Stargazing and Astronomy
Last updated on February 18th, 2021
Every dedicated astronomer is first and foremost a stargazer. Stargazing is the act of seeing subtle details, comparing and contrasting what you see from what you know.
A clear sky with no prominent moon is a beautiful thing. Seen from the gaze of a beginner, a clear sky can seem almost chaotic and confusing with stars spread throughout the sky, often clearly in groups and elusive patterns. The stars in the sky slowly change hour by hour and season by season. The moon mystically moves throughout the sky; slowly growing in size and brightness then shrinking in size. Many prospective observers remain deeply concerned and intimidating in learning how to get around in the sky and how to find interesting things to observe.
Five rules of thumb
- Don’t spend a lot of money on it, at first. It is better to find some way of sampling many things; then you will know how interesting you find it and what you kind of equipment you need to do what you want.
- Learn as much as you can. Astronomy is definitely a learning hobby and the dedicated observer takes great joy to learn as much as he can about what he is seeing.
- Seeing is not easy. One thing many non-observers do not appreciate is a person’s tendency merely looking over (rather than really seeing) things.
- A little social contact can make this hobby enjoyable. While to some extent stargazing (especially if done seriously) is personal, a little social contact can do wonders.
- Be comfortable. Dress warmly, don’t overdo observing to the point at which you’re tired and groggy, make your expectations reasonable.
Choose a location
Most people that think about observing celestial objects think of far-away skyscapes in the desert where the man-made lights are eliminated. While this might be useful later on, such a place is rarely easy to reach. Most amateur astronomers live in town; your backyard might be a good enough place to start learning.
A few reminders:
- Keep all bright lights out of sight. Turn off the porch light, find some kind of shadow to get the neighbors’ security light out of your eyes.ย Use a red flashlightย to read charts and make notes – if you don’t have one, covering a flashlight with a red cloth will do.
- The sky should be as clear as possible. Even broken clouds will prevent you from seeing the patterns you need to see to start learning how to recognize constellations.
- You need a good horizon. You need to be able to observe most of the way to the horizon without trees or buildings. The North horizon is particularly important.
- Don’t go too far. Being close to your observation spot means you can go there more often, which is a very good thing when learning.
Sometimes the backyards aren’t the best place. But often a neighborhood park, river, lakeshore, or overlook is great. If your nearest place is particularly dark, you will actually work a little harder. Darker skies mean more stars, Which will make it tough to see the basic patterns of the bright stars that form the constellations. Take heart! Any difficulty when beginning is greatly rewarded when particularly beautiful cosmic sights are in the back yard or around the corner instead of hours away.
Equipment
Many people are not aware of the interesting and pleasant observations they might be able to do with little to no equipment. If you are going on a trip, one of the most important items would be a map, preferably one showing the major intersections. Similarly in the night sky, you need a map as well. Unfortunately, the Earth’s wobble through the season creates some definite changes in the sky over time. Luckily, nowadays you can use an app.
Binoculars are very helpful when it comes to stargazing as they offer a wide field of view and greater magnification. Many Globular clusters and Nebulae with low magnitudes are also observed with a pair of binoculars.
Source: Wikiversity
- ๐ Useful Links
- โ ๐๏ธ Podcasts
- โ ๐ฐ Articles
- โ ๐ซ Near You
- โ โ๏ธ Essentials
- โ ๐ Books
- โ ๐ฑ Apps
- โ โณ Courses
- โ ๐ฉโ๐ป Blogs
- โ ๐ฌ Films and TV
- โ ๐ Websites
- ๐ผ Videos
- ๐ Polls
- ๐ก Tips
- โQuestions & Answers
- โ Additional Information
- All Links
Podcasts
Articles
Near You
Essentials
Books
Apps
Courses
Blogs
Films and TV
Websites
Polls
Questions and answers
Login
Register
There are no questions yet. Be the first to ask.
