Astronomical Projects for Beginners

Each project list starts at the top with the easiest project and ranks them as you go down, to the more difficult objects and projects at the bottom. Although all the objects on these lists are relatively 'easy' objects, some projects can be tricky for a beginner. Give each section's projects a go, in order if possible. 

Have a look down the list to pick something you like the sound of.

The description of each point suggests projects to be undertaken. These lists apply to all beginners, though older observers will also have their own ideas about what they want to see!  I would respectfully suggest that working through this list would get you off to a better start than trying to see, M97, M1 or Pluto. You have the rest of your life for that!

Pic: This illustration shows the comparitive sizes of the Moon with the planets at their closest and furthest.

These objects are available for viewing for a period during each year. They are not always available as the Sun apears to move round the celestial ecliptic and objects pass into evening twilight, then behind the Sun and finally emerge from pre-dawn twilight again. Please, use something like 'Stellarium' to see what's available for your current viewing pleasure.

(PLEASE: Write to me from the contacts page if you do any of these activities.)

Deep Sky Objects:

To locate many DSOs you will need to use some form of star atlas or a computer program such as 'Stellarium' (Download PC version free HERE - There is also an APP for your mobile phone.)

The first four DSOs on my list can be spotted without a telescope!

Deep Sky Objects don't change much in our lifetimes, but there are still interesting projects you can undertake:

1:   Locate each object in the Messier catalogue (Keep a list or tick chart of your progress - DON'T try to do them in order - M1 is one of the hardest to find!). 

2:   Make a drawing of each object.

2a: When you have more experience draw it again and see how your abilities to pick out detail have improved.

2b: If ever you get a bigger telescope, draw them again and see how much better the view is!

3:   Find other DSOs in NGC, Caldwell, Cambridge, Bayer, and Herschel catalogues. ('Messier' objects are all NGC objects, but not vice-versa!)

M101 in Cassiopeia         Distance = 21M light years

This galaxy is visible in your telescope as a small fuzzy patch, larger telescopes may show some detail. An excellent target for Astro-Photography.

In 2023 this galaxy had a supernova erupt in its outer spiral arm (See animation).  This is an overlay of two photos by Gareth Jackson. It shows the galaxy before and after the supernova became aparent.  The light from a supernova can outshine all the other stars in the galaxy. See how bright it is compared to the brighter stars in the M101 galaxy.

This is the one area where DSOs may change over time.  The supernova will subside in the coming months and the galaxy will return to looking very similar to its apearance before the event. Nevertheless, this is an interesting part of observing and photographing DSOs.

 (PLEASE: Write to me from the contact page if you do any of these activities.)

Double Stars:

The location and observation of double stars is another interesting project for the budding observer. Once again you'll need a star chart or use 'Stellarium' to locate these stars. (Download PC version free HERE - There is also an APP for your mobile).

These beautiful Double Stars don't change much in our lifetimes, but there are still interesting projects you can undertake:

1: Locate each object in the list below.  Tick them off when you have seen them.

2: Make a drawing and notes about each object (Colours / Separation / Ease etc).

3: Revisit them time and again and have a look at them in other telescopes if you get the chance, to see if you can spot any difference between the two scopes.

Albireo:  Beta = β Cygnus

A Beautiful Gold and Blue pair in the head of Cygnus, the swan. Any telescope will show it in a northern summer sky. I return to this double time and again.

Alcor and Mizar: Zeta = ζ Ursa Major, The Plough asterism

These can be split with the unaided eye, but Mizar itself is also double seen in a telescope.

Algieba:  Gamma = γ Leo
Beautiful pair, both golden yellow in the telescope. 

Almach:  Gamma = γ Andromeda

Another Gold and Blue pair in Andromeda.

Alpha Herculis:  Alpha = α Hercules

Another amazing contrasting double star pair. Red and Greeny/Blue.

Cor Caroli:  Alpha = α Canes Venatici

A lovely pair with a big difference in brightness. White and Yellowish.

