A Beginner's Guide To Observing The Night Sky - Stargazing!

Discover everything you need to know to get started in astronomy which can be quite challenging to beginners and there is lots to learn.

This course on stargazing shows you what you need to know to navigate around the night sky, planets, and other celestial objects that populate the sky. It also provides a comprehensive guide to the different types of telescopes available and their uses, helping you make an informed decision when purchasing equipment. This course will show you what you can see with amateur equipment and give tips and pointers on buying equipment and progressing to further your knowledge.

It should be noted that what you see during stargazing will not look like what you see on TV or in the media. The typical images are constructed from many photographic exposures using expensive equipment. Please try not to be disappointed when you look through a telescope at a galaxy and only see a faint blob instead of the rich, full-colour images that NASA produce. Remember, stargazing is a journey, and the more you practice and learn, the more you will be able to see and appreciate the night sky.

It should also be noted that what you can see in the sky will be limited by the atmosphere quality in your observation area. How much light pollution is there? What is seeing and transparency like? But fear not, even if you live in a big city with terrible light pollution, it should be possible for you to pick out the more obvious objects, like Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, Orion, the Big Dipper, the Pleiades, and the North Star. Not all of these things will always be visible, but if you start spotting them, you will notice how their positions change over the years.

How To Get Started in Stargazing

Stargazing is not a hobby you can master by simply reading about it. It's a hands-on experience that requires you to step outside and immerse yourself in the night sky. So, find yourself an observing site and get ready to embark on a journey of discovery.

Regardless of where you live, find a spot that offers a wide sky view, free from obstructions such as tall buildings and trees. If that's impractical, locate a site with a decent view to the South and West and at least a glimpse to the East and North. A view to the South lets you see objects at their highest as they swing across the sky. A nearby park or playground may do if your garden does not fit the bill.

Light pollution is a significant challenge for stargazers. It refers to the excessive or misdirected artificial light produced by human activities, which brightens the night sky and hinders our view of stars and other celestial objects. You can't turn off a city's lights, so it's essential to search for somewhere not swamped by local illumination. If a streetlight looks like it'll ruin an otherwise perfect spot, try using a tree or fence to obscure it from sight.

Your First Night Stargazing

Check the local weather forecast for where you live and see if it will be a clear night for stargazing. If it is, great! Aim to head to your observing site at around 10 pm local time.

Before observing, you must give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. This process, known as 'dark eye adaption', is crucial for stargazing as it allows your eyes to become more sensitive to light, enabling you to see fainter objects in the night sky. After 10 minutes, you'll be reasonably adapted, and your stargazing experience will be enhanced.

Look to the North and search above the rooftops for a pattern of seven stars called the Plough, which looks like a giant saucepan. It's one of the most recognisable patterns in the sky. The two bright stars on the end, opposite the handle, are called the Pointers. Mentally draw a line between them and extend it up and away from the Plough for a distance equal to five times the separation between the two stars. The star at the end of this line is Polaris, also known as the North Star or Polestar. Face Polaris, and you are facing North.

What Else Can You See When Stargazing?

There are billions of things to see in the night sky, and they all fall loosely into one of these categories. Some are easily found with the naked eye, while others may require binoculars or even a telescope. For instance, with a basic telescope, you can observe the Moon's craters, the rings of Saturn, and the moons of Jupiter. All but the very distant can be visible to amateur astronomers with modest equipment.

Stars

Stars are the first thing most people notice when they start looking at the night sky, and for a good reason - there are nearly 10,000 of them visible to the naked eye, and many millions more with telescopes. Patterns of stars are called constellations.

Constellations

Constellations is the first time most people look at when getting started in astronomy and for a good reason. Constellations are patterns in the sky which have been invented and have deep mythology behind them. The sky is divided into 88 official constellations, each representing an area in the sky. These areas are used to help navigate the celestial sphere. Constellations cover massive areas in the sky and are very easy to find.

Constellations are best viewed with the naked eye; anything else, and you won't be able to fit them all in.

The Moon

There is nothing quite like a waxing crescent Moon hanging in the evening twilight sky - the classic Moon shape beloved by movie makers and artists alike. Luckily, the Moon is one of the easiest objects in the night sky to observe and is great to view with the naked eye, but it comes alive using binoculars and small telescopes.

Planets

The planets, although distant, can also be seen with the naked eye. Venus is clearly visible in the early morning sky in late autumn or early winter. It is the brightest object in the sky, save the Moon.

Although Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye, you should observe them in binoculars. Even using small power binoculars, you can make out the red of Mars, the green of Venus, the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter.

Using a telescope, you can see even more of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter and make out some surface details on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Asteroids and Comets

There are countless asteroids and comets which periodically are visible from Earth. Most of these require specialist equipment to be observed, but once in a while, a bright comet or asteroid will be visible, even with the naked eye. They are usually visible for several days, so check with the local news or astronomy calendars for encounters and head outside.

Meteor Showers

These spectacular events occur several times per year and last for several days. You need a dark observing site and patience, but the rewards are often spectacular fireworks. Check the meteor shower guide here for when to see some of the larger shows.

Star Clusters

Star clusters are groups of stars consisting of anywhere between a few hundred and thousands of stars. These are visible as faint fuzzy blobs under dark skies but can be seen easily with binoculars. Star clusters range in size and brightness, with hundreds of them. M45 in Taurus is one of the best-known and easiest to find. It is one of the few that is visible even in light-polluted skies.

Galaxies

Galaxies are one of the largest objects visible. Despite being quite faint, they are visible in large telescopes quite easily. Andromeda is the largest and brightest and can be seen as a fuzzy patch in larger binoculars and small telescopes. You should use a camera and long exposures to see real details.

Nebulae

Nebulae are a mixture of interstellar dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and plasma. They are the remnants of supernovas and some of the most beautiful objects in the night sky. They are fairly easy to locate in the sky. However, they are generally faint. Some larger ones are visible in binoculars and small telescopes, while the fainter ones require larger telescopes.

Stargazing is one of the best things you can do, and in the next article, we'll see how to get used to the dark to see constellations more clearly.