• Home
• About
• Contact
• Privacy
• T&C

Night Telescope

Night Telescope

How to Explore the Night Sky Without a Telescope

You don’t need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example five of the planets are often readily visible with the naked eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them.

To maximize what you can see in the night sky there are a few things you should do as preparation. Of course the first thing you need is a clear and cloudless night.  And this includes the moon. You should try to do your observing on a night with no moon; or at the least the smallest sliver of moon possible. Its brightness will wash out many of the dimmest and most dramatic objects in the sky. Second you should consider your comfort.  Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather and bring extra layers of clothing if you are observing during cold months.  The temperature late in the evening can be substantially lower than it is during the day and because observing the sky means not moving around much you will be even colder.  Bring along any items to help your comfort like a lawn chair or a reclining lawn chair so you can look up without craning your neck.

Find yourself a spot to observe from that is as dark as possible. This means get away from street lights, city lights, house lights, or any other type of light source. Ideally you should drive away from any city that is nearby. If this is not possible then try to find the darkest spot you can.  Man-made Light sources have an effect on the night sky by washing out the dimmer objects and they have an effect on your eyes by causing your pupils to close.  This will decrease your ability to see the dimmer objects.

Beginning your observing is the most critical time for one big reason and this is why a lot of people don’t realize how rich the night sky really is.  It takes your eyes up to a half an hour to fully adjust to the darkness outside.  If you go outside and immediately begin looking for object in the sky you may be disappointed but this is because your eyes haven’t adjusted yet! Give it some time and let your eyes fully adjust and you will be amazed at how many more things you see in just a half hour time. 

Equipment and stuff to bring along

Get some star maps, planet charts, and reference materials and bring them right outside with you. They will help you to find various objects. But it will be dark outside so you won’t be able to read them! And if you turn on some kind of a light or flashlight your Night Vision will be ruined. But there is a way to read your charts and materials without ruining your night vision. Cover your flashlight with some type of red cellophane or tape so it only gives off a dim red glow.  The reduction in light will have less of an effect on your viewing and your eyes are very insensitive to red light so your pupils will not dilate. You can buy flashlights with red covers online, at astronomy and optical shops, or even at military surplus stores.

 

Suggested Materials List:

·         Lawn Chair or Reclining Chair

·         Constellation Chart

·         Planetary Chart

·         Lunar Chart

·         Plenty of Warm clothing

·         Flashlight covered with red cellophane

·         Snacks and hot beverages

 

Things to See

The first place you can start with is the moon (If it is out).  And the best viewing will be when it is only a think crescent. This is because when it is like this the sun is casting light on it at a very sharp angle and the surface features will cast long shadows which makes them easier to see. With a full or near full moon the light hits the surface of the moon directly and casts no shadows.

The Milky Way Galaxy – Our solar system is part of a tremendous spiral galaxy called the Milky Way galaxy. You can see this galaxy as a band of diffuse light that stretches across the sky.  It takes dark skies and well adjusted night vision to see it but it is quite a remarkable sight.  Every star and constellation map will show you where the milky way stretches across the sky.

The Constellations – Finding and identifying various constellations can be a lot of fun. Each constellation represents an object, animal, or historic figure; and learning the story behind them can also be a lot of fun. Identifying constellations is also the only way to go deeper and find other objects like planets and comets. They form the background that everything moves within and they give you a frame of reference for finding these objects.  Identifying constellations should be part of every star gazing event you undertake.

The Planets – The planets move around in the sky quite a bit and sometimes they are too close to the position of the sun which means they are not visible at night but five of the planets, when in the right position are easily visible with the naked eye. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.   And often times these planets are the brightest objects in the sky.  Refer to you planet charts to find current locations of them. One rule of thumb for figuring out whether something is a star or a planet is whether or not it twinkles. Stars twinkle and planets do not.  So if you locate an object that you believe is a planet you can watch it for several minutes to see if it twinkles like other stars. If it does not then chances are good you have found a planet.

Colorful Stars – Stars are not all white. This is a common misunderstanding that people have. Stars come in a wide variety of brilliant colors and some of the more notable ones are the bright red Betelgeuse in Orion, the bright light-blue Rigel in Orion, the yellowish-white Altair in Aquila, and the bright red Antares in Scorpio.  Finding and identifying these colorful stars can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite easy because some of the brightest stars in the sky are also very colorful from white to blue and red.

Some Objects of Particular Note

There are two very unique objects that are very easily seen with the naked eye on a dark night in the northern hemisphere. These are the Andromeda galaxy and the Hercules Nebula.  They appear as tiny wisps of white smoke that look like small cotton balls.  Once you start getting familiar with the constellations you should look for these two objects. The Andromeda galaxy is in the constellation Andromeda and the Hercules nebula is in the constellation Hercules.