Polaris: Alpha = α Ursa Minor

A test for you. The bright 1.2 magnitude Polaris has a 9.0 magnitude companion. Can be tricky, but is seen in 70mm+ scopes at 100x.

Epsilon Lyra:  Epsilon = ε Lyra

The Double-Double. All components are equal, white and quite tricky to separate. A good test for a refractor telescope of 70mm.

Note: If double stars turn out out be a hit, there are plenty of lists for beginners and more advanced observers online!  Start here!

(PLEASE: Write to me from the contact page if you do any of these activities.)

 Interesting Fact: You may wonder why there are no green stars?  There is just about every other colour, why no green?  The answer is that stars put out most of their light in a range of frequencies, with the main colour being dominant - See diagram. But, there are some other frequencies, either side of the main one, always present.  So, your red star puts out it's mainly red light, but there is also some orange, and infra-red. Our eye will see mainly red.  A blue star puts out mainly blue, but also violet and blue-green, so it looks blue (Our eyes like blue light!).  A 'green' star, that puts out most of its light in the green part of the spectrum also puts out yellow to orange and blue to violet, and such a spread of colours, I'm sure you'll reallise, gives white light! 

SO, there are two possiblilties - White stars are green - or Green stars are white.  Either way, what we see is white stars!

PS: The reason we don't see purple stars is that our human eyes much prefer to see blue, so purple stars appear blue as there is blue and ultra-violet (which we can't see) to each side of the purple.  The colour spectrum is weighted towards blue for purple stars - We see blue.

Conjunctions and Occultations:

Planets can approach very close to each other. This is called a conjunction. A wide angle telescopic view can have two planets in the same view when the conjunction is very close.

They occur between two or more planets, between planets and stars and the Moon has conjunctions and occultations with all the different bodies, the most striking occultation is called a Solar Eclipse!

There are several conjunctions each year to watch out for. There is little scientific value, but they are quite amazing to witness. You can observe the planets getting closer and closer day by day until they are at the closest point.  In recent times the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn made the news in late December 2020.

With the Moon, conjunctions take a matter of a few hours, but planetary conjunctions can be observed over a number of nights leading up to closest approach and afterwards until they move well apart. The Moon is a large object in the sky (half a degree in diameter) but it is surprising how few bright stars it passes in front of during the year.

You can look for past, present and future events using STELLARIUM - (Download free HERE)

Man-Made Satellites:

Observing satellites is great fun for everyone!

Man-made satellites can be seen without optical aid as 'stars' that pass through the night sky.  There are many thousands and hardly an observing session goes by without seeing one or two. 

Sometimes they pass into the Earth's shadow and disappear f rom view. Other times the brighten and fade as the different parts reflect the sunlight differently. They are interesting to spot and all the more fun if you know which one it is or when to look!

One impressive selection are the 'Starlink' satellites. They can be seen in an impressive line of forty or so as they pass overhead. They can be found by looking up your location with a finder web-page .  Many astronomers think they will spoil the night sky, but they are very impressive, and at the moment, weeks can go by before a favourable show!  I found this little video to give you some idea. 

There is, of course, a webpage that allows you to find out when the Starlink Satellites will be visible for you:

Here> FIND STARLINK (You will need to set up your location.)

Another impressive object is the International Space Station (ISS). This can be very bright as it passes over. A single satellite is about the size of a Ford Transit Van, but the ISS is the size of a tennis court!  At different times of the year the station may pass into the Earth's shadow and just 'disappear', other times it can be seen for several minutes on a good pass.

Naturally, there is a finder website for the ISS too:

Here> ISS PASSES  (You will need to set up your location on the top right of the page.)

Variable Stars:

Variable Stars brighten and fade over a period of time. It is interesting to follow the light curve and provides a good project over a number of days, weeks or even months.  This is a project that suits locations where cloud is an issue requiring a clear night only every so often and not necessarily on a specific night in many cases!

