Stargazing is a magical activity even when you’re on a digital detox. If you live in the countryside away from the pollution and city lights, it is even more magical. However, if you do live in the city, try and get to your rooftop to drown out the streetlights so you can get a nice clear view of the sky. Following these 9 stargazing tips, you can enjoy the best view from the comfort of your home.
When you stargaze, you want to be in the best position to see the largest portion of the sky. You will see the most on a dark night when there is a new moon or when the moon is in its crescent or gibbous phase. There are designated parks around the USA for stargazing, but doing it at home is your best bet during the pandemic. As long as you get above the lights and go out on a clear night where the forecast looks promising, you are bound to find magic in the sky.
9 Stargazing Tips to View Stars at Home
Below you will discover 9 home stargazing tips:
1. Dress for the night
When reading stargazing tips, you will often want to know how to dress up. Here’s how? Make sure you are wearing a fuzzy jacket and comfy sweat for your night of stargazing. You’re going to be unprotected from the wind and want to go out on a cooler night because the stars are more visible with less humidity.
Take a red flashlight with you so that your eyes can adjust quickly to the dark sky and allow yourself to just be in the moment with the sky, your sky.
2. Set up your viewing spot
These stargazing tips do not need you to spend more money to stargaze. You don’t need a telescope at your viewing spot. A telescope is for a very advanced astronomer or more for science purposes. Use binoculars and you will be able to see the surface of the moon and the layers and crevices. So, at your viewing spot, you will need a blanket, binoculars, a red flashlight, maybe a snack but no bonfire, as it will shut out the stars and planets in the sky.
If you get sore from standing or sitting on the ground, make sure to also take a little foldable chair or a hammock to lie down in.
3. Allow yourself to adjust to the darkness
It takes around 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness of the outdoors. Put your phone away, as the white and blue light will not allow this process to take place. Before stargazing, check out a star and sky app on your phone, but make sure the blue-light option is off if you choose to look at it during your night of stargazing.
However, I recommend doing a little bit of light research prior about what planets you want to find or how to spot Orion’s belt and the milky way. If you go up with an intention, you will go back into the house satisfied with what constellations you were able to find!
4. Gaze at the stars
Once you have finally made your little sacred space and have adjusted to the darkness, it is time to gaze into the night. You won’t believe the number of stars you see. Remember, stars twinkle and planets do not, so don’t confuse them! Find the milky way, there’s a haziness over it. Notice how the stars move as the night passes on.
If you find a landmark and notice a certain star it won’t be there an hour later. That is because we are always rotating around the sun. This is so incredible to witness. If you look very closely at the stars, with binoculars, you will be able to see different shades of colors among the stars.
The hottest stars have a tiny blue, and the cooler stars have an orange, yellow or reddish tint. See how many you can count of each; which one is more popular on the night you chose to stargaze at home?
5. Name the constellations
There are 88 constellations in the sky. Have everyone in your family learn a little something about a couple of different ones and share with each other while you’re trying to find them. That way you don’t have to retain too much information to teach but are learning a lot.
As stated prior, the earth moves around the sun so all the constellations are not visible throughout the entire year.
6. Find Polaris
To find Polaris, the easiest way to do this is to find the Big Dipper pointer stars which are called Dubhe and Merak. Then take the distance between those two stars and multiply it by 5 in the same diagonal slant and Polaris will be there. Polaris is called the North star and is always located over the North Pole. It is at a fixed point in the sky.
7. Look for a shooting star
After all the learning, bring some fun back into the evening. Shooting stars/meteors are so romantic and stunning. Make a wish or 700. You might even see some fireballs!
The best stargazing tips involve the time in the middle of August during the Perseids when you can see a lot of stars.
8. Find Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter
You can find all these planets in the sky, and remember planets are very bright but do not twinkle. Planets are much closer than stars and all of these can be seen with the naked eye. Mercury is the closest planet to Earth. By practicing these stargazing tips, you can help your kids know more about our planetary system.
9. Which sign is the moon in?
When gazing at the moon, find out which astrological sign the moon is in. Is the moon in Gemini, are you feeling playful? Or is the moon in Cancer making you feel emotional?
These kinds of stargazing tips and factors will contribute to how you experience your night away from the city.
What’s next to do after following these stargazing tips?
Once you are finished stargazing, it would be lovely to paint the experience if you are artistic or enjoy arts and crafts. Or stay out a little longer and try to capture some photos with a nice camera, like a Cannon. There are so many ways and stargazing tips to explore the sky from your own home and delving into the planets and the sky world is such a fascinating adventure.
You can follow these stargazing tips while you’re on a romantic staycation or doing indoor camping with your partner and let us know which of these stargazing tips you enjoyed the most.
