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keny
newbie
Reged: 11/02/09
Posts: 2
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As a beginner astronomer, I notice that there are many requests for startup tips.
A fellow member at my astronomy club has developed jigsaw puzzles that can help remember where the constellations are. All the constellations fit into each other in the right places. I have found that having to repeatedly refer back to the star charts wastes time. Knowing the constellations well beforehand helps and this is what the puzzles do. See his puzzles at www.starwaders.com
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Jason D
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/21/06
Posts: 3296
Loc: California
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It sounds like your first post at CN is promoting a product. It seems you have to purchase two puzzles to cover all constellations. According to the website, the regular price is $8 for each -- that is $16 for both ($8 with the current discount offered at the website). There are other cheaper ways to learn the constellations.
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XT10 classic with premium optics
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6" StarBlast6
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16198
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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Hi keny and welcome to Cloudy Nights.
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Ted
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16198
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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The link would not work for me.
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Ted
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bsim
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 1049
Loc: New York City
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It certainly sounds like a product promotion to me. Having said that, it looks interesting.
For most Northern observers, you only need the $4 set. That set covers the Southern sky to -40 degrees. To calculate how far south you can view, subtract 90 from your latitude. I'm intrigued by the level 3 which has rotatable pieces and no Constellation names.
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keny
newbie
Reged: 11/02/09
Posts: 2
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Thanks for the welcome star drop.
I have contacted a friend who knows the starwaders guy to pass on your comments.
I tried some of his puzzles and thought they were quite useful for beginners like me. I loked at the website and think he his making the full set available for $4
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izar187
sage
Reged: 09/02/06
Posts: 235
Loc: 43N
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If on a budget, then consider Skiff and Tirion's Bright Star Atlas as well:
http://www.willbell.com/atlas/atlas1.htm
One doesn't need to know all the sky.
Just a few constellations for orientation gets one started.
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4 thru 13 inch scopes.
30 years observing.
You just read this on the internet, so.....
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Joe Lalumia
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 3600
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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How about the FREE Mag 7 star charts here on CN:
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1052
Put them inside clear plastic sheets inside a binder.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV Nighthawk & TelePOD, SV 80/9D & M4 mount, ETX 90, Orion XT10i, 20x80 binoculars, SV-BV3s-- www.texasastro.org
"Great minds discuss ideas;Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people." Unknown
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joelimite
sage
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 234
Loc: Fayetteville, AR
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Great tip, Joe. That's exactly what I did. The price can't be beat 
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Orion XT8 Dob w/ Moonlite 2-speed Crayford focuser, Vixen A80MF w/ GSO 2-speed Crayford and Porta Mount
32mm Televue Plossl, 31mm Hyperion Aspheric, 24mm Meade SWA, 17,13,8mm Hyperions, 6,5,4mm TMB Planetary, 5mm Baader Genuine Ortho
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RussL
Music Maker
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 1925
Loc: Cayce, SC
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Welcome to CN, keny. If the puzzles are helping you, then that's a good thing. Others will surley benefit as well. For me, well, I learned mine from things like planispheres and later from Donald Menzel in his 1960s edition of A Field Guide To the Stars and Planets. His charts were very helpful. On one page (holding the book sideways) was half the sky from east to west for any given month, and on the next page below it the same sky, but with no lines or names, just the stars. I got used to how the constellations align to one another at an early age looking at charts like that which show the sky just as it is. Nowadays, I still look at charts like that since I'm so used to it. I think the puzzle idea will help any newcomer, though. They appear to be nicely done. 
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--Dawg, the Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
Celestron Celestar 8 Standard SCT, f10
Celestron 80mm Wide View ref., f5
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Sears Discoverer 60mm ref., f7, (c. 1973)
Celestron Ultima DX 10x50, 6.5 TFOV
Tasco 7x35 wide
Several mediocre eyepieces
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sailor70623
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/12/08
Posts: 939
Loc: Ok.
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If you have at least one other person interested to learn the sky with, this makes the easiest way to learn the sky. Add a planetarium, or just use a free planetarium program like Stellarium, and get a green laser. I find learning the constillations easiest by learning some asterism associated with the constillation. ie. Big Dipper Ursa Major, W Casseopia, etc. Use the laser to trace out the constillation or asterism and have the other person name it. Switch back and forth. Finish the night off by tracing as many of the asterisms and constillations as you can remember, then have the other person do the same. Do it as often as you can get out, and learn at least one new constillation each night and pretty soon, you will know all the visable constillations, visable from where you are. The good part about this is that in a month or two there will be more to learn. This is how I teach the kids and they love getting their turn with the laser. My problem is that I have a harder time spelling them than naming them. When I was a kid, the library book that had all the pictures of the constillations could not be taken out of the library. So I took index cards and drew each of them out, put the name on the back, then studied these. I learned more drawing them than using the flash cards, but this works too, and is FREE.
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Corornado PST
LB 16" & 12"
Z 10"
LX50 8"
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ETX127
102&90mm MAKs
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Aikon
newbie
Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 1
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Hi Keny
I find the puzzles a great idea and fun. Thanks for the post. I think this would appeal to young and old.
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16198
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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Hi James and welcome to Cloudy Nights.
Wow. You have been lurking on the forum for almost two years.
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Ted
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RussL
Music Maker
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 1925
Loc: Cayce, SC
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Quote:
I learned more drawing them than using the flash cards,
I know what you mean. I used to draw them, too, when I was a kid. I learned a lot trying to make them look just like the ones I was copying, paying attention to the geometry, or at least the shape of the geometry since I didn't know much about it. Once, for a primary school project I drew the whole winter sky. Not bad for an eight-year-old. I'm still good at some of them. Heh,heh, it was a time when I was doing all sorts of drawing, like copying Benjamin Franklin's and Thomas Jefferson's signatures. Fun to sign someone's high school annual that way, lol.
There's nothing like hands-on for teaching.
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--Dawg, the Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
Celestron Celestar 8 Standard SCT, f10
Celestron 80mm Wide View ref., f5
Orion 120ST ref., f5
Criterion RV-6 Dynascope, Newt., f8, (c. 1962)
Sears Discoverer 60mm ref., f7, (c. 1973)
Celestron Ultima DX 10x50, 6.5 TFOV
Tasco 7x35 wide
Several mediocre eyepieces
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