How to start stargazing: your first night
Everything you need for a first night under the stars: when to go, where, what to bring and what to look for first.
You do not need a telescope to start. You need a clear night, a dark-ish place and about an hour.
When
Check three things on the Tonight page: clouds, darkness and the Moon. A night around new Moon shows the most stars; a bright full Moon washes out faint ones but is a good night for the Moon itself and the planets. In summer at high latitudes the sky may never get properly dark, which is why autumn and winter are the stargazing seasons in the north.
Where
Get away from direct lights. A park, a field or a lakeshore outside town is enough for a first night. Each step from city centre to suburb to countryside roughly doubles the number of stars you can see.
What to bring
- Warm clothes, warmer than you think: you will stand still.
- A red light (or this site in red mode, see the footer) so you keep your night vision.
- A reclining chair or a mat: looking up for long hurts your neck.
- Binoculars if you have them. Any pair works.
What to look for first
- The Moon and bright planets. They are the easiest targets and look great in binoculars. The planets page shows which are up.
- One easy pattern. In the north, the Big Dipper; in winter, Orion. Learn one shape well and use it to find the others.
- The North Star. Follow the two pointer stars and you will always know where north is.
- Moving lights. Satellites drift steadily across the sky; the ISS is the brightest. Check the pass times.
Give your eyes 15–20 minutes to adapt (next lesson), and come back on another night: the sky changes with the seasons, and the more you look the more you will recognise.