Astronomy Courses for Beginners We are offering short courses in basic astronomy for our guests. Take advantage of my 37 years experience and save yourself frustrating nights trying find the planets among the stars or hundred of pounds by buying a telescope that is right for you. In addition, with our beautiful dark skies we can show you how put the ideas and techniques presented into practice. A Guide to Observing the Night Sky It may seem an easy thing to do, you buy binoculars or a telescope and a star map and outside you go. In reality most beginners are confused trying to match dots on the page to the stars in the sky and even more confused when looking for planets or nebulae through a telescope. The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of how to start observing the night sky by knowing what there is to see and where it is. At the same time we introduce some of the scientific theories behind the objects you are seeing. The course covers: Equipment needed to get started Recognising the Constellations Finding the Planets Finding Deep Space Objects Type of Telescopes (this is more fully covered in the A Guide to Buying a Telescope) Why you cannot see Hubble type images Duration : 3 hours (approx.) Cost - £20 (per person or family) A Guide to Buying a Telescope With the range of refractor, reflector and catadioptric telescopes available to the beginner seeming to increase each year, it can be difficult to know which one to buy. A wrong choice can lead to frustration and the wasting of hundred of pounds. This course is designed specifically to help the beginner make the right choices and narrow down the list to those telescopes that best suit their needs and budget. An information pack is provided at the end of the course. The course covers: Types of telescopes Types of mounts Finder scopes Eyepieces Calculating magnification Starting out in observing (this is more fully covered in the A Guide to Observing the Night Sky) Duration : 3 hours (approx.) Cost - £20 (per person or family) Setting Up and Using a Telescope If you already own a telescope, but have difficulty in understanding how to use it, this course is for you. An information pack is provided at the end of the course. The course covers: Explaining the parts of the telescope and mount Balancing the telescope (Equatorial Mounts only) Polar alignment (Equatorial Mounts only) Finder scope alignment How to alignment of optics includes free collimation check (worth £20* - Reflectors only) Use of eyepieces Calculating magnification Correct movement of the mount when locating objects Duration : 2 hours (approx.) Cost - £20 (per person or family) * Collimation price based on South Down Astronomy website (July 2008) If you are not able to bring your own telescope where possible we will demonstrate using our own equipment. Note: Family comprises partners with or without children Learning the Night Sky - Free For the complete beginner unfamiliar with the night sky we can provide is a free guided tour through a selection of the constellations on each night of your stay. All you pay is the telescope time at £5 per hour. We intend to add further courses later. If there is a particular aspect of astronomy you would like to learn more about please contact us. Talks In the event of a cloudy night, we will provide a free talk instead. Here are comments from guests who have taken courses... As a beginner I learned more from Mike than £100s on books. His knowledge and ability to teach is superb. We will certainly recommend to others… D Henderson, Argyl Mike gave us a great introduction to the sky and astronomy. B Knight, Glasgow Thank you for showing us the stars at night. Everything surpassed our expectations. We are going home much better informed… D Lindsay, Ayrshire