Periodic and occasional Objects

The night sky is filled with a lot of objects that come and go in different patterns. Some of them, like meteor showers, occur at around the same time every year. This is when the Earth passes through clouds of space debris. You can check a chart of meteor showers and plan an evening or several evening of watching them. Some meteor showers can give as many as 120 falling stars every hour.  

Comets – These can be difficult to view because they are often very dim. But occasionally a comet will become very bright and be easily visible with the naked eye.

The night sky is more than just the moon and the stars. It is a extraordinarily rich environment with objects of all kinds. And given a little bit of time and dark skies you will discover and explore many of the beautiful secrets that it holds; and you can do it without a telescope. All you need is dark skies, a few charts, and a little bit of time.

  

About the Author

Learn More about the wonders of the night sky at the authors website:

TelescopeNerd.com

I am interested in the night sky, whats a good telescope for around 100$ or less?

I had one once when I was a little kid that worked like a pair of binnoculars, it sucked. What do you reccommend?
i see your point, ok, i'll go with a 150$ price range

For around $200 you can get a small dobsonian telescope from Orion that'll be pretty good.

Beware of Telescopes sold at stores that don't specialize in telescopes, and from places who sell mostly scopes in your general target price range. Any scope that advertises it's maximum power is also worth avoiding. The mounts on the scopes in these categories are generally flimsy and few people who buy those scopes ever see more than five items they can identify.

The Dobsonian isn't a perfect mount, but it's easy and inexpensive to make one that's useful.

You'll probably want to allocate another $120 or so to buy a couple of good eyepieces.

Joining a local astronomical society is a wonderful idea. Dues are typically cheaper than joining the cub scouts, and you'll be able to look through a variety of scopes other members have.

And you'll make new friends who share your interest in astronomy.

Each Coming Night (Pocketknife's Rooftop Telescope Remix)

Stars & Constellations Placema $2.99 The Stars & Constellations placemat is an accurate and detailed placemat offering views of the northern and southern skies....

Day or night telescope - inscription Photo Mugs This achromatic telescope has a mahogany barrel and a single silvered brass draw tube. There is a second draw tube that is interchangeable with the first. Both draw tubes are inscribed with the makers name, Dollond, London. One is also inscribed For Day objects, while the other has the words Day or Night and is longer. The other silvered brass fittings include a pivoted eyepiece cover. A further s...

Day or night telescope - inscription Photo Mugs The barrel of this telescope is lacquered and decorated with red and gold flowers. The three draw tubes are brass, as are the other fittings, including a sliding eyepiece cover. Achromatic telescopes like this example were used on board ship for making general observations, although this one is unusually decorative.....

The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Vol. 2 [Original Television Soundtrack] $24.98 ...

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Celebrations (#1563) A Visit with Wynton Marsalis $9.95 World-renown trumpeter Wynton Marsalis visits Negri's Music Shop, and talks with Mister Rogers about his music. The Neighborhood trio and Joe Negri join him in playing some jazz. In Make-Believe it's nighttime and the neighbors are using a telescope to look for King Friday's comet. Henrietta is sad because she thinks her friends have forgotten her birthday. Daniel is afraid of the dark, but learns...

A Night Through the Telescope $7.99 ...

Carson Optical LED Flashlight (Red) $3.95 The SL-11 StarMapLight from Carson Optical is a red LED flashlight designed for low-light use, and is ideal for applications such as photography darkrooms, astronomy, and illuminating your tent without disturbing fellow campers. The light includes a convenient attached keychain, making it easy to take with you everywhere. Specifications Runs on two G13A button cell batteries (included) Measures ...

Orion RedBeam SP Self-Powered LED Flashlight $19.99 When we say our newest astro flashlight is "self powered," we mean it is powered by your own bad self! The RedBeam SP has a small hand crank that, when wound, charges an internal rechargeable battery. There's no need for any other batteries, ever! Just 1 minute of winding cranks out up to 15 minutes of red LED light! Red light preserves your dark-adapted night vision while you read star charts or ...

Celestial Sun Stars and Moons Decorative Night Light $9.99 Handcrafted in the USA to the highest standards using licensed materials with great individual care and attention to detail. We are certain that you will be completely delighted and satisfied with our product. All purchased Items will arrive via USPS and a the tracking # will be sent to you. We also offer matching Drawer Knobs, Outlet Covers, Double Size Switchplates, Triple Size Switchplates, Roc...

Now You See It, Now You Don't $1.99 ...

Heavenly Reflections, Hubble Space Telescope Image Note Cards, Set HRH3 $14.95 Wow! These images nearly jump off the page! Each Hubble Space Telescope image has been specially prepared for printing on our reflective Mylar film so that the luminous transparency and details come shining through. Detailed information about the image is on the back. Set HRH3 contains 2 each of four images: The Tarantula Nebula, The Doradus Nebula, Inside the Crab Nebula, and Supernova 1987A in t...

