We Are All One Family Under the Same Sky
Have you ever gazed up at the beauty of the night heaven and plant yourself nonplussed over the scale, the incomprehensible expansiveness of it all? Seeing thousands of glimmering pinpricks twinkling against the inky sky is a breathtaking feel to be certain, but it'southward too 1 that can spark a lifelong interest in astronomy. Whether you're looking for an accordingly socially distant action to enjoy during the COVID-19 pandemic or you're fascinated with the science of infinite, stargazing is an ideal hobby to take upward.
Although stargazing is very much what it sounds like — staring up at the dark sky using your eyes, binoculars or a telescope — there are some helpful charts yous'll desire to have on hand to learn more as you lot get started. Chosen sky maps, these charts plot out the placement of celestial bodies to tell you what exactly you lot're looking at upward in space. Using these helpful guides, you'll be able to identify different stars, planets and constellations in the nighttime sky.
These days, heaven maps are available in a variety of dissimilar formats. You can get printed versions online for gratuitous, buy a planisphere to use all year round or even download apps to your smartphone that can instantly recognize everything in the sky above you. Here'due south what you lot need to know most finding the right heaven maps for your needs.
Print Your Ain Heaven Map for Free
Sky maps are also sometimes known equally star charts, and you tin print one out for free at a site called skymaps.com. Proceed in mind that you'll desire to make certain to print the sky map for the hemisphere you alive in. There are also dissimilar star charts available for unlike latitudes. If you're not sure what latitude yous're closest to, you can easily check on this handy latitude finder.
Additionally, make certain that you print out the map for the electric current month, every bit your view of the sky is constantly changing due to the rotation of the world. On the acme side of the map, you lot'll find the all-time times to use your chart depending on whether it'due south before or later in the month.
When you lot wait at a heaven map, y'all'll notice that it's printed in a round assortment with compass directions around the edge. This is to help you lot position the nautical chart so that it aligns correctly with the heaven directly over yous.
Hither's an example. Say that you lot're facing north. You'll rotate the sky map and then that the section of the circle labeled "north" is positioned at the bottom of the map. Once you've done this, the center of the map (or zenith) should align with the part of the sky that appears directly to a higher place you. It might seem a petty counterintuitive to have the north characterization on the map pointing backwards when you're facing north, but there's a reason for this: You read the map by holding it overhead, not out in front of y'all. So, when you lift and turn your easily so you lot can read the map while it's above yous, the n department of the map will so be pointing the same direction yous're facing.
The best way to get your bearings in one case you accept the map in the correct position is to expect for either an easily recognizable constellation or a particularly bright star. The brighter the star is, the bigger the dot that represents it on the map will be. From there, you should be able to follow the map to detect nearby stars, constellations and planets.
Consider a Planisphere for Year-Round Flexibility
If you don't want to impress out a new heaven map each month, consider investing in a planisphere instead. What makes a planisphere helpful is that information technology consists of 2 split up dials yous can arrange to show what the heaven looks like at any time of the year.
One section is marked with the hours of the twenty-four hour period, while the other is marked with the days and months of the yr. When y'all align the inner rotating dial with the correct fourth dimension and appointment, the planisphere will show you the part of the night heaven that's currently visible to you while blocking off the parts that aren't.
One time you have your planisphere set to the right position, it works very similarly to a heaven map. Just hold it up to the night heaven and yous'll be able to easily identify all kinds of fascinating celestial bodies.
No Newspaper or Planisphere? Go the Smartphone Road
While at that place's something fun about being able to read a traditional star chart, at that place'due south also a diverseness of apps these days that can human activity equally automatic sky maps for fifty-fifty easier stargazing. I major perk of apps like these is that they don't demand you to know your latitude or the direction you're facing — the positioning systems in your device take care of that work. You lot but demand to hold your device up to the heaven while you're running a sky map app, and it'll utilise your device's GPS to figure everything out for y'all.
A star map app called Star Chart, which is bachelor for iOS and Android, is among the virtually popular. Again, you only need to hold your phone up to the sky while running this app, and it'll show you exactly what stars and planets are above y'all. And not only will it point out constellations, simply it'll even fill them in with artwork by Johannes Hevelius, a 17th-century astronomer.
Another helpful perk of Star Chart is that it can evidence you what stars are above yous even during the daytime. When you betoken information technology down at the ground, it likewise displays what the sky looks similar on the other side of the world.
Tips for Planning a Stargazing Outing
Stargazing has a lot of perks as a hobby, including the fact that it'due south fun, free and a pandemic-proof, socially distant activeness. While stargazing is an activity that you can technically practise anywhere, yous'll probably have better luck if yous head to a location that's wide open and miles abroad from the ambient light that decorated cities emit into the nighttime sky — this can go far harder to see stars.
EarthSky is an astronomy website that'due south developed a worldwide map you tin can use to identify some of the best places for stargazing near you. To notice these recommendations, zoom in on your state on the map. You'll meet a collection of stars you lot can click on in your geographical area, each of which lists a peachy stargazing location nearby when y'all click it.
Once y'all're at a stargazing location, and unless you're using an app for your sky map, try to avoid looking at your phone or any lights for about 20 minutes to give your "night vision" a hazard to really kicking in. Your eyes will adjust to the limited light atmospheric condition, and information technology'll become easier to encounter the stars.
If you're having a hard time getting started or finding your place on the map, start with the sky instead. Look for a constellation yous know, such every bit the Big Dipper. One time you lot find it in the sky, it tin can serve as a sort of guidepost to aid you get your bearings and determine how to orient your sky map.
The more than familiar you get with the heaven, the easier information technology'll become to detect your way effectually it. Don't feel like you lot have to blitz out and buy a telescope when you first get started. In the beginning, all you need are your eyes and a heaven map. If you do desire a closer look at a star cluster or planet, a pair of old binoculars volition do just fine. Virtually importantly, remember to take fun on this engaging adventure!
Source: https://www.reference.com/science/how-use-sky-maps?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740005%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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