3 min read<\/p>\n
May\u2019s Night Sky Notes: Stargazing for Beginners<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
by Kat Troche of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific<\/em><\/p>\n Millions were able to experience the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, inspiring folks to become amateur astronomers \u2013 hooray! Now that you\u2019ve been \u2018bitten by the bug\u2019, and you\u2019ve decided to join your local astronomy club<\/strong><\/a>, here are some stargazing tips!<\/p>\n Before you can stargaze, you\u2019ll want to find a site with dark skies. It\u2019s helpful learn what your Bortle scale<\/a> is. But what is<\/em> the Bortle scale? The Bortle scale is a numeric scale from 1-9, with 1 being darkest and 9 being extremely light polluted; that rates your night sky\u2019s darkness. For example, New York City would be a Bortle 9, whereas Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania is a Bortle 2.<\/p>\n Determining the Bortle scale of your night sky will help narrow down what you can expect to see after sunset. Of course, other factors such as weather (clouds namely) will impact seeing conditions, so plan ahead. Find Bortle ratings near you here: www.lightpollutionmap.info<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s plenty to see with your eyes alone. Get familiar with the night sky by studying star maps in books, or with a planisphere. These are great to begin identifying the overall shapes of constellations, and what is visible during various months.<\/p>\n Interactive sky maps, such as Stellarium Web<\/a>, work well with mobile and desktop browsers, and are also great for learning the constellations in your hemisphere. There are also several astronomy apps on the market today that work with the GPS of your smartphone to give an accurate map of the night sky.<\/p>\n Keep track of Moon phases<\/a>. Both the interactive sky maps and apps will also let you know when planets and our Moon are out! This is especially important because if you are trying to look for bright deep sky objects, like the Andromeda Galaxy or the Perseus Double Cluster, you want to avoid<\/em> the Moon as much as possible. Moonlight in a dark sky area will be as bright as a streetlight, so plan accordingly! And if the Moon is out, check out this Skywatcher\u2019s Guide to the Moon: bit.ly\/MoonHandout<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking at your phone, you won\u2019t be able to see as much. Our eyes take approximately 30 minutes to get dark sky adapted, and a bright light can ruin our night vision temporarily. The easiest way to stay dark sky adapted is to avoid any bright lights from car headlights or your smartphone. To avoid this, simply use red lights, such as a red flashlight or headlamp. <\/p>\n The reason:<\/strong> white light constricts the pupils of your eyes, making it hard to see in the dark, whereas red light allows your pupils to stay dilated for longer. Most smartphones come with adaptability shortcuts that allow you to make your screen red, but if you don\u2019t have that feature, use red cellophane on your screen and flashlight.<\/p>\n Up next: why binoculars can sometimes be the best starter telescope, with Night Sky Network<\/a>\u2019s upcoming mid-month article through NASA\u2019s website!<\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Were you inspired by the solar eclipse to become an amateur astronomer? If so, here are some high-level tips on how to get started, from Night Sky Notes! Continue reading The Bortle Scale<\/h3>\n
![\"Graphic](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bortle-Scale_Credit_International-Dark-Sky-Association-1-jpg.webp?w=1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>No Equipment? No Problem!<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/may24-skymap.png?w=1221\")
<\/a><\/figure>Put On That Red Light<\/h3>\n