On hot summer nights, the number of people who enjoy looking at the stars has increased significantly. Whether it’s camping by car or a nice beach, just looking at the stars is good. You can sit quietly and watch, or walk side by side. But as I waited, my friends who saw the stars came to the observatory on the top of the mountain. It was a sunny day that is rarely seen in summer. It was also a moonless day. As the old saying goes, ‘Isn’t it nice to see a friend from far away?’
As soon as we arrived, we spread out our gear. He hurried before it got dark. Looking at the equipment constantly coming out of the car, I can see why the four people each drive in four cars. It was a feeling I had never felt at an observatory. The scenery I had always seen was different. I was able to afford it, and I admired myself for how wonderful the atmosphere was. It was very unfamiliar to me to see the stars using only well-installed equipment at the observatory, but it was quickly assimilated. It was a time for everyone to chat and relax for a while, but the full-scale preparations for observation started from then.
Put the barrel on the telescope stand, attach the camera equipment for observation, and turn on the power. After that, the polar axis is aligned using the North Star, but with improved equipment these days, you can just observe any star in the sky and correct the deviation of the polar axis. After a while quietly arranging equipment, he finally begins to expose. When you start exposure, it is automatically recorded on your computer anyway, so there is room for you.
Andromeda galaxy seen through a telescope
In the early evening, the constellation of Scorpio, clearly visible above the city lights, suddenly leaned toward the western sky, and the Milky Way rose beautifully. By fixing high-magnification binoculars to a tripod, we searched for various celestial bodies we are familiar with. Along the Milky Way, we found red nebulae that can be easily seen and open clusters with blue energy, and also found globular clusters with countless stars gathered like balls. How many people have seen the Andromeda Galaxy with a telescope? Since it is visible with the naked eye, it is the most basic object of observation for stargazers, but not everyone can see it. Saturn’s rims, Jupiter’s stripes and moons are also easily visible.
The biggest full moon this year is…
The feeling of seeing a celestial body swaying in the atmosphere with the naked eye is completely different from seeing it with the naked eye. Therefore, there are many people who are not interested in photographic observation and enjoy purely visual observation. I still remember the enchanting appearance of the Orion Nebula seen with the naked eye to focus the 61cm telescope at the Sobaeksan Observatory during the photographic observation period long ago. However, when I took the picture, it didn’t turn out as well as I expected, so I was very disappointed. I didn’t even know about the essential technique for astrophotography, hypersensitivity, and the aperture ratio of the telescope itself was so large that the aperture ratio of the telescope was F/13.5, which required a much longer exposure. The Bohyeonsan Observatory’s 1.8m telescope was relatively bright at F/8, but there are still many difficulties in obtaining good images. Whenever this happens, seeing the celestial body directly with the naked eye always makes my heart flutter.
The best thing to see with the naked eye is probably the moon. But stargazers don’t like the moon very much. When the moon is bright, it is difficult to see the stars. So, wait for a moonless day and observe. This month’s full moon was reported in the media as the biggest month of the year. This means that it is the closest to Earth of the full moon this year. The 380,000 km we know as the distance to the moon is an average distance, and the moon revolves in an elliptical orbit that varies from about 360,000 km to 410,000 km. However, the smallest visible moon (minimoon) and the largest visible moon (supermoon) depend on whether the full moon is the farthest point or the closest point in the elliptical orbit due to the light of the sun shining from afar.
I spent the whole night looking at the stars and listening to music related to the stars, but at dawn it became quiet again. Because I slept in the car for a while to go home. As the sky brightens, I get up again and grab my gear. Mercury was discovered near the red horizon before sunrise. It was difficult to see with the naked eye, and when I first looked for it with binoculars, I could only see it with the naked eye. While looking at Mercury, one by one, they quietly returned. Again, promising the next.
Jeon Young-beom, Senior Researcher, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute