Stargazing is a hobby that lets you explore the wonders of the night sky with your own eyes. You can see planets, stars, constellations, and even galaxies from your backyard or a dark location. Stargazing can relax you, inspire you, and teach you about astronomy and science. To get started, all you need is a clear night, a star map or an app, and optionally binoculars or a telescope.
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Stargazing
as a hobby
AKA: Amateur Astronomy, Skywatching.
No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky.
Llewelyn Powys
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We curated content to familiarize you with stargazing as a hobby and to inspire and help you get started.
We strive for accuracy, but errors may occur. Always use your judgment.
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Stargazing can inspire you to learn more about astronomy, physics, math and other sciences.
Basic lingo for orientation.
- Asterism: Any prominent star pattern that isn’t a whole constellation, such as the Northern Cross or the Big Dipper.
- Asteroid: A solid body orbiting the Sun that consists of metal and rock.
- Celestial Coordinates: A grid system for locating things in the sky. It’s anchored to the celestial poles (directly above Earth’s north and south poles) and the celestial equator (directly above Earth’s equator).
- Collimation: Aligning the optical elements of a telescope so that they all point in the proper direction.
- Comet: A small body of ice and dust that orbits the Sun. When a comet approaches the Sun, some of its material vaporizes, forming a coma and a tail that point away from the Sun due to the solar wind.
- Constellation: A group of stars that form a recognizable pattern in the sky. There are 88 official constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
- Eclipse: An event in which one celestial body passes into the shadow of another, or blocks the light from another.
- Light Year: A unit of distance and is defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum during a Julian year. In astronomy, a Julian year (symbol: a) is a time unit defined as exactly 365.25 days of 86,400 seconds each.
- Galaxy: A large collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. There are billions of galaxies in the observable universe, each containing millions to trillions of stars.
- Star party: A gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing objects and events in the sky.
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How to break the ice and make a start.
- Find the next astronomical event or the next new moon phase on the calendar.
- Download a stargazing app.
- Find either a dark-sky place for stargazing, an observatory, a stargazing meetup, or a star party near you.
- Many things can be seen with the naked eye. If you want to enhance your experience, consider buying binoculars.
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Stargazing is not only a mesmerizing hobby but also a way to contribute to scientific research through citizen science. For instance, the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project invites amateur astronomers to help discover new celestial bodies by analyzing telescope images, turning your passion for the night sky into meaningful contributions to astronomy.
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Go-tos for information.
- Skywatching | What’s Up: Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA Solar System Exploration
- Night Sky – Stargazing and Night Sky Watching | Space.com
- Stellarium Web Online Star Map
- Sky & Telescope | Astronomy News, Tools & Resources – Sky & Telescope
- Astronomical Events — Astronomy Calendar | Time and Date
Citizen Science
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When life gets too overwhelming, just look up at the night sky and lose yourself for a while.
Deborah Ten Brink
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When is the best time to stargaze?
The best time to stargaze is when the sky is clear, dark, and moonless. You can add the phases of the moon to your calendar as a reminder and to help you plan your stargazing. You can also check the astronomical events calendar to find out when there are interesting phenomena such as eclipses, conjunctions, transits, etc.
Where is the best place to stargaze?
The best place to stargaze is a dark and clear location with a wide view of the horizon. You can use a dark sky map to find such a place and check the moon’s phases, weather, and events. You can also join a local astronomy club or society that may have star parties or events in dark-sky places.
What equipment do I need to stargaze?
You don’t need any equipment to stargaze, just your eyes and curiosity. However, you can enhance your experience with some basic tools such as binoculars and a red torch, and a stargazing app. If you want to see more details you can invest in a telescope.
How do I find constellations and planets in the sky?
You can use a stargazing app to identify the constellations and planets in the sky. You can also use some landmarks such as the North Star, the Big Dipper, or Orion to orient yourself in the sky.
FAQ Videos
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App Trailers
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Video Courses and Trailers
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- Dark Sky Map: Best Locations for Stargazing
- Find a Dark Sky Place – International Dark-Sky Association
- Light Pollution Atlas 2006, 2016 and 2020
- Astronomy Clubs & Organizations Near Me | Sky & Telescope
- Stargazing Events Near You
- Star Party Events Near You
- Astronomy Events Near You
- Observatories Near You
- Astronomy groups | Meetup
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Stargazing can make you travel back in time by seeing the light from distant stars and galaxies that left them millions or even billions of years ago. For example, when you look at the Andromeda Galaxy, you are seeing it as it was 2.5 million years ago, when our ancestors were Australopithecus. This is because light has a finite speed and takes time to reach us from far away.
Additional advice for beginners.
- Add the phases of the moon to your calendar. It can be a constant reminder and helper for planning your stargazing sessions.
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