Table Of ContentPatrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series
Other Titles in this Series
TelescopesandTechniques(2ndEdn.) ObservingthePlanets
ChrisKitchin PeterT.Wlasuk
TheArtandScienceofCCDAstronomy LightPollution
DavidRatledge(Ed.) BobMizon
TheObserver’sYears(SecondEdition) UsingtheMeadeETX
PatrickMoore MikeWeasner
SeeingStars PracticalAmateurSpectroscopy
ChrisKitchinandRobertW.Forrest StephenF.Tonkin(Ed.)
Photo-guidetotheConstellations MoreSmallAstronomicalObservatories
ChrisKitchin PatrickMoore(Ed.)
TheSuninEclipse Observer’sGuidetoStellarEvolution
MichaelMaunderandPatrickMoore MikeInglis
SoftwareandDataforPracticalAstronomers HowtoObservetheSunSafely
DavidRatledge LeeMacdonald
AmateurTelescopeMaking ThePracticalAstronomer’sDeep-Sky
StephenF.Tonkin(Ed.) Companion
Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and JessK.Gilmour
otherTransientPhenomena ObservingComets
NeilBone NickJamesandGeraldNorth
AstronomicalEquipmentforAmateurs ObservingVariableStars
MartinMobberley GerryA.Good
Transit:WhenPlanetsCrosstheSun VisualAstronomyintheSuburbs
MichaelMaunderandPatrickMoore AntonyCooke
PracticalAstrophotography AstronomyoftheMilkyWay:The
JeffreyR.Charles Observer’sGuidetotheNorthernand
ObservingtheMoon SouthernMilkyWay(2volumes)
PeterT.Wlasuk MikeInglis
Deep-SkyObserving TheNexStarUser’sGuide
StevenR.Coe MichaelW.Swanson
AstroFAQs ObservingBinaryandDoubleStars
StephenTonkin BobArgyle(Ed.)
TheDeep-SkyObserver’sYear NavigatingtheNightSky
GrantPrivettandPaulParsons GuilhermedeAlmeida
FieldGuidetotheDeepSkyObjects TheNewAmateurAstronomer
MikeInglis MartinMobberley
ChoosingandUsingaSchmidt-Cassegrain CareofAstronomicalTelescopesand
Telescope Accessories
RodMollise M.BarlowPepin
AstronomywithSmallTelescopes AstronomywithaHomeComputer
StephenF.Tonkin(Ed.) NealeMonks
SolarObservingTechniques VisualAstronomyUnderDarkSkies
ChrisKitchin AntonyCooke
The Urban
Astronomer’s
Guide
A Walking Tour of the Cosmos
for City Sky Watchers
Rod Mollise
RodMollise
Mobile,AL,USA
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2005932858
PatrickMoore’sPracticalAstronomySeriesISSN1617-7185
eISBN:1-84628-217-9
ISBN-10:1-84628-216-0
ISBN-13:978-1-84628-216-4
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©Springer-VerlagLondonLimited2006
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undertheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,thispublicationmayonlybereproduced,storedor
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Thepublishermakesnorepresentation,expressorimplied,withregardtotheaccuracyoftheinformation
containedinthisbookandcannotacceptanylegalresponsibilityorliabilityforanyerrorsoromissions
thatmaybemade.
PrintedinSingapore/KYO
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
SpringerScience+BusinessMedia
springer.com
Contents
Introduction .................................................... vii
PartI:TelescopesandTechniques
1 TheWhysandHowsofUrbanObserving ............................ 3
2 TelescopesforUrbanObservers.................................... 13
3 AccessoriesforUrbanObservers ................................... 37
4 UrbanObservingTechniquesandProjects ........................... 53
5 UrbanObservingPrograms....................................... 69
PartII:AWalkingTouroftheCosmos
6 Spring ........................................................ 93
Tour1 BurningHeartoftheHuntingDogs,M94,M51,
andCompany............................................ 93
Tour2 Lion’sDen............................................... 104
Tour3 TheTressesofBerenice..................................... 113
Tour4 IntheArmsoftheMaiden .................................. 124
7 Summer ...................................................... 135
Tour1 TheFriendlyStars......................................... 135
Tour2 ArkenstoneintheStars..................................... 145
Tour3 StarNestsinCygnus....................................... 153
Tour4 RequiemfortheDeadStars ................................. 161
8 Autumn....................................................... 169
Tour1 ATrioofFallGlobulars..................................... 169
Tour2 TitanandCrab ........................................... 177
Tour3 TheCassiopeiaClusters .................................... 187