There are many types of variable star:

Eclipsing Binaries, Cepheid Variables, Algol Variables, Tau-Tauri, Irregular and Semi-irregular variables to name a few.  My 'beginner's  list' below contains four different types.

Using your unaided eye, binoculars or your telescope,there are very interesting projects you can undertake with Variable Stars:

1: Find and record details of each object on the list and observe the brightness, colour and ease of finding. You can observe the difference in brightness by comparing to other nearby stars.

2: Estimate where the brightness is on the light curve (The current brightness compared to its max and min)

3: Observe at regular intervals, once a week or even once a month for some, and update the record. Keep comparing to nearby stars to create yourself a brightness record.

4: Try the "Trapezium Challenge" (Last item on the list - You'll need a telescope of 100mm or larger!)

5: Try more difficult variables. There are many lists online of new ones to try (You will never run out!)

Here is a list that will get you started comprising brighter stars that can be easily found and followed in your telescope. All these stars are easily visible from the Northern hemisphere:

Click the constellation diagrams to enlarge.

Mira: Omicron = ο Cetus                  

Mira has the largest range in this list by far and represents a great long term project.

Brightness Magnitude Range: 3.4 - 10.0 

Period: 332 days

Algol: Beta = β Perseus                    

Algol has the shortest period in this list and represents a great starter project, with visibility all year round above 50° N. An eclipsing binary, the light dip takes a few hours only. It's called 'The Demon Star' and represents Medusa's eye, winking! This phenomenon had been noticed well before the invention of the telescope, so be assured it is quite obvious!

Brightness Magnitude Range: 2.1 - 3.4 

Period: 2.87 days

Beta Lyra: Beta = β Lyra

This star is easily found high overhead in northern summer, not far from the 0.0 magnitude star Vega.  Lots of close-by comparison stars that make up the small constellation of Lyra, the lyre.

Brightness Magnitude Range: 3.3 - 4.4

Period: 12.9 days

Also note: Epsilon Lyra, the 'Double Double' and M57 the 'Ring Nebula' also on this pic.

Delta Cepheus: Delta = δ Cepheus

This star can be found all year long circling the northern celestial pole, with visibility all year above 42° N.  The constellation of Cepheus, representing the King Cepheus, is an unassuming pattern of relatively faint stars. Most are magnitude two or fainter.

Brightness Magnitude Range: 3.5 - 4.4

Period: 5.37 days

Eta Aquila: Eta = η Aquila

Another 'northern summer' variable star, not far from Altair in Aquila, the Eagle.

Brightness Magnitude Range: 3.5 - 4.4

Period: 7.18 days

Also Note:

M11 The 'Wild Duck' Cluster on the far right of this pic.

M27, The 'Dumbbell Nebula' is found just above the label 'Aquila' (Easy to find from Sagitta).

Betelgeuse: Alpha = α Orion 

A northern winter and spring constellation. The famous Betelgeuse in the shoulder of Orion the hunter. A red giant with problems! There is much talk about an immenant supernova event involving Betelgeuse.

Brightness Magnitude Range: 0.4 - 1.3

Period: Irregular.  Betelgeuse fluctuates in brightness in a noticeable range and does so without regular pulsations. Scientists think it is about to collapse and explode.

Also Note: M42 The 'Great Nebula', containing the 'Trapezium', also on this pic.

Fancy tackling a more difficult project?

"The Trapezium Challenge"

For beginners I would suggest you only try this with a telescope of 100mm or larger, and only after some success with the variable stars in the list above.

Trapezium A and B: Theta = θ Orion

Within the famous M42, in Orion, are the Trapezium stars.

Two of them are variable stars. See Orion diagram for M42, just above.

A is a regular variable. Relatively easy to compare.

Brightness Magnitude Range: A = 6.7 - 7.7

Period: A = 65 days (The best comparison star is D, also at Mag 6.7)

B is an eclipsing binary. Difficult to observe the dip in brightness.

