SPACE.com -- 10 Steps to Rewarding Stargazing


	10 Steps to Rewarding Stargazing By Joe Rao Special to SPACE.com posted: 07:00 am ET 04 October 2002

Step 10

Prepare for the Unexpected

Stargazing may be the ultimate getaway, but if you're planning an excursion to a dark-sky site far out in some open countryside, be sure to bring a cell phone and either a car cord or an extra battery. You may need it in an emergency or if you have car trouble.

Let somebody know in advance where you are headed, what roads you intend to use, and when you expect to return. If you're close to being the last to leave a site, ask the other person to make sure that your car (and theirs) starts.

Below: More Resources and Suggested Reading

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.

More Backyard Astronomy Resources

Starry Night Software
Map planets, stars and constellations from your location
Starry Night's Fall Sky Tour 2002
Easy-to-spot stars and some more challenging targets
NightSky Main Page
A skywatching feature every Friday, plus backyard astronomy news
NightSky Guide to the Moon
Includes a printable Moon map
Stargazing 101: Tips and Terms
Things every skywatcher should know at the beginning
Sky Calendar & Moon Phases

BUY IT NOW!

Starry Night software is an indispensable tool for backyard astronomy, with separate versions designed for beginners and experts.

Suggested Reading

For Naked-Eye Observing

STARLIGHT NIGHTS. THE ADVENTURES OF A STAR-GAZER. By Leslie C. Peltier. Sky Publishing Corporation, 2000 (Third Printing).

STARGAZING: ASTRONOMY WITHOUT A TELESCOPE. By Patrick Moore. Cambridge University Press, 2000

NIGHTWATCH. By Terence Dickinson. Firefly Books, 1998.

40 NIGHTS TO KNOWING THE SKY. By Fred Schaaf. Owl Books, 1998.

SECRETS OF THE NIGHT SKY: THE MOST AMAZING THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE YOU CAN SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE. By Bob Berman. Harperperenial Library, 1996

SKYWATCHING. By David H. Levy. The Nature Company/Time-Life Books, 1995.

THE STARS. A NEW WAY TO SEE THEM. By Hans Augusto Rey. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1976.

For Binocular Observations

EXPLORING THE NIGHT SKY WITH BINOCULARS. By Patrick Moore. Cambridge University Press, 2002.

STARGAZING WITH BINOCULARS & TELESCOPES. By John Mosley. McGraw-Hill, 1998.

EXPLORING THE NIGHT SKY WITH BINOCULARS. By David Chandler. David Chandler, Co., 1994.

BINOCULAR ASTRONOMY. By Craig Crossen and Wil Tirion. Willmann-Bell, 1992.

HOW TO CHOOSE BINOCULARS. By Alan R. Hale. C & A Publishing, 1991.

TOURING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH BINOCULARS. By Phillip S. Harrington. John Wiley & Sons, 1990.

For Telescopic Observations

STARWARE. By Phillip S. Harrington. John Wiley & Sons, 2002.

ASTRONOMY WITH SMALL TELESCOPES UP TO 5 INCH, 125 MM. By Stephen F. Tonkin. Springer Verlag, 2001.

THE CAMBRIDGE GUIDE TO STARGAZING WITH YOUR TELESCOPE. By Robin Scagell. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

TELESCOPES AND TECHNIQUES. By C.R. Kitchin. Springer Verlag, 1996.

HOW TO USE AN ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE. By James Muirden. Simon & Schuster, 1988.

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