How to stargaze

You don't need to buy anything to begin. Find a reasonably dark spot, give your eyes time to adjust, and look up. Add gear only when you are ready.

Protect your night vision

Protect your night vision: give your eyes 20–40 minutes to adapt to the dark (the NPS figure). A bright phone screen wrecks it instantly — a dim red flashlight beats a bright phone even in 'night mode.'

Start with your eyes

Start with your eyes. Find the Big Dipper, then follow it to Polaris; spot Orion and the Orion Nebula in winter, or the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way in summer. Watch for the ISS — a bright, steady 'star' gliding silently across the sky (a free app tells you when) — and satellite trains.

Add binoculars

Add binoculars. A 7x50 or 10x50 pair is the best first instrument: the moon's craters, Jupiter's moons, the Pleiades, Milky Way star-clouds, and the Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light-years away.

A telescope, when you're ready

A telescope, when you're ready. A Dobsonian (a simple reflector) gives the most view for the money — aperture (the width of the mirror) matters more than magnification. Skip the cheap '600x' department-store scopes, let the telescope cool to the outside temperature, and look through other people's scopes at a star party before you buy.

Before buying a scope, look through a few at a star party. Clubs around the state hold them, and one evening with real equipment can save you money and frustration.

Use a chart or an app

Use a chart or an app — the free Stellarium, or a paper planisphere — plus a clear-sky forecast.

Get comfortable

Get comfortable: a reclining chair or blanket, warm layers (it gets cold and dew sets in), bug spray, water and snacks, and your red light.

Try astrophotography

Astrophotography: you can catch the Milky Way or a meteor with a phone on a tripod, or a camera with a wide lens and a 15–30-second exposure. Deep-sky imaging needs a tracking mount — learn from the clubs' astrophotography groups.