Brightness Magnitude Range: B = 7.9 - 8.6

Period:  B = 6.47 days (For just a few hours!)

Illustration:

The stars of the Trapezium.

Depending on your optical system, you may have to invert, rotate, or flip this map to get the Trapezium how you see it! 

Give this 'tricky but fun' project a try when you're experienced with variables!

Note: On star maps, you will see a representation of the magnitude by circle size.  Variable stars are shown as concentric circles showing the two extremes of their light curve. See stars A and B in the illustration.

Astro-Photography:

If you don't have a telescope or a DSLR camera, there are still fun things you can do with your phone.  Have a go at simple Astro-Photography.  You don't need to buy any expensive equipment to try astro-photography - Use your phone!

To get a good light balance, you have to click the brightest area of the image to get the phone to show some colour in the sky, but, planets and the moon after sunset is a good place to start.

If your phone has trouble detailing astro objects in the night sky, you could try downloading an app such as "Night Cap" or "ProCam X Lite". These apps let you change the exposure perameters of the phone's camera to bring out more detail in low light / high contrast situations.

Pic: A picture of the Venus (Lower white) and Jupiter (Upper Creamy) conjunction, taken Feb 28th 2023

 a few minutes after sunset, two days before closest approach. No special app used.

I just clicked on the brightest part of the image and the auto-exposure

altered to show the planets in a lovely evening sky.

When you have a little experience with your telescope, try pointing your phone down the eyepiece!  It's surprisingly easy to take a nice astro shot.  Focus the telescope as acurately as you can, then shoot down the eyepiece. Keep the phone flat to the eyepiece rubber and look at the image on the phone screen.  You may find it easier to use a delayed timer exposure so you can concentrate on keeping the Moon in the shot and as still as possible while the phone takes the picture.

If you think this might be something you'd do regularly, you could invest in a universal phone mount. This attaches to your telescope eyepiece and holds the phone in the right position for the shot.

Pic: You don't actually need a phone mount, though it makes life ten times easier! Hold the phone so it looks down the eyepiece, arange the image on the screen how you like, and snap away. Callum Lawson did just that using his phone and my 150mm f8 Dobsonian, for his first ever astro-photo! 

 (Pic ©Callum Lawson, 2023)

IF you have a telescope and a phone holder and you visit the Moon Photography page in this website to learn about the astro-photography process, you could easily turn out a photograph of the Moon like this one. 

Pic:  This is a single shot image of the Moon taken with a simple parabolic Newtonian on AZ, a SkyWatcher 100P.  You can match the quality of this shot after a little practice and go on to produce better photos, I'm sure. (Click to enlarge)

Note: You can buy cheap telescope eyepiece cameras for under £20 which sounds like a good idea, but, in my experience, they aren't anywhere near as good as your phone! The camera in your phone is much better quality than those cheap 'telescope cameras'. When starting out, use your mobile phone!

PLEASE, HAVE A GO!

When you do, please send me your best image, I would love to see it. (Who knows, it might even make it into the website, like Callum's photo!)

When you get adept at simple astro-photography, you could choose to add to your equipment, and train yourself to take stunning shots as my friend, Gareth Jackson, has done.

Gareth has only been taking 'proper' astro-photos since 2020, but he has found that he has the skills required to be excellent at this activity. It has taken a lot of study, trial & error and great skill to get his superb images. But it shows that it doesn't take long to become excellent at astro-photography.

Pic: Gareth's beautiful multi-exposure, stacked image of the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula in Orion. Taken with his Canon 600D camera, attached to a SkyWatcher 150PL on EQ5 guided driven GoTo mounting under the beautifully clear and dark skies of north Wales.  My Getting into Astro-Photography Page HERE

  (Pic ©Gareth Jackson, 2023)

If you get this good - PLEASE!!! Send me your pics to view!