Sky notes · Stargazing & the night sky

A field guide to the night sky.

Thirty things to look for after dark — the Moon, the planets, the constellations, and the deep-sky objects beyond them, with the techniques to see each one clearly.

01Getting Started

Finding a dark sky, reading a star chart, and getting your eyes ready for the night.

001 Finding a Dark-Sky Site Beginner 002 Reading a Star Chart Beginner 003 Naked-Eye Observing Beginner 016 Choosing a First Telescope Beginner 017 Binocular Astronomy Beginner 018 Dark Adaptation Beginner

02Planets & the Moon

The Moon's phases, the bright planets, and what to look for through any instrument.

004 Moon Phases Beginner 005 Observing the Moon Beginner 006 Observing Jupiter Beginner 019 Observing Saturn Beginner 020 Observing Mars Intermediate 021 Venus and Mercury Beginner

03Constellations & Stars

Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and the patterns and colors of the stars themselves.

007 Orion Beginner 008 The Big Dipper Beginner 009 Cassiopeia Beginner 022 Finding Polaris Beginner 023 Star Colors and Types Beginner 024 Variable Stars Advanced

04Deep-Sky Objects

Star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, the Milky Way, and meteor showers beyond the solar system.

010 The Pleiades Beginner 011 The Orion Nebula Beginner 012 The Andromeda Galaxy Beginner 025 Globular Clusters Intermediate 026 The Milky Way Beginner 027 Meteor Showers Beginner

05Observing Techniques

Magnitude, seeing, transparency, light pollution, logging, and the craft of observing well.

013 The Magnitude Scale Beginner 014 Dealing with Light Pollution Beginner 015 Seeing and Transparency Intermediate 028 Keeping an Observing Log Beginner 029 Basic Astrophotography Advanced