My First Telescope and Jupiter | Spanish A2
Read about a first view of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn while learning practical Spanish for astronomy.
Mi primer telescopio: cuatro puntos junto a Júpiter
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A beginner uses a telescope, sees Jupiter's large moons, learns about Galileo's observation, and follows an accurate solar safety rule.
Antes de empezar, Laura me dio una regla importante: nunca debemos apuntar el telescopio al Sol sin el equipo correcto. Para observar el Sol con un telescopio, hace falta un filtro solar especial colocado delante del instrumento.
Primero miramos la Luna. Por el ocular, podemos ver zonas oscuras y cráteres claros. La imagen se mueve un poco cuando toco el telescopio.
Después buscamos Júpiter. Parece un disco brillante. A sus lados vemos varios puntos de luz. Son algunas de sus cuatro lunas más grandes: Ío, Europa, Ganímedes y Calisto. No siempre vemos las cuatro, porque pueden pasar por delante o por detrás del planeta.
Galileo observó estas lunas con un telescopio en 1610. Hoy también se pueden ver con prismáticos o con un telescopio pequeño.
Al final de la noche buscamos Saturno. Sus anillos también son visibles con un telescopio pequeño. En mi cuaderno dibujo el planeta y escribo la hora.
Ahora quiero observar el cielo otra vez. ¿Has mirado alguna vez por un telescopio? ¿Qué objeto quieres observar? ¿Prefieres mirar la Luna, Júpiter o Saturno?
About this article
What you'll learn
Telescope vocabulary, the pronouns me and lo, poder with an infinitive, no siempre, and the form quieres.
A beginner uses a telescope, sees Jupiter's large moons, learns about Galileo's observation, and follows an accurate solar safety rule.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
me prestó un telescopio pequeño
newshe lent me a small telescope
Prestar algo a alguien means to give someone an object to use for a time.
Useful for talking about borrowed objects.
apuntar el telescopio al Sol
newto point the telescope at the Sun
Apuntar algo a describes directing an object toward a target.
Important for understanding optical safety rules.
un filtro solar especial
newa special solar filter
Solar specifies that the filter is designed for observing the Sun.
Essential vocabulary for an accurate safety rule.
varios puntos de luz
newseveral points of light
A punto de luz is a distant object that appears very small and bright.
Useful for describing moons seen through a telescope.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Tripod
un trípode
tripod
A trípode is a three-legged support that holds an instrument steady.
Useful for cameras, binoculars and telescopes.
Eyepiece
el ocular
eyepiece
The ocular is the part of a telescope you look through.
A basic word for understanding a telescope.
Craters
cráteres
craters
A cráter is a bowl-shaped depression on the surface of a celestial body.
Useful for describing the Moon's surface.
Jupiter
Júpiter
Jupiter
Júpiter is the Spanish name for the largest planet in the solar system.
Useful for naming night-sky objects in Spanish.
Moons
lunas
natural satellites
Luna can mean a natural satellite of any planet, not only Earth's Moon.
Useful for talking about Jupiter and other planets.
Rings
anillos
rings
Anillo here means a structure that circles a planet.
Essential for describing Saturn.
Notebook
cuaderno
notebook
A cuaderno is a set of bound pages for notes or drawings.
Useful for recording observations.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Me as the recipient
me prestó un telescopio pequeño
she lent me a small telescope
Me comes before the verb and shows that the speaker received the telescope.
It helps identify who received an object.
Lo replaces telescopio
Lo montamos
we set it up
Lo replaces the masculine noun telescopio and comes before montamos.
Useful for avoiding repetition of an object noun.
Poder plus infinitive
podemos ver
we can see
Podemos is followed by the unchanged infinitive ver.
This pattern expresses possibility or ability.
No siempre: not always
No siempre vemos las cuatro
we do not always see all four
No before siempre limits frequency: the action happens sometimes, but not every time.
Useful for making a statement less absolute.
Quieres: the tú form
¿Qué objeto quieres observar?
which object do you want to observe
Quieres is the present-tense tú form of querer. The vowel e changes to ie.
Use it to ask another person what they want.
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