An Amateur’s Guide to Observing and Imaging the Heavens

Many years ago, I promised myself that, when the time was right, I would take up astronomy as an amateur pastime. The right time was some eight years ago, and although my experience of life had prepared me well, I was surprised at how much I had to learn before becoming comfortable with it. Every hobby has its fair share of jargon. Observational astronomy requires some knowledge of optics, atmospherics and weather, celestial mapping and navigation, electronics, computing, some engineering and photography, so it will always be a steep learning curve. My initial nights with a simple telescope were enjoyable...