Additional information
Fields | |
---|---|
Types | |
Participants | |
Places | |
Skills | Analytical Skills, Concentration and Focus, Coordination, Divergent Thinking, Fine Motor Skills, General Knowledge, Imagination, Math Skills, Memory, Mindfulness, Patience, Research Skills |
Useful Links
-
Podcasts
Sky & Telescope Podcast We're proud to offer one of the most respected podcasts in the field of astronomy, covering monthly celestial events and the stories behind the stars. Click to listen to an episode
February: The Hare & Unicorn - Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast
When you step outside to admire the crisp, starlit night sky on February evenings, bring along our Sky Tour astronomy podcast to learn which stars and constellations are overhead. Hereโs a preview of what you'll see. The post February: The Hare & Unicorn appeared first on Sky & Telescope.University of Oxford Podcasts Stargazing - Audio and Video Lectures Find out more about our night sky, from new planets to far-off galaxies and the vastness of the Universe. A series of short talks and presentations for the general public from leading astronomy researchers at the Oxford University Physics department. Click to listen to an episode
Redder is better! Exploring the universe with the successor to Hubble - Stargazing
Rebecca Bowler, University of Oxford give a talk about the successor to the Hubble telescope - The James Webb Space Telescope - which will detect infrared radiation.BBC - Sky at Night Magazine Podcast Radio Astronomy, the podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine, covers the latest space and astronomy news, including monthly stargazing tips and what to see in the night sky. Click to listen to an episode
Interview: How SPHEREx will track the history of the Universe - Radio Astronomy
NASA scientist Jamie Bock discusses a new mission to track the evolution of the cosmos. ย See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.NPR Skytalk A weekly discussion of what's new and interesting in astronomy with astronomer Derrick Pitts. Click to listen to an episode
Cold Snap Up North - Skytalk
NASAโs InSight Mars lander keeps daily records of weather conditions at the Elysium Planitia landing site on the red planet. Last week saw daytime highs from 8 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit; lows fell to -139 degrees. Seasons are twice as long on Mars as on Earth because the Martian year is 687 days; almost double an Earth year. Mars doesnโt have months like we have months though. Our concept is based on a lunar orbit. Marsโ moons orbit much faster โ Phobos every 8 hours, Deimos every 30 hours; so well over 2,000 orbits per 30 day โmonthโ for Phobos and over 500 orbits per โmonthโ for Deimos. InSight landed Nov. 2018 on a two-year mission to better understand the interior of Mars using both surface and drilling geophysical sensors. Turning to night sky highlights this week: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have the morning sky at 6:00 a.m.; Venus has the evening at 6:00 p.m. Weโre gaining 2.5 minutes of sunlight per day through March.
-
Articles
Wikiversity Stargazing Every to-be observer often wonders, 'Where do I begin?'. Astronomy often is the hobby of looking at a very distant object with a telescope... Unfortunately, for so many people, it ends with the skinny unused telescope offered as a kid for a birthday.
National Geographic Discover the world's best stargazing spots See nights as brilliant as nature intended at these 8 dark-sky destinations.
Sky & Telescope Astronomy for Beginners: How to Get Started in Backyard Astronomy Astronomy doesn't deserve its reputation as a tough, expensive hobby. You just need to begin with the right advice.
Inverse An astronomer's guide to stargazing from your backyard The night sky is safe and free. Here are five ways you can get started from right outside your home.
Sky & Telescope Getting Started in Astronomy - An Easy Guide to Exploring the Universe [PDF] Astronomy doesn't deserve its reputation as a tough, expensive hobby to get into. You just need to begin with the right advice.
BBC - Sky at Night Magazine Astronomy for beginners Beginners guides, hints and tips to help you get started in the world of astronomy.
BBC - Sky at Night Magazine 13 things new stargazers should know New to astronomy? Here are some things you'll notice in the night sky as you spend your first year stargazing.
BBC - Sky at Night Magazine Astronomy skills Expert advice on a range of practical astronomy techniques, from setting up your telescope to combatting light pollution.
