Going Stargazing: – Things To Remember.

Going out stargazing is very much like a holiday. You plan your trip, where you are going and how to get there and back. You also plan what you want to do when you get there.

With slight exceptions this is what planning a night out under the stars is. But before we go out there are a few things that need to learnt and understood. Some are ‘courtesy rules’, which, if not followed, could make you unpopular with your fellow astronomers. Some may even refuse to go out with you until you change your ways. But more on these later.

Other rules are mostly common sense rules but a lot of people still get caught out by them.

Tips and Advice For Going Out On Your First Night

Well, your new equipment has arrived, whether it’s a pair of binoculars, telescope or a celestial tracking platform like the Star Adventurer with your new camera , you can’t wait to take it out so you can see the wonders that they can produce.

But wait, there are things that you need to do before going out under the stars alone, a thing I don’t recommend if you are a beginner unless it’s into your back garden.

You will find things go much easier if you plan your night. Ask yourself these questions. What do I want to see and at what time can I see it.

Here are a few tips that I learnt as a young astronomer, with some I still use today 50 years on.

Become a member of your local Astronomical Society.

This is one thing I strongly believe in doing. Astronomy Societies are not places where you find just experienced astronomers with very expensive equipment. You will find people of all ages and sex. Their experience and knowledge will cover all ranges. But the one special thing they all do is welcome new members with open arms. The more experienced astronomers will gladly answer your questions, even if it may seem trivial to them, it is very important to you.

Astronomical Societies have regular meetings where members can talk about what they have been doing. Sometimes they will have a guest speaker who comes and talks about a particular part of astronomy. If you are also into Space Exploration then there may also be the occasional guest speaker who gives a talk on recent space missions.

Another part of being a member is that you can attend ‘Star Parties’. These are where members go out at night and observe together the night sky. These ‘parties’ are not normally ‘member only’ but usually open to any passing member of the public who is interested in what’s going on.

One incident I remember from a few years ago was when I was out with my local astronomy group. We had permission to use the local school field which had a good south to south west aspect. There was about twenty of us and it was early in the morning when we were approached by two police officers. They wanted to know what we were doing there and did we have permission. Our Society Secretary explained that they were a group of astronomers who were out observing and had permission from the School’s Head Master to be there. The officers seemed happy with that and left. Whether they checked up with the school Head Master I don’t know but we didn’t hear from them again.

Joining a Astronomical Society is both rewarding and satisfying. Rewarding in as much of the experience you can gain from other, more experienced, astronomers. It can also lead you into new friendships which could last a lifetime.

It can also be satisfying in that you can achieve something that you alone have planned and executed. This may be with photographs you have taken, sketches you have drawn or even something you have made.

The Astronomical Society has a wealth of knowledge to give the budding astronomer as well as the satisfaction of meeting new people. Becoming a member of one early in your new hobby will be one of the most satisfying things you do in Astronomy. To find a Astronomy Society near you go to Go Astronomy.

Getting Ready To Go Out.

Before you consider going out to a star gazing session there a few things you will have to learn. The first is your equipment. Can you put it together in the dark, paper instructions will be next to useless in the dark. This sort of frustration can lead to the budding astronomer to give up the hobby.

My suggestion is to learn at home. Putting your equipment together in daylight will give you confidence and a feel for the different parts. Then go out into your back garden and do it at night.

It is at this point you feel you would need some helpful light, especially if your back garden is very dark. But be careful, don’t use a white light torch as this will destroy your night vision. As I mentioned earlier there are ‘curtesy rules’ and one of these, and probably the most annoying, is turning on a white light torch among a group of astronomers. By doing so you may be ruining someone’s photographing session. In fact try and keep your car headlights low as you can, or even turn them off, as you approach the observing sight, especially if there are others there.

The best solution to this problem is to invest in either a red light torch or a red light head lamp. Both of these are adequate enough but I prefer to use a red light head lamp as this free’s up both my hands. These lamps can be obtained from either Amazon or 365Astronomy.

Learn to take your equipment apart and put it together under darkness. This way you will be more confident at putting your equipment up and taking it down at your site and allowing you more time to observe.

A further suggestion for those whose equipment has cables and other added equipment. Learn the same way as above. But also learn the different cables and where they go and connect to, especially if you are using a laptop or iPad. I have used coloured electrical tape to discern which type of cable it is. I’ve used red for USB 2 cables and Green for USB 3 cables. I have also used other colours to indicate specific cables to indicate where the cables go to.

