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Stargazing has been a favorite pastime for humans for thousands of years. However, though it seems like it would be a simple thing to do, there’s a lot that goes into making sure your stargazing trips are successful. Perhaps the most important thing to figure out before you try looking up at the stars is when is the best time to go stargazing.
The best time to stargaze is in the autumn months in your hemisphere. However, the time of month and year will also play a part in how successful your attempts at stargazing are. That’s because the Earth’s position in relation to the sun and the moon will affect what stars you’re able to see.
In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know to figure out the best time to go stargazing. If you keep reading until the end, you’ll also learn ten helpful tips to make your next trip to look at the stars a successful one. Be sure to browse our collection of space gifts.
You can go stargazing at any time of year and at any time of night.
However, the sky is constantly changing because of the Earth’s constant rotations, which means not all constellations will be visible at all times.
If you want to make an effort to actually go stargazing, it might take a little more planning than just picking up and going out at night.
The best time to go stargazing will depend on the time of year, month, and night. However, stargazing during a new moon, in mid-autumn, just before dawn, might be the ideal time.
According to astronomers and star-enthusiasts, the best time of year to go stargazing is in the autumn, winter, or spring months.
Out of these three seasons, in fact, mid-autumn through early winter is the ideal season to be able to look at the stars.
During these times of the year, the sun spends less time in the sky than during the summer months.
It stands to reason that longer nights will provide the best environment for stargazing. Of course, during the summer, it also gets dark.
However, you’ve probably noticed that it takes a while after the sun starts to set for the sky to get dark enough for stars to become visible.
That means that, during the summer, when days are longer, you’ll have fewer nighttime hours available to be able to look at the sky before dawn.
However, though you’ll be more likely to see stars better during the colder times of the year, that also means you’ll be out in colder weather.
You can still do some great stargazing during the summer if being outside at night in the cold doesn’t seem like something you’re ready to do just yet.
The time of year isn’t the only thing that will affect your stargazing. The time of the month when you decide to go out will also play a role in how well you’ll be able to see the stars.
You might have noticed that you seem to see fewer stars in the sky during a full moon. That’s not just a perception; it’s true.
The phase the moon is in will affect your ability to stargaze because its brightness will play a role in what you’re able to see in the sky.
The best time of the month to go stargazing is during a new moon. You can also go on nights in the week before and after this period.
That means you won’t be able to see the moon in the sky, and you’ll likely be able to see more stars.
However, you’ll still be able to see stars during a quarter moon phase.
Really, the only time you should try to avoid going stargazing is during a full moon, particularly during any lunar events like a blood moon or a particularly bright moon.
Even the time of night you decide to go stargazing can affect how many stars you’ll be able to see.
You can find stars in the sky at any time of night because they’re always there. However, you’ll have the most luck stargazing during the darkest times of the night.
That’s because it takes a few hours after the sun has gone down before the Earth has rotated enough for its light to no longer affect the sky.
You might not be able to notice any more sunlight in the sky, but you might notice the sky gets darker the more time passes after sunset and the more stars you’ll see in the sky.
The middle of the night until pre-dawn is the best time of night to go stargazing for this reason.
This is not only the darkest time of night naturally, but if you don’t live in a large city, this will likely also be the time of night when there are the fewest artificial lights in the sky.
There is no right or wrong way to stargaze.
However, there are things you can do to maximize your stargazing and increase the probability that you’ll be able to see the stars, planets, or constellations you want.
The best way to stargaze is to go at night during the fall or winter around the time of the new moon. It’s also best to look up when the night is darkest and try to go during those times of the night and year to limit how much the moon and sun influence the sky’s brightness.
While the simplest way to go stargazing is just to go out and look up at the sky, that might not lead to the most fulfilling stargazing attempts.
Follow these tips if you want to get the most out of your stargazing:
The biggest tip you can follow to get the most out of your stargazing is to get out of the city.
Whether you live in a small town or in a metropolitan area, you’ll likely have streetlights, signs, and lights from houses on at most times of the night.
