Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Consult a star atlas to familiarize yourself with what is in the night sky in your area. If this is your first time stargazing, pick a constellation or planet that you want to practice identifying. Consult sky events listings in your area to find out whether planets, comets or meteor showers will be visible in the near future. You can consult an online star atlas, but it is a good idea to print out a view of the night sky in your area before going out to stargaze.
Look into the night sky without binoculars when you first go out to stargaze. Try to identify the North Star or another major landmark in the sky to familiarize yourself with the sky. Using a red flashlight, find the landmark in the star atlas and try to pick out constellations using only your eyes.
Look through your binoculars to see more details in the constellations, meteor showers, comets or any other sky event you are looking for. Look at details on the moon's surface. Nearly all of the solar system's planets can be viewed from Earth with binoculars at certain times of the year, including Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Record your observations before going inside. Write down what you have seen anything you have learned about stargazing and your thoughts about the experience. Consult these notes before your next attempt so that you can learn from your experience and to inspire yourself to identify objects that you haven't seen before.