When you feel confident enough go out with your astronomy society and learn how to use it. Some of the members may have used your equipment before and can tell you how they got on with it.

Going Out To View

In your first few nights of going out to a viewing session I strongly recommend going out with your society. The tips you can pick up will be immense. Another of the ‘curtesy rules’ I mentioned earlier comes here. Never, never walk up to somebody’s telescope and touch it without asking first. It may be a society where everyone is friends and pass on information together, but it is still members equipment you are touching. It maybe photographing the Galaxy and the owner is talking to someone else. Imagine you see a lovely dog. You go up to stroke it and it bites you. You should have asked the owner if you can stroke it first. They would give you permission to do so or tell you that the dog bites. Use your sense at star parties, ask and you won’t get bitten.

So you have gained plenty of experience at your astronomical societies star parties and made some good friends and together you decide to go out together to a site one of you has located. The first thing you don’t do is you don’t all jump into the car and zoom off to the site.

Some of these ‘rules’ may appear silly but I can assure you they will help you throughout your astronomy career.

The first rule is to plan your session with those who you are going with.. Work out where you are going, who is driving you there, who is bringing you back and from where, especially if the drop off and pick up point are some way from the observing site, and what time this pick up will be.

You will next plan your night. If it’s an observing session then work out what is up in the sky during your session. The objects that set early will be your first choice to observe while those that rise later in the evening will be lower down on your list.

If you plan to take photographs then work out what time your chosen object rises and how long it will be in the sky before it sets. This is important as you will need to calculate the time period so that you have enough time to take your exposures. Remember, some of these exposures may be as long as five minutes. If you take 25 exposures at 300 seconds (5 minutes) each that is just over 2 hours of exposure. Now add in the time checking the drive, the last exposure and pausing for clouds you will soon see that you will be busy for a few hours. So plan for the whole time. Check the rising time of your object and how long it is in the sky. Does dawn interfere with your exposures. If so, consider taking some on that night and when you come back another night and complete your photographs. All these can be then merged together using software specially designed for astrophotography. But more on those in another post.

When you have finished planning your session your next thought is what do I need to do so that I’m ready. By this I mean what food should I take and what drinks and how much. For an all night session I usually take about four rolls filled with either cheese or ham or whatever you fancy but make sure it doesn’t make you sleepy. For a drink I usually take a flask of hot coffee or chocolate. I suggest strongly that you don’t take just cold drinks or even alcohol. A good night’s session can be ruined if you get pulled over for drink driving. Even in the warmest days it can still turn very cold at the night. especially in open areas like parks, countryside’s and deserts. Following on from this also dress for a cold night. One thing that will make you want to go home early is feeling cold. Trust me, I learnt that lesson early as a young astronomer.

What To Put In Your Rucksack.

Everything you have done so far is to plan your session. With your rucksack full with food and drink do you need anything else. One thing that can be most frustrating is running out of power to drive your telescope or star guider. Make sure the batteries are fully charged. Take extra batteries. I usually go and get a packet from the shop. They don’t cost much. Remember to bring home any dead ones to dispose of at the correct disposal sites. Astronomers do not leave rubbish around, so bring home all your rubbish.

Remember to pack your red torch or red head lamp. Put some spare cables in, in case others fail you. Also make sure you have a spare, fully charged, battery for your mobile. If you need help then a fully charged mobile battery is a necessity. One last thing to put in your rucksack is a notebook and two pens. Why? To record your night out. Keep a record of your observations or sketches. Or keep an account of the pictures you take and for how long. Record your camera settings. This will be helpful when using the software to compile your picture. It will also bring memories back of those nights many years later when you look back. I’ve known astronomers keep very detailed accounts of their nights under the night sky. Many of whom have notepads full stretching back over many years. I would suggest getting into the habit of making notes of your observing sessions. These notes don’t always have record your observations but can record the people you went with. Did something happen while you were there, like an animal stray into your observing site. All these can be noted down and read many years later as you relive those nights under the stars.

So What’s Left to Do.

Everything is planned and packed. Is there anything else to do before going out? Last, and most important, tell others, a parent, relative or friend of where you are going and what time you expect to be home. If need be get them to phone you occasionally to make sure everything is ok. Once all these things are done then it’s ready to go. Oh, and don’t forget your phone. Probably the most important thing to take and make sure it is fully charged.

Happy Observing

Dave.