They might not seem like much, but they will drastically affect your ability to see the sky. So, for the best chance to see the stars, drive out of your city’s limits.
Another important tip to follow when you’re trying to stargaze is to make sure you pick a clear night to go out.
During the day, it’s easy to see clouds in the sky. However, you might have to look at the weather forecast to see if you can expect a clear or cloudy night.
Going out stargazing on a cloudy night might not lead to a complete loss, but you won’t see as many stars as you would on a clear night.
This tip is for stargazers who want to do more than just look at and admire the sky.
If you want to start looking for specific constellations or stars, then do a little research before you head out.
That way, you’ll be able to know what stars or constellations are visible during any time of the year, depending on your location.
You can use a star chart, an astronomy app, or you can contact your local astronomy club so you’ll have an idea of what you can look forward to finding when you go out.
You might be tempted to buy a telescope or a pair of astronomy binoculars as soon as you decide you’d like to go stargazing.
However, that’s not necessary.
You can still have a very fulfilling night of stargazing without any equipment.
If you follow tip #3 on this list, you’ll be able to refine your searches to see what stars and star formations are available even to the naked eye.
Try stargazing without any tools a few times to make sure you enjoy it first before you start purchasing any other equipment.
As this article has made clear, to have the best chance of seeing stars, you should go stargazing during the fall or winter and, obviously, at night.
The nighttime is the coldest time to be outside, and the winter and fall nights are even colder.
That means you’ll want to make sure you’re dressed warmly, and you bring plenty of blankets and layers, so you aren’t freezing while you stargaze.
Even if you decide to go out during the summer, you’ll still likely encounter a bit of chill compared to the day.
Check the expected lows for the night you plan to go look at the sky and dress appropriately.
While you can start seeing stars as soon as the sun goes down, this article has pointed out that you’ll see the most stars during the darkest times of the night.
That means, to have the most successful nights looking at the stars, you’ll want to plan and prepare for a late night.
That means setting an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night, taking a nap beforehand, or staying up late so you can look at the stars.
To get the best possible view of the sky, you’ll want to make sure you’re somewhere that has a distant view of the horizon.
That means you’ll want to limit the number of buildings, hills, or trees that fall above the horizon line.
The best way to do that is to pick a stargazing spot that is elevated.
If there are hills or mountains in your area you can visit at night, these would be the best places to set up your star-viewing night.
You might get discouraged if you go out one night and don’t see the number of stars you’d hoped for, or you don’t see the constellations you wanted to see.
Just because you have one unlucky night stargazing, however, doesn’t mean you should give up, even if your first attempt was on a supposedly “perfect” stargazing night.
Since the Earth is constantly moving, the sky is constantly changing. That means every night gives you a new opportunity to see new stars and constellations.
Go out and keep trying. You can try stargazing at different times of night, month, or year to see if you have any more luck that way.
You can even try to stargaze in different locations to see if that gives you any more success.
To stargaze effectively, you want to reduce the bright lights you have in your area when you’re out under the stars.
That means you should avoid using typical flashlights and light settings.
Most lights use blue-toned bulbs because they’re brighter.
While that’s usually a good thing, even a flashlight can affect your ability to see the stars.
Try lowering the brightness on all of your electronics and switch to using red-toned flashlights during your stargazing excursions.
Your eyes will need to adjust to being outside in the dark so you can properly see the stars.
That means that you should give yourself some time before you start trying to see any specific stars, especially if you plan on using a telescope.
Try to avoid looking at your phone or computer for about 30 minutes before you start intently trying to stargaze and just look up at the sky.
That will allow your eyes to adjust to the new light levels you’re in, so you’ll be less likely to miss a constellation in the sky.
While it might take some planning to stargaze successfully, it’s not an impossible feat.
Knowing the best time to go out to look at the night sky is already a great first step towards becoming an amateur astronomer.
Try to go stargazing during a new moon during the colder times of the year, particularly in the darkest hours of the night, for the best chance of having good luck stargazing.
