Stargazing 101: Enjoying the night sky

  • 2 months ago
AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Lada gives some easy tips about stargazing and some key misconceptions while you're out under the stars.
Transcript
00:00Warmer weather has arrived and it's the perfect time to head outside and look at the stars.
00:13Here's a few tips for stargazing 101.
00:17One of the big important things is to let your eyes adjust to the dark, but that really
00:21depends on what type of stargazing you're planning on doing.
00:24If you're stepping outside just to look at the moon or try to look for a constellation,
00:29usually you don't need to let your eyes adjust to the dark.
00:31But if you're planning on watching a meteor shower or trying to see the Milky Way, you're
00:35going to want to take about 15 to 20 minutes to let your eyes fully adjust to the dark.
00:40Now when you're doing this, it's important not to look at any sources of light such as
00:44a cell phone screen or a flashlight, because once you look at a light source like that,
00:49you're back to square one.
00:52One of the misconceptions about stargazing is that you need a telescope to enjoy the
00:56night sky.
00:57Now they are helpful to have, but really the only thing you need to enjoy the night
01:01sky is no cloudy weather.
01:05But there are some objects that you can see with the naked eye that if you have a telescope,
01:09it'll make them even more interesting.
01:11A great example of this is Saturn.
01:14It's bright enough to see with no equipment whatsoever, but if you have a telescope and
01:19use that magnification power, you'll be able to see the brilliant rings of Saturn.
01:24So you don't need a telescope, but if you have one, it certainly makes the night sky
01:27more enjoyable.
01:30One of the biggest misconceptions revolves around meteor showers.
01:34Every meteor shower has what's called a radiant point, but you don't need to look directly
01:38in that area to see a shooting star associated with that meteor shower.
01:42If you do spot a shooting star, if you trace it backwards, it's going to point towards
01:46the part of the sky where that meteor shower originates.
01:50However, these meteors can appear in any part of the sky, not just near that radiant point.
01:55So I recommend just getting a blanket, laying it on the ground, looking up and getting the
01:59biggest view of the night sky as possible to really increase your chances of seeing
02:03a shooting star.
02:06One more misconception is that Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star, is the brightest
02:11star in the night sky.
02:12While it is a bright star, that title actually belongs to Sirius, which is also called the
02:17Dog Star.
02:19Now this star isn't visible year-round.
02:21The only time you're going to be able to see Sirius in the night sky is between late autumn
02:25and early spring.
02:26And the most important part of stargazing is being sure that you have clear weather.
02:30So be sure to check the AccuWeather app before you head outside, and happy stargazing!

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