Tour4 DeepWaterConstellations.................................. 195
9 Winter........................................................ 201
Tour1 M78:ReturnoftheHunter.................................. 201
v
vi Contents
Tour2 ChallengesforDeepWinterNights ........................... 210
Tour3 ASurprisePlanetary....................................... 216
Tour4 Winter’sEskimo .......................................... 223
Tour5 OnefortheRoad.......................................... 230
Appendix1:InternetResources ...................................... 237
Appendix2:FindingDirectionsintheSky ............................. 239
Appendix3:ObjectClassificationsandDescriptions ..................... 241
Appendix4:TheUrbanAstronomer’sGuide:CompleteListofObjects ....... 245
Index .......................................................... 251
Introduction
The Urban Astronomer’s Guide is the result of a crazy idea for a book that came to
me nearly twenty years ago. I knew deep sky objects—nebulae, star clusters, and
galaxies—couldbeseenfromthecity.Plentyofamateurastronomerswerebraving
countless streetlights in search of distant marvels. But there was little written in-
formationavailableonviewingthedeepskyfromurbanandheavilylight-polluted
suburbanlocations.TheonlymentionofthesubjectIfoundinastronomybooksand
magazineswasthesternwarningthatitwasimpossibletogetagoodlookatanything
other than the Moon and planets from urban locales. I knew this wasn’t true—I’d
observedtheentireMessierlistfrommybrightbackyardandhadalotoffundoing
it.Iwassuremanymoreamateurastronomers“trapped”amidcitylightswouldalso
lovetoseedeepskywondersfromhome—ifonlytheyhadalittleinformationand
encouragement.Solution?Thebookyouholdinyourhands.
Ispentmany,manyhoursobservingtheobjectsthatformtheskytoursincluded
inthisguide.Butthatwastheenjoyablepartoftheproject.Thehardworkwasdone
bymyfriendandfellowobserver,PatRochford,andbymydearwife,Dorothy.They
didn’tsharemuchoftheobservingfun;insteadtheydevotedthemselvestothetasks
ofcheckingthemanuscript,and,mostimportantly,providingtheencouragementI
neededtokeepgoingwithwhatsomepeopletoldmewasan“impossible”concept
forabook.Thanksarealsodue—inspades—toJohnWatson.JustwhenIwasready
totossthisideaaside,he,likePatandDorothy,keptmeontrack.Dorothy,Pat,and
John—thisoneisforyou.
RodMollise
SelmaStreet
Summer,2005
vii
PART I
Telescopes and
Techniques
CHAPTER ONE
The Whys and
Hows of Urban
Observing
Have you gone out into your backyard or garden and looked up at the night sky
lately? If you’re a seasoned amateur astronomer living in the city, especially an as-
tronomerinterestedinthedeepsky,theuniverseofobjectsbeyondtheSolarSystem,
youprobablyhaven’t.Theconventionalwisdomisthatthequarrydeepskyobservers
hunt—starclusters,galaxies,andnebulae—doesn’tshowupwell,oratall,fromthe
typicalsodium-streetlight-pinkurbansky.Everyveterancity-boundamateurprob-
ably spent some time observing from home as a novice when every night was an
adventureandnotasinglecleareveningwastobewasted.Butwithexperienceand
agrowingorientationtowarddeepspace,mostcitydwellingastronomerseventually
desertthebackyardforoccasionaltripstodarkerlocales—anastronomyclub“dark
site,”afriend’svacationhomeorfarm,oranorganizedstarparty.
Tripstodarksitesaregreat,butwouldn’tyouliketogetoutwithyourwonderful
telescope more often? That’s what this book is all about. Whether you’re a novice
amateur or a deep sky veteran, it will show you how to enjoy night after night of
wonderfulsightsfromthecomfortofhome.There’sanamazingamounttobeseen,
evenunderthebrightestskies.WhatIamgoingtodoistakeyouonawalkingtourof
thecosmos.We’lltravelfromdepressingcitylightstothewondersofdeepspace.You’ll
learnwhatyouneedtopackforthesehikes,what’stobeseenoutthere,andhowbest
toseeit.Thebulkofthebookconsistsofready-madeseasonaltoursoftheheavens,
butyou’llalsolearnhowtoplanyourownnightskyjourneys.Beforeconsideringthe
“how”ofurbanamateurastronomy,though,let’stalkmoreaboutthe“why.”
Yes,observingfromperfectcountryskiesiswonderful,butanemphasisondarksite
observingcomesatapricefortheurban-dwellingamateur:ifyourelyonlyonthese
opportunities, you’ll usually wind-up observing once a month—if that frequently.
“Onceamonth”isafarcryfromthe“everyclearnight”ofnovicedays,butfortoday’s
amateurthat’softenasgoodasitgets.Organizedclubstarpartiesareusuallyconfined
3
