The sky is full of opportunities to delight and, in reality, we don't need much to achieve it. Discovering the cosmos is an adventure in which we can begin with a valuable guide such as Celestial Objects for Telescopes, by astronomers and researchers José Bosch Bailach, Oscar Brevià Gilabert and Ivan Dimitrov Dragoev, published this year by the University of Valencia. This book, with a close and accessible language, was born with “the idea of completing the work we had done with the astronomy book with binoculars,” explains Bosch.
As the authors point out, the book is aimed at amateur astronomers with a certain initiation. “It has a technical point, but it is structured in such a way that you can avoid the more scientific aspects and continue enjoying the book. Let's not forget that it is a field guide, a reference book,” says Brevià. “It covers everything related to observational astronomy for amateur astronomers. And they are analyzed at an informative level and also at a scientific level. We must not forget that astronomy is a science,” explains José Bosch. “The reader will find a little more than what is expected from a field guide,” says Brevià.
The first part of the book describes the different types of telescope, their main characteristics and the accessories with which we must equip them to make better use of our experience. With very good judgment, the authors recommend starting with relatively small instruments, easier to transport and cheaper. The publication is completed with a careful selection of celestial objects to observe, grouped by constellations, and these, in turn, by the time of year in which they are visible. The last chapters deal with the observation of the Sun, the Moon and the planets.
“You have chapters for when you go out to observe, chapters to read while the unexpected cloud passes by, chapters to savor in a relaxed manner and others to rack your brain even more,” says Brevià. “I like the appendices dedicated to complementary activities where a study of planetary movement is done, being able to find, for example, the mass of the planet Jupiter and the distance between Earth and Venus,” adds Bosch for whom “the mythological reviews are an authentic delight; written in an entertaining way and with a current reading of mythology.”
It is easy to think that astronomers look at the sky with different eyes than the rest, with a mixture of curiosity and scientific interest. But, in reality, the firmament also has a cultural connotation because it has been and is the framework for many of our experiences. “For those of us of a certain age, heaven has always been there; Some of us have even fallen in love under the light of the stars with the background sound of the sea or the grilling in the countryside. The sky was simply there,” says Brevià. “Now there are children who have never seen a dark sky,” he laments.
“I especially remember one day when I observed a couple of galaxies in the Big Dipper with a good wide-field eyepiece; I was fascinated by the great contrast of the image, I never remember having seen anything like it,” confesses Bosch. “I have been working professionally in the field of astronomy for more than a decade and many nights when I see the immensity of the sky, I think that we are nobody and, yet, we think that we are everything on an individual and collective level,” he explains. Brevia.
For the authors, spending time looking at the sky, becoming interested in astronomy, is a way to reposition ourselves in the world. In those moments of observation we stop looking at our navel to realize that we are part of a whole. “Studying the Universe gives a special vision of the magnitude at which human beings find themselves and helps us to be more aware of our lives, something that we always end up being grateful for,” says Bosch.
“All human beings have the observation of the sky written in their DNA, more than the hobby. We are the first generation that does not observe the sky to harvest, celebrate... In short, so that the biological course of the human being flows naturally. But when you lie down and look at the immensity of a dark sky, your heart rate drops, your mind relaxes and your senses sharpen. We are human again,” Brevià reflects.
Bosch focuses its observations on the so-called double stars and, at a scientific level, on the study of the variability of light from distant galaxies. Brevià, on the other hand, is fascinated by the Moon. “I would spend hours watching her,” he says. At this point, all those who want to become interested in astronomy must already imagine that a large equipment is not necessary to start. “Start by looking at the sky with the naked eye and recognizing the most important constellations and stars,” advises Bosch. “A parallelogram mount, some good binoculars and good company. Optional: a good wine and chocolate,” recommends Brevià. And his last book in his backpack, too.
