Webinar: BBC Sky at Night Magazine Telescopes Masterclass: Demystifying astronomy equipment, a beginner’s guide to telescopes and mounts with Mary McIntyre by Immediate Media Co.

BBC Sky at Night Magazine

BBC Sky at Night Magazine Telescopes Masterclass: Demystifying astronomy equipment, a beginner’s guide to telescopes and mounts with Mary McIntyre

About

If you’re new to astronomy, binoculars are the best way to learn the sky, but there will come a time when you want to buy a telescope.

This can be a daunting decision full of new terms – what’s the difference between a reflector, a refractor and a Schmidt-Cassegrain? How does an equatorial mount differ from an altaz and Dobsonian mounts? And can you do astrophotography with a first telescope?

In this webinar, experienced visual observer and astrophotographer Mary McIntyre answers these questions and more, cutting through the jargon to give a clear understanding of the most common telescopes and mounts, and the terminology that describes them. You will come away from the webinar able to make a better informed decision about what telescope will suit you best.

In the second part of the Masterclass there is a Q&A with Mary McIntyre and Editor Chris Bramley.

All registrants will be able to download an event Handout via the video player of the recording and will be able to watch this recording for a maximum of 10 times.

Agenda

What telescope views of the night sky deliver that binoculars don’t.
The key considerations to think about to get the best answer to the question, ‘What sort of scope should I buy?’
The terms you need to know when looking for that first telescope.
Go-To and manual mounts, and why the mount is just as important as the telescope tube.
The essential accessories to look for with your telescope setup.
First pictures of the night sky; the kind of images you can expect to take with a beginner’s telescope.
Live Q&A with Mary McIntyre and Chris Bramley

Presenters

Mary McIntyre

Mary is an amateur astronomer and astronomy communicator based in Oxfordshire, UK. She is a keen astrophotographer but also loves creating astronomy sketches and artworks. She is passionate about astronomy outreach and was awarded the 2021 Sir Patrick Moore Prize by the BAA for her outreach activities. She is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a regular contributor to Sky at Night Magazine and the Yearbook of Astronomy. She has a busy astronomy talks schedule, is a co-presenter of the Comet Watch radio show and a regular panel member on the Astro Radio Reach Out and Touch Space show.

Chris Bramley

Chris Bramley is the Editor of BBC Sky at Night Magazine. A journalist by training, he has been covering space and astronomy since 2005 and has headed up the magazine's editorial team since 2011.

Immediate Media

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