Heavenly Reflections, Hubble Space Telescope Image Note Cards, Set HRH1 $14.95 Wow! These images nearly jump off the page! Each Hubble Space Telescope image has been specially prepared for printing on our reflective Mylar film so that the luminous transparency and details come shining through. Detailed information about the image is on the back. Set HRH1 contains 2 each of four planetary nebulae images: The Eskimo Nebula, The Glowing Eye of NGC6751, The Stingray Nebula, and ...

Heavenly Reflections, Hubble Space Telescope Image Note Cards, Set HRH4 $14.95 Wow! These images nearly jump off the page! Each Hubble Space Telescope image has been specially prepared for printing on our reflective Mylar film so that the luminous transparency and details come shining through. Detailed information about the image is on the back. Set HRH4 contains 2 each of four images: Starbirth Clouds in M-16, Starbirth in the Trifid Nebula, Life Cycle of Stars in Galactic ...

Laser Star $101.99 Now kids can wish upon lots of stars when they transform an ordinary bedroom into their own private star-filled universe. Two built-in precision glass lenses, plus a green laser and holographic technology create thousands of stars and an amazing light show. The coolest most amazing light show you will see anywhere! Laser Star creates thousand of stars with or without cloud formations. AC adapter i...

Kensington 62903 Contour Overnight Roller Suitcase and Notebook Carrying Case $86.59 The Kensington 62903 Contour Overnight Notebook Roller gives you one case with comfort, flexibility, and adaptability for your overnight travel. The Kensington 62903 has a built-in, five-stage telescoping handle that adjusts to match the height that is most convenient for you. When carrying is required, this case has a panel and weight distribution system that reduces shoulder fatigue, and balance...

iOptron LiveStar Mini Planetarium for Telescopes $68.00 With the LiveStarTM Mini Planetarium from iOptron you and your family can experience the excitement of going to a planetarium right from inside your own home! The LiveStarTM Mini Planetarium projects the night sky right onto the ceiling and walls allowing you to explore the stars indoors. You'll be able to see the stars and constellations - even see the Milky Way. Plus, the planetarium rotates to ...

Orion Logo Knit Cap $14.39 Our 100% acrylic cap has 3" cuffs to cover your ears so you can stay warm and toasty on cold nights. It's great for cold-weather observing, skiing and snowboarding, or any outdoor activity. Black with blue embroidered logo. One size fits all....

Star Explosion Glow In The Dark $13.28 This Star Explosion kit allows children to create a universe in their own bedrooms. With over 500 glow-in-the-dark adhesive pieces to choose from (including stars of all sizes, comets, asteroids, and spiral galaxies), junior astronomers can create star displays, black-hole effects, and, with the aid of the included star map, actual constellations. There are 364 small (.25-inch to 1.5-inch) st...

The Magic School Bus: The Secrets of Space $14.05 The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle take Young Scientists on a wild ride into the secrets of space with spectacular experiments. Youngsters construct a night-vision flashlight, design a solar system mobile, build a constellation box, draw constellation cards, recreate the phases of the moon, make a model of a solar eclipse, observe magic beads change color, assemble a working telescope, and more....

Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium $191.36 ...

Power Acoustik CCD-3 Night Vision Infrarred Color Camera $179.95 POWER ACOUSTIK CCD-3 BULLET STYLE COLOR CAMERA WITH NIGHT ILLUMINATION & DIN CONNECTION...

NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe $20.72 The first three editions of NightWatch sold more than 600,000 copies, making it the top-selling stargazing guide in the world for the last 20 years. The key feature of this classic title is the section of star charts that are cherished by backyard astronomers everywhere. Each new edition has outsold the previous one because of thorough revisions and additional new material.    NightWatch...

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide $25.57 Which telescope should I buy? Do I need to learn the constellations, or will a computerized telescope find things for me? How do I take pictures with a telescope? Answers to these questions and hundreds of other questions were provided in the first edition of The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, which established itself as the indispensable reference to the equipment and techniques used by the modern ...

A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations--and How You Can Find Them in the Sky $19.95 Children eight and up will enjoy this conversational but information-packed introduction to astronomy and stargazing, which includes the achievements of the great scientists, the history of space exploration, the story of our solar system, the myths behind the constellations, and how to navigate the night sky. Whimsical color illustrations on every page and handy definitions and sidebars help enga...

Starry Night Pro 5.0 Astronomy Software Win/Mac $149.99 Put more power and knowledge in your hands than even the world's most pre-eminent astronomers had just a few years ago with Starry Night Pro 5.0. Now you can see how the sky over your house looks right now, or use it to see how the sky will look tonight, tomorrow or far into the past or future. You can even change your position and see how the heavens appear from the other side of the earth, or fr...

---

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.

Copyright Powerful Telescopes | Theme by DailyBlogTips