Buy a Star. Learn Astronomy.
The First Light Astronomy Kit includes everything you need for learning how to star gaze!
Star Gazing Tips and Equipment
After you buy your star, you will want to be able to find it in the sky! Below are some helpful astronomy tips for the beginning star gazer.
Beginner Tips for Star Gazing
- When you are star gazing you need to eliminate as much light pollution as possible. Light pollution is when city lights drown out the fainter stars in the sky.
- Ideal places for looking at stars are mountainous and desert-like rural areas. The farther away you are from light sources, the more stars you will be able to see.
- Find an area that does not have an obstructed view. Some constellations are close to the horizon, and you don't want trees or buildings getting in the way.
- It takes 20-30 minutes until your eyes are adjusted to the dark. After that, you will be able to see stars that you couldn't see when you started star gazing.
- Keep an observation log of what you have seen. Keeping a record will help you track the changes that have occurred in the night sky over time.
Choosing Astronomy Equipment
If you are just getting started with star gazing, you might also need help choosing the right equipment needed to look at stars. To bring celestial objects into better focus, you can use a pair of binoculars, or a telescope.
Binoculars make a great starter piece of equipment since they are simple to use, with a large field of view. A pair of 7 x 50 binoculars will help you see anything you point at. The advantage to a good pair of binoculars is that they are more portable than a telescope, and less expensive.
Telescopes are designed to brighten, and magnify your view of far away stars. The larger the lens, the better your view will be with the telescope. Unlike looking through a pair of binoculars, a good telescope has more viewing power, and it's tripod mount will hold still.
The First Light Astronomy Kit is another great resource for beginning astronomers. The kit features a low-distortion planisphere, a three-year planet locator, a three-year daily moon phase calendar, and two educational books, Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars, and the Sky Atlas for Small Telescopes and Binoculars. Use the master log page to document all of your celestial observations. Click here to order.
Star Gazing Websites
StarDate Online - Collection of star gazing tips provided by the University of Texas McDonald Observatory.
Sky & Telescope Magazine - More astronomy tips, astronomy terms, choosing equipment, and how stars are named.
The Planetary Society - The largest non-profit, non-governmental space advocacy group on Earth.
Astronomical Society of the Pacific - Organization founded to increase the understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
