Recently we've been lucky enough to be able to envisage mans first steps into our solar system. And watched Tom Hanks struggle to bring his crippled Apollo command module home in "Apollo 13". Jinxed Apollo 13 actor Gary Sinese walked on Mars in "Mission to Mars". Val Kilmer battled with the Martian elements in "Red Planet". And veteran actors such as Tommy Lee Jones starred along side Clint Eastwood in "Space Cowboys".All these movies have served to feed our minds. With a lack lustre manned space program right now they have been our inspiration and our window to what's beyond.

But what if you want more? If you happen to want more than anything to explore space, tour the planets of our solar system, and peer at distant stars and galaxies. Only a lucky hand full of pioneers will leave this world in our life times and get to walk on Mars or the Moon again. And that is out of the billions living on Earth right now. There will no doubt be countless decades before ordinary folks like you or I can venture to these worlds, and many centuries before mankind can journey to the stars. So what is the answer for people like us? Frustrated space explorers who just happen to have been born in the wrong century. You will not be surprised to hear that I have never been into space. However I have explored the moon for many years. I have viewed the sizzling surface of a star, our own sun. I have observed the cloud tops of Venus and the swirling atmosphere of Jupiter, I have many times observed the magnificent rings of Saturn, and marvelled at the surface of Mars. And all from the comfort of my humble backyard.

If you have not already guessed I am an Astronomer. And observing space through my modest telescope has been how I have coped with not being up there in person. Among the words of this article I hope you find something to interest you, and that perhaps you may yourself peer into the heavens with your own eyes. Do not get me wrong; I am a keen collector of the wonderful images gathered over the years by our spacecraft and the superb Hubble space telescope. But I can assure you nothing quite compares to seeing with your own eyes.

The Moon.

All newcomers to the hobby of astronomy should first stop off at the Moon. Its stunning detail never fails to amaze me even after decades of observing. The Moon has many advantages for the novice astronomer. It is big, bright, and easy to find in the night sky. It also offers up a wealth of features such as large and small craters, mountains, valleys, hills, and Maria (lunar seas or lava plains.). As well as being of enormous satisfaction to observe, you will also get the chance to practice skills that will stand you in good stead when you move on to more challenging objects. Looking through a telescope and seeing fine detail does take practice, but training on the moon can help enormously. I urge you to explore our nearest neighbour in space. You will not be disappointed.

The planets.

Out of the nine planets that make up our suns family, eight are within the grasp of the average amateur telescope. Only tiny Pluto escapes most observers. Its small size and great distance from the Sun preventing it from being studied. Most of you can name all the planets of course, so I will not insult you by going through them all, I will simply pick out those best suited for observation by the beginner.

Venus.

Venus is possibly the most glorious planet seen with the naked eye. It is extremely bright; you have possibly seen it in the dawn or evening sky as a brilliant star like object but maybe not realised what it was. It is our closest planetary neighbour in space. You might suppose it would make a great target for the amateur astronomer, but unfortunately its surface lies permanently covered by a thick layer of sulphuric acid cloud. Its surface never presents itself to us at any time. It's this layer of cloud, which reflects the sunlight to us here on Earth, and makes Venus such an attractive sight. The saving grace for Venus as an observable planet is the phases it goes through depending on its angle to the sun. You will be able to follow these phases in any scope, and if you are very, very lucky you may even glimpse faint cloud markings. I have been lucky enough to on a handful of occasions. But the most likely result for you as a Venus observer will be no more than an appreciation of looking on at something which is unmistakably a planet in space, Earths sister world.

Mars.

Mars is possibly my favourite planet. It of course holds a special place in our imaginations. When I first turned my telescope towards Mars I was overjoyed. My new little scope was actually showing me the surface of another world! I could see all the features I had only ever seen on printed maps. I sketched what I could see, and later compared them to the Hubble space telescope images taken during that time. I was pleasantly surprised how close I had got to those superb space based images. Proving that small amateur scopes can show you the rich detail of our solar system. Mars is a small world, and you must plan your Martian observing well, taking advantage of the periods when Mars is at its closest to Earth is a must. In two years time Mars will be about as close as it will ever get to us. So my advice to anybody interested in astronomy and who wishes to see the Red Planet for themselves is to get out now and start practising! When Mars comes back around in 2003 you will then be a fully trained observer, capable of discerning all that Mars has to offer.

Jupiter.

The distant worlds of Jupiter and Saturn despite their extreme distance from the Sun and us offer up perhaps the best astronomical targets for the beginner aside from the Moon. They are of course giant worlds. They are in fact huge balls of gas orbiting our sun. Jupiter is known as the king of the planets. And it is certainly one of the most breathtaking sights you will see in any telescope. Its swirling atmosphere and fast rotation (a 10 hour day.) ensures you will rarely see the same set of features on its globe. Jupiter as the saying goes is "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get! " What you will get, even with a simple pair of good quality binoculars is the obvious globe of the planet accompanied by its four large moons. If you can hold your binoculars steady on a fence or wall you can watch these "Galilean" moons as they orbit their parent world. Throw a telescope into the equation and the view is stunning. Jupiter appears as a colourful giant ball and its moons bright points of light. Its two main cloud belts are unmistakable in even the smallest telescopes. Some of the most memorable nights I have ever spent observing have been watching Jupiter and its moons as they cross the planet, casting inky black shadows on the cloud tops of this giant and wonderful world. Jupiter's wealth of detail becomes apparent as your eyes adjust, and you begin to notice more and more cloud features. Including "The Great Red Spot". A huge cyclonic storm that has been raging in Jupiter's atmosphere for as long as man has observed the planet, over 300 years. If you only look through a telescope once make sure Jupiter is on your itinery. Please!

Saturn.

Saturn is one of those sight that when first shown to somebody never fails to extract a wow! It is possibly the most viewed object by beginners. And it is indeed worthy of such. Put simply it is stunning. Its magnificent ring system is easily within reach of all telescopes. The angle to which we view the rings changes constantly and. They throw shadows onto Saturn, which can give a 3D effect and present the viewer with a breathtaking sight. Saturn also has a large collection of moons orbiting it. Although dimmer than those at Jupiter you can still follow the largest and brightest of them around the planet. Its brightest and largest moon, "Titan", is easily visible in almost any amateur telescope. Saturn alone could justify a telescope purchase...or even a trip out to a cold and draughty field on a winter's night.

To be continued...

Next month I'll continue my guide to the night sky. Exploration that everyone reading this right now can indulge in. I'll tell you how you can do it for free. And move on to cover some of the wondrous sights in our galaxy. Those that feature in movies and shows such as Star Trek. Those being Galaxies and nebulas. Some of these you can see even without binoculars and certainly without a telescope. But as always viewing with 200x magnification that even a budget telescope can deliver will see you treated to some fantastic sights. So please come back next month for part two. And in the mean time why not consider becoming a space explorer yourself? There are a million journeys waiting for you right now. All from the comfort of your own back yard!