and understood. We are living in a golden age of astronomy.
Unlike other sciences, astronomy welcomes contributions from amateurs. Much of the
knowledge we have on subjects such as comets, meteor showers, variable stars, the
Moon, and our solar system comes from observations made by amateur astronomers.
So as you look through your Meade telescope, keep in mind Galileo. To him, a
telescope was not a mere machine of glass and metal, but something far more – a
window through which the beating heart of the universe might be glimpsed, a fuse to
set fire to mind and imagination.
Starfinder Glossary
Be sure to make use of Starfinder’s Glossary feature. The Glossary menu provides
an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions of common astronomical terms.
Access these directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words
embedded in Starfinder. See “GLOSSARY MENU," page 29, for more information.
Objects in Space
Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the 4504:
The Moon
The Moon is, on average, a distance of 239,000 miles (380,000km) from Earth and is
best observed during its crescent or half phase when Sunlight strikes the Moon’s
surface at an angle. It casts shadows and adds a sense of depth to the view (
Fig. 33
).
No shadows are seen during a full Moon, causing the overly bright Moon to appear
flat and rather uninteresting through the telescope. Purchase a neutral Moon filter for
use when observing the Moon. Not only does it protect your eyes from the bright glare
of the Moon, but it also helps enhance contrast, providing a more dramatic image.
Using the 4504, brilliant detail can be observed on the Moon, including hundreds of
lunar craters and maria, described below.
Craters
are round meteor impact sites covering most of the Moon’s surface. With no
atmosphere on the Moon, no weather conditions exist, so the only erosive force is
meteor strikes. Under these conditions, lunar craters can last for millions of years.
Maria
(plural for mare) are smooth, dark areas scattered across the lunar surface.
These dark areas are large ancient impact basins that were filled with lava from the
interior of the Moon by the depth and force of a meteor or comet impact.
Twelve Apollo astronauts left their bootprints on the Moon in the late 1960's and early
1970's. However, no telescope on Earth is able to see these footprints or any other
artifacts. In fact, the smallest lunar features that may be seen with the largest
telescope on Earth are about one-half mile across.
APPENDIX E: Basic Astronomy
Fig. 33
: The Moon.
Note the deep
shadows in the craters.
