Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Research which constellations, stars and planets are in the sky in your area for a specific time of the year. Popular constellations that are observed year-round in the northern hemisphere include the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and Cassiopeia. Another fixture in the northern hemisphere is the Polaris star, or "pole star," which is the last star in the handle of the small dipper; you can see it all night long. Other nearby planets, such as Mars, may also be visible, depending on the time of year. Mars is most often observed during the later months of the year, November and December, when the planet rises around 11 p.m. and appears as a bright orange dot in the night sky.
Set up your telescope somewhere that has as little light pollution as possible, which will afford you the best possible viewing of the night sky. Try to get as far away as possible from streetlights, houses and cities. Parks, low-density neighborhoods and most remote locations make good stargazing spots.
Check out books from your local library or consult the links in the Resources section for specific information on the declination and correct ascension coordinates of different stars and planets for any given time of year, hour of day and planetary location. Use the coordinates to position your telescope; while you're zoomed out, attempt to find the star or planet. When you have located it, zoom in for a closer look.
Look for deep-space stars and other, farther-away night-sky objects, most of which require a telescope to see, but some do not. The Andromeda galaxy, for instance, can be observed with the naked eye, even though it's 2,300,000 light years away. To locate the Andromeda galaxy, look in the beginning of autumn to the beginning of winter. Find it by drawing an imaginary line from the pole star, through the "W" of Cassiopeia. It should appear as a relatively large, hazy patch in the night sky.