Tools to Learn Constellations
Green Laser Pointer, Celestron Sky Scout, & Meade mySky
Beginning stargazers often want to learn the astronomical constellations. Advanced stargazers want to teach their kids or others some astronomy. These tools can help.
Learn Constellations
Stargazers and amateur astronomers often start this hobby by learning constellations. More experienced astronomers also want to pass on their knowledge by teaching others to pick out constellations in the night sky. Families can share learning the night sky together, and those interested in astronomy can pass on their love of the night sky to their children.
The traditional tools used to learn constellations are star maps and a red flashlight. (A red flashlight does not hurt night vision like a white one.) It is however often difficult for beginners to learn constellations from a star map without assistance. One must learn a few to get oriented and to understand how the star map corresponds to the real sky.
Learning constellations from someone who already knows them makes it easier. However pointing out constellations is difficult. It is hard to see exactly where someone else's finger is pointing. A traditional low tech solution to this problem is a very bright searchlight type flashlight. However the bright light can wash out faint stars and make them hard to see. Modern technology comes to the rescue.
Green Laser Pointers
A nice recent solution is a green laser pointer, such as the one sold by Orion Telescopes for about $100. Red laser pointers are much cheaper, but they do not show up when pointed at the night sky. The green laser pointers can be pointed at a specific star, allowing an experienced stargazer to easily show a beginner exactly which stars comprise a constellation. During full moon or on the most perfectly clear nights the green laser pointer beam can be difficult to see, but otherwise it usually shows up nicely.
It is an excellent tool for pointing out and teaching constellations. Be careful to use it responsibly. Never point lasers at people. Do not point then at the sky when airplanes are flying overhead. The pilots can mistake them for laser guided weapons.
Celestron Sky Scout and Meade mySky
In the past few years two new products have become available to help beginning stargazers learn constellations. Both Celestron's Sky Scout personal planetarium and Meade's mySky are handheld devices that can help novice astronomer's learn the night sky. They both sell for about $400.
Both of these products use GPS technology to find the observer's position. They then detect the angle at which the device is pointed and tell the users which constellation, star, planet, or other astronomical body they are looking at. Novice astronomers can be sure about which constellation they are observing. Via earphones these devices also provide descriptions of the constellation the user is observing.
Neither the Sky Scout nor the mySky are telescopes. The Sky Scout has a viewing window solely to help the user be sure it is aimed at the proper constellation. The mySky has an LCD screen to provide video of constellations or other astronomical objects. Astronomers wanting direct telescopic views of astronomical objects should buy a telescope instead.
Green laser pointers are most useful for experienced stargazers to point out constellations to novice astronomers. Celestron's Sky Scout and Meade's mySky help novices learn the night sky and help experienced stargazers learn more.. They can make excellent birthday or Christmas gifts for stargazers.
