The first tool you should think about investing in when it comes to viewing
the night sky is a planisphere, or it's also called a star wheel. These are
relatively inexpensive for you to purchase online, and what's useful is
it'll show you not only the northern sky but also the southern sky. You can see
what the southern sky looks like simply by flipping over the star wheel and it's
located on the back. On the back of the star wheel there are also directions on
how to use this tool. Just be sure when you order this tool that you order the
proper latitudes of where you are viewing from. I live in Hawaii so my
location latitude wise is 20 degrees north, hence me buying this particular
star wheel. Also notice the directions on your star wheel, finding north is really
key for you to be able to navigate the sky. Let's quickly review how to use a
star wheel. Say we go out at 9 p.m. and we're gonna go out on December 10th, so
what you're gonna do is you're gonna keep turning the wheel, keep turning the
wheel until you find December 10th listed in the date bar. So then you're
gonna line up December 10th exactly with a nine o'clock and once you have it, what
you want to do is look at what you will be seeing. So this shows you the whole
sky at that exact date on December 10th and at 9:00 p.m. The next tool you want
to invest in is a red flashlight, and you can easily make one of your own by
taking red nail polish and painting a regular flashlight, and the reason for
this is that our eyes are very sensitive in the dark and if you flash a bright
light in them it can take up
- 30 minutes for your eyes to readjust to the dark. I'm sure we've all
experienced this at some point, for example when you walk out of the movie
theater into the bright light it hurts your eyes, this is the same concept, you
don't want to shock your eyes with white light. So using a soft red light is
really what is the best for your eyes and I'm telling you the kiddos they love
playing with the red flashlight. Another helpful tool for you is a field guide of
the night sky. This is a field guide that I used and it's my go-to for everything.
It talks about stars, constellations, different objects you'll be seeing in
the sky, and it gives you a really good overview of what it is that you're
looking at and anytime I need help I just go to my field guide. Another
essential tool that you'll need is a comfortable chair to sit in. It is no fun
standing on your legs with your neck straight up and trying to find the stars
and constellations, so make sure you're sitting in a comfortable chair, it really
does help. You could also use a sleeping bag, you can pile pillows in the back of
a truck, totally get creative when it comes to being comfortable. Another great
tool you can use is an observation log. I have a observation log attached to this
lesson so feel free to download it and use it, but a nightly log is really
helpful for you to use because then you can just keep track of what you're
seeing over time and you can start to notice patterns. I'll be teaching you
those patterns but it's even better if you can start to notice them on your own.
Now I want to talk about some non-essential tools that can use but
would be really fun if you end up purchasing this if this becomes a hobby
for you. I most recently bought a pair of binoculars along with a tripod and I
have not been disappointed. I can point my binoculars at a dark portion of the
sky and what look through them I see a ton of stars
and it's been great for looking at nebulas, galaxies, star clusters, and if
you feel this is gonna become a regular hobby I recommend you to start with a
pair of binoculars. Another great tool you can use of course is a telescope, and
when you do decide to buy a telescope make sure you do your research. I
recommend that you go to a local astronomy group where you can go to a
collection of telescopes that are there and you can try out and see which ones
you like to use the most, and you should expect to pay a couple thousand dollars
for one of these if it's a really good telescope. If you're finding them for
less than that it may not be worth your investment. I know for me this is not
something I've chosen to perfect to pursue yet, but I know it eventually will
be in my future. Talking to other amateur astronomers can be really helpful too
because you can learn from any mistakes they have made when it comes to
purchasing telescopes, and you can just get really great advice so take
advantage of that resource if it's available to you. Another great
investment for you could be a subscription to a relevant magazine. I
personally subscribe to astronomy magazine, but sky and telescope is
another useful one as well, and I recommend it because it can show you
what the layout of the sky will be for the month in different celestial events
that may be occurring for that particular month. There are also really
helpful articles in here just to further your knowledge about astronomy and
discover what the most current research is. You might find that some other
members of the family might enjoy these magazines as well.
Let's review the tools you'll need for stargazing a comfortable chair is a
necessity, a star wheel, red flashlight, field guide, and a law book all highly
recommended. Binoculars, telescopes, and magazine subscription, when you're ready
I definitely recommend them. Friends and family of course always make the
adventure more fun and pets you can always bring them along,
but any kind of company is definitely worth having around because when you get
to share what you can find with others it just makes the experience more
enjoyable. Thanks for watching!