3 Stargazing Tips That Will Help You Enjoy the Night Sky
Delaware offers a variety of outdoor activities to enjoy. The state has around 26 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline. An all inclusive community can feature several outdoor amenities that people of all ages can enjoy. Amenities such as walking trails, dog parks, and stargazing lounges. If you enjoy looking at the night sky, there are some tips you can follow to get the most out of the experience. Here are some stargazing tips that will help you enjoy the night sky.
1. Wait until your eyes adjust to the dark
When you first go out in the dark, it’s difficult to see anything. On average, it takes about 15 to 30 minutes until your eyes fully adjust. Astronomers refer to this process of adjusting as “dark adaptation”. It’s helpful to avoid browsing on your phone or other technological devices when you’re in the stargazing lounge. The phone’s light will take away your night vision and your eyes will have to readjust again. If at any point you’ll be needing light to see something, consider using a red flashlight, which won’t affect your night vision. If you use apps that help you identify objects, make sure you have a red night mode setting on your phone so your eyes can stay adjusted to the dark.
2. Don’t use a telescope if you’re a beginner
If you’ve recently become interested in stargazing, you might be tempted to go out and get a fancy new telescope. Telescopes can be challenging to use for someone who’s a beginner at stargazing. The things you’re seeing through your telescope might not initially resemble anything, which could cause you to get frustrated. Ideally, you should strive to learn about the night sky first. Use your eyes to identify some anchor objects like constellations or planets that will help you to navigate the sky. Once you’ve become better at identifying planets and constellations, then it can be useful to consider getting a telescope. During your learning phase, you can also use binoculars. They can help give you good visuals, such as a close-up of the moon and the craters that are on it.
3. Stargaze at the best time
While you can stargaze any time of the year, a good time to do it is in the autumn, winter, or spring, which astronomers refer to as the “observing season”. In particular, clear winter nights when no humidity is in the air is ideal. Summer nights tend to be hazier and can blur your view of the sky. It’s also a good time to stargaze when the moon isn’t as present. When it’s a full moon, the bright light of the moon makes it difficult to view any of the other objects that aren’t equally as bright.
A stargazing lounge is one of many amenities that can be enjoyed in an all inclusive community. Researching and understanding how stargazing works can help you be prepared to have an enjoyable experience. You can keep these tips in mind the next time you plan do some stargazing.