Forbes The Best Place For Stargazing In The World Is Your Backyard. Hereโs How To Get Started This Weekend Jupiter, Mars and our neighboring stars, oh my!
The Conversation Why do people look into space with telescopes but not binoculars? There's really no reason you can't use binoculars to look into space โ and in fact astronomers have been working on doing so for a long time.
-
Essentials
Amazon Best Sellers Best Telescopes Discover the best Telescopes in Best Sellers. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon Best Sellers.
Amazon Best Sellers Best Binoculars Discover the best Binoculars in Best Sellers. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon Sellers.
WAYLLSHINE High Power One Mode Red LED Flashlight High power one mode red led flashlight for astronomy, aviation, and night observation.
Star Walk 2 Your Guide to the Night Sky Star Walk 2 is an exquisite stargazing tool that combines astronomical data with premium technology to deliver an effortless journey through thousands of stars, planets and constellations.
NASA Come explore with NASA and discover the latest images, videos, mission information, news, feature stories, tweets, NASA TV and featured content with the NASA app.
-
Courses
Memrise Astronomy Courses The fun and effective way to learn and practice Astronomy vocabulary. Courses for English speakers.
Coursera Astronomy Courses Astronomy courses from top universities and industry leaders. Learn Astronomy online with courses like Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space and The Evolving Universe.
Udemy Top Astronomy Courses Online Learn Astronomy today: find your Astronomy online course on Udemy
Udemy Free Astronomy Tutorial - Astronomy - State of the Art The ultimate free astronomy for beginners course. Over 56 lectures and 12+ hours of video content. Start learning today
Crash Course Astronomy In 46 episodes, Phil Plait (aka The Bad Astronomer) teaches you astronomy! This course starts with the astronomical observations we can make with the naked eye and expands out to cover the solar system, stars, galaxies, and the universe itself. The content is loosely based on an introductory university-level curriculum.
-
Blogs
-
Websites
Google Sky Maps Google Sky Maps is a celestial map that shows you objects like stars, constellations, galaxies, planets, or the Earth's moon.
Sky & Telescope Astronomy News, Tools & Resources Sky & Telescope magazine, founded in 1941 by Charles A. Federer Jr. and Helen Spence Federer, has the largest, most experienced staff of any astronomy magazine in the world. Its editors are virtually all amateur or professional astronomers, and every one has built a telescope, written a book, done original research, developed a new product, or otherwise distinguished him or herself.
Sky & Telescope This Week's Sky at a Glance See this week's sky at a glance with observing tips and maps to guide you to the night sky. Don't miss out on comets, meteors, eclipses, and more!
BBC - Sky at Night Magazine BBC Sky at Night magazine is a British monthly magazine about astronomy aimed at amateur astronomers and published by Immediate Media Company.
BBC - Sky at Night Magazine Online Planetarium Find out what's in the night sky tonight with our animated planetarium, narrated by astronomers Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel.
-
Near You
Sky & Telescope Astronomy Clubs Near Me: Amateur Astronomers Connector If you've asked, "What are the astronomy clubs near me?" We've got your answer! Locate astronomy clubs, planetariums, observatories and museums near you!
Sky & Telescope Astronomy Events Calendar If there's a gathering or event to explore the subject of stars or space, chances are we have it listed here.
Meetup Stargazing groups Find over 137 Stargazing groups with 90429 members near you and meet people in your local community who share your interests.
Meetup Beginner Astronomy groups Find over 107 Beginner Astronomy groups with 56964 members near you and meet people in your local community who share your interests.
Meetup Astronomy & Star Gazers groups Find over 33 Astronomy & Star Gazers groups with 7850 members near you and meet people in your local community who share your interests.
Meetup Astronomy groups Meet other local astronomy buffs and talk about the cosmos.
Hobby's Essentials
Missing essentials? Contact us.
Reviews
None yet. Be the first to write.