It’s wonderful to lie out under the stars and wonder about the Universe we live in! “Galaxy Girl” has a top ten naked-eye stargazing tips for you here. It will make stargazing fun and more enjoyable.
Find a Dark Place
Find the darkest place you can. Stargazing is best under the darkest night sky you can find. White light blocks starlight from view.
Turn Out the Lights
Travel away from city lights if possible. If you can't, turn out as many lights, TV's, computers and mobile phones as you can.
Clear Horizons
Find the biggest sky you can. Trees and buildings block the view, so find somewhere you can see from horizon to horizon. Open spaces, hill tops and the beach are great places.
Night Time Vision
Let your eyes adjust to the darkness for 5-10 minutes. As your eyes become used to the darkness, you will start to see better. This is your night time vision! If you need light, use a piece of red cellophane to cover a torch. Red light doesn’t affect your night time vision.
Lie Back and Relax
Find a comfy place to lie back. That way you won’t get a stiff neck from looking up while standing!
Shooting Stars
Watch for moving things in the night sky. Meteors (shooting stars) look like bright streaks of light. Satellites (like the International Space Station) look like a star that moves slowly and steadily across the night sky. Planes have flashing green & red lights.
Constellations
See if you can make pictures out of the stars. People have been doing this for thousands of years. There are 88 named constellations. Can you find any of them?
Star Colours
See if you can see different coloured stars. Most look white in colour but others may appear yellow, orange or red. Look closely and you might notice some slight differences in colour!
Use Binoculars
Use a pair of binoculars if you can and take a closer look. What might look like faint milky white smudges of light turn out to be countless numbers of stars!
Share the Stars
Cool drinks in summer and hot chocolate in winter are a must! Share with friends and family.
reADY TO sTARGAZE?
Get the most from a night under the stars with the top 10 tips above.
