Tri-Valley Stargazers Links

Details

In order to use this web page, click on one of the topics to the left. Then the text in this box will be changed to point to some sites that expand on the topic you have chosen. Many of these sites contain YouTube videos that will help you to get started with stargazing and telescope basics. Thanks to Ross Gaunt for providing many of these links.

Astrophotography

Rob Kantelberg's web site has a wealth of information about astrophotography. You can learn here how to focus better, do calibration frames, and so on. The site also has some good tutorials on how to use the popular PixInsight program.

Teach Astronomy

Teach Astronomy is an astronomy learning tool, intended either as a supplement for classroom instruction or for informal learners wanting to know more about the subject. This site has a very comprehensive set of learning tools, including text book courses, images, news articles, and video lectures.

Planets

This site has information about the bodies of the solar system (planets, dwarf planets, moons, comets, etc.), and how the solar system formed.

Heavens Above

Orbital predictions for many satellites, including the International Space Station, the Iridium Satellites (which can be exceedingly bright -- a definite wow factor) and the space shuttle (if and when it's up). Plug in your latitude and longitude, and it will tell you where and what time to go out and look for the satellites.

Earth and Moon Viewer

This site lets you see what the Earth and Moon look like at any given time and place.

Photo Journal

The NASA photojournal site -- lots of pictures of the planets taken from the various spacecraft sent out over the years (Voyager, Pioneer, Galileo, etc.).

Sky & Telescope

This is a direct link to Sky & Telescope's web page listing astronomy clubs throughout the U.S.

Hubble Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope Public Pictures.

Nine Planets

The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System. This site has a lot of info and images of the planets.

Axel Mellinger

This is the web site of Axel Mellinger, a former Bay Area resident and TVS member. He's an amateur astronomer who takes excellent astrophotos. His composite Milky Way photo and his all-sky panoramic photo are an amazing achievement and can be purchased as posters from Sky Publishing (www.skyandtelescope.com).

Phil Harrington

Phil Harrington's web site. Covers some of the info in Phil's very helpful books

International Dark Sky Association

The International Dark Sky Association. Learn what you can do to help curb the widespread light pollution problem we have in our cities.

Bad Astronomy

Phil Plait's web site devoted to clearing up popular misconceptions in astronomy and science. Quite amusing and informative.

1-2 semester introductory astronomy courses
Glossary (glossary for telescopes)
How to get started in the hobby

Stargazing - Getting Started in Astronomy
Stargazing Basics 1: learn how to get oriented in the night sky for stargazing
Stargazing Basics 2: Understanding star magnitude in astronomy
Stargazing Basics 3: How to measure distance in sky to find other stars
Astronomy for beginners - Getting started stargazing
Backyard Beginners: Watching the sky move
5 simple tips for getting started in stargazing (Sky at Night Magazine)
What will you see through a telescope (article)

How to choose a telescope (article)
Telescope Basics 1: Top three telescope types explained
Telescope Basics 2: Learn to calculate magnification for a telescope/understand focal ratios
Telescope Basics 3: Understand common eyepieces for telescopes
Telescope Basics 4: Understanding telescope and apparent field of view in telescopes
Telescope Basics 5: Learn the basics about larlow lenses for telescopes
Telescope Basics 6: Understanding telesope finders, types, and alignment

Getting started with your new astronomy telescope
Choosing & Using telescope mounts
Why is my image upside down?
How to setup a Celestron 9.25 Goto telescope
How to set up the CGX-L tripod & Mount (Celestron)
Amateur Astronomy Video 2 - Parts of the Telescope
Image orientation (article)
Amateur astronomy video 3 - accessories

How to align your finderscope
How to align a finderscoe for new astronomers

How to align an equatorial mount
How to use an equatorial mount for amateur telescopes
How to use an equatorial mount for beginners
Setting up a german equatorial mount
Balancing an equatorial mount with Chris Hendren
Backyard Beginners: How to use an equatorial telescope mount

Telescope Tips: Setting up telescope polar alignment
Polar Scope - how to use a polar scope
How to align your Celestron polar finder scope during the daytime
Polar finder scope for Celestron CGEM mount
How to polar align your telescope mount - EQ polar alignment
Polar alignment in daytime by Fongky VP of StarFinder
How to polar align a telescope in the southern hemisphere

Observing planets: optimising your views
Top 20 Astronomy Tips
Top 5 tips for improving planetary view withyour telescope
How to thermally optimize your telescope (article)
Dealing with dew (article)
Seeing in the dark (article)
Filters - Enhancing lunar observation
Features of the Orion 1.25" basic color filter set
Collimating your reflecting telescope in a few minutes
How to Collimate a telescope - (Orion telescoes & Binoculars)
Collimating your Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope in a few minutes

Astrophotography with German equatorial mounts
Bahtinov mask to focus on a star (focusing tips)
Astrophotography P1: Telesope OTAs
Astrophotography P2: Choosing & Using telescope mounts
Astrophotography P3: Guiding your telescope
Astrophotography without a star tracker
Astrophotography Basics (Orion Telescope beginner series)
How to make videos and pictures of the moon - telescope
How to create darks, flats, & bias (astrophotography calibration)

How to view the sun safely - eclipses, sunspots
Observing the sun (article)
Safe solar observation (accessories)

Observing double stars (article)
Observing variable stars (article)

Astronomy

Published by Kalmbach Publishing

Sky & Telescope

Published by Sky Publishing Corporation

Scope City

350 Bay St., San Francisco 415-421-8800
They still advertise but seem to have gone out of business.

Tri-Valley Stargazers

That's us!

TVS discussion group

That's us too!

Eastbay Astronomical Society

(EAS): Meets at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland. Home to the Telescope Makers' Workshop, where anyone can come build their own telescope.

Chabot Space and Science Center

(CSSC): In the Oakland Hills. Free telescope observing on Friday and Saturday nights (weather permitting) using their 8" Alvan Clark refractor (1883), 20" John Brasher/Warner & Swasey refractor (1915), and their new 36" classic cassegrain reflector (2003).

The Astronomy Connection

(TAC): An internet based group of amateurs, based primarily in the south bay.

Fremont Peak Observatory Association

(FPOA): FPOA runs the telescope on top of Fremont Peak near San Juan Bautista.

The Mount Diablo Astronomical Society

(MDAS): During the summer they have public star parties on Mt. Diablo. They meet in north Concord.

The San Jose Astronomical Association

(SJAA): SJAA holds auctions and swap meets twice a year.

The Astronomical Association of Northern California

(AANC): This organization encompasses a lot of the clubs in the Bay Area.