Lying down and gazing at the beautiful array of stars at night is enough for you to wonder what goes on up there. Contrary to what many think, you don’t need a million-dollar telescope to get started on your astronomy journey. There is so much for you to discover, from planets to galaxies, so getting started might be a lot. However, in this article, we’ll make it easier with vital tips.
Know what you’re looking for
There are different things for you to see up in the sky, so you might just get a bit of everything. That’s why you need to know what you want to explore; maybe it’s the Moon, stars, or planets.
If your focus is on planets, you’ll only get a clearer view when the Moon isn’t very full- like during a crescent Moon. This way, the Moon’s brightness won’t disturb your view. Similarly, viewing a new Moon also lets you see the Moon itself better.
Timing is very key
After you’ve decided on what you want to see, you have to learn about what you’re about to explore to avoid disappointments and mixups. For instance, you may feel discouraged if you’re looking for a planet that’s not visible throughout that week.
To know which stars, constellations, or planets are visible during a particular week or season, you could subscribe to astronomy newsletters or just ask online. However, you can see many planets almost any time because they shine brighter than stars.
The good thing about darkness
You can gaze at the stars from practically anywhere- it could be a local park, your window, or your backyard. While this is true, it remains a fact that some locations give you better astronomy experiences. What makes a location good for stargazing?
The darker the sky, the more sky objects you tend to see. The Bortle scale, ranging from class one(darkest) to nine, is a measure of a sky’s darkness. So you could use astronomy apps to see the Bortle class of different locations before picking one.
What type of equipment do you need?
If you’re looking to take your astronomy experience to the next level from naked-eye astronomy, binoculars are your surest bet. With their lens, binoculars allow you to see planets you can’t see with ordinary eyes, like Uranus and Neptune, the Moon’s craters, and others.
To advance even further, you can use smaller telescopes to see more sky objects like the stripes of Jupiter and their planetary features. You could get bigger telescopes as you advance in astronomy. It’s better to start with easily-operated telescopes.
Estimating positions in the night sky
Looking in the right direction is essential to seeing sky objects. First, you should know where West, South, East, and North are from your viewing point. This will help you look for the accurately predicted position of what you’re looking for.
Just like the Sun and Moon, planets also set in the West and rise in the East. However, the position of the Moon shifts South or North depending on factors like the time of the year. That’s another research aspect you shouldn’t miss.
