Sections
Reference sections
The reference is organised into four topics. The first is about the skill of observing itself: where to stand, how to prepare your eyes and what to watch out for. The second helps you find your way among the stars. The third covers the Moon, planets and meteors. The fourth shows how a phone becomes a star map and a simple camera for night shots.
The sky changes every night, but the pattern of the constellations stays the same. Once you have learned a few anchor shapes, you won't get lost even when a bright planet appears nearby or a satellite drifts past.
The sections cover the questions every beginner runs into: how to choose a site, how to adapt to the dark, how to find a constellation, why the Moon changes shape and how to photograph it with a phone. We do not publish forecasts for specific dates or recommend products.
How to observe
A dark site, patience, warm clothes and a red torch matter more than expensive optics. This section also covers weather, cloud cover and why you must never look at the Sun without a certified solar filter.
- Collection: Your first month of stargazing
A step-by-step path for anyone about to head out under the night sky.
- Your first evening in five steps
A short plan on the home page: site, dark adaptation, a constellation, the Moon, notes.
- Dark adaptation and light pollution
Two concepts that explain why you see fewer stars in the city.
Constellations and stars
The International Astronomical Union recognises 88 constellations with official boundaries. A beginner doesn't need to know them all: a few bright patterns are enough to use as signposts for finding the rest.
- Constellation, asterism, magnitude
The key words you need to read a star map.
- Answers on naked-eye observing
How many constellations there are and how to tell a star from a planet.
- New pages
The feed where fresh material about the starry sky appears.
The Moon, planets, meteors
A full cycle of lunar phases takes about 29.5 days on average. The Perseid meteor shower comes in summer, with its peak usually around 12–13 August. For when the planets are visible, check a current astronomical calendar.
- Phase, terminator, synodic month
Concepts that explain why the Moon looks different every evening.
- How to see meteors and the space station
Answers about shooting stars, the radiant and what a station pass looks like.
- Archive
Every published page about the Moon and planets, by date and topic.
Smartphones and photography
A phone can show you a star map, and on a tripod it can photograph the Moon and the brightest stars. Just remember that a bright screen stops your eyes from seeing faint objects.
- How to photograph the Moon with a smartphone
A step-by-step practical article with illustrative examples and a checklist.
- Answers on smartphones and photography
Star maps on your phone, night mode for the screen, a white blob instead of the Moon.
- Collection: Observing from the city
What you can see and photograph when dark skies are far away.
Read next
- Guides
How to photograph the Moon with a smartphone: preparation, steps, mistakes and a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers about naked-eye observing, binoculars and telescopes, smartphones and photographing the sky.
- Reference
An observer's glossary: constellation, asterism, ecliptic, phase, terminator, radiant and more.
Sources
- International Astronomical Union: list of constellations
- Encyclopaedic sources on astronomy
Information is current as of the date this page was prepared. What you can actually see in the sky tonight depends on the date, your location and the weather, so check an up-to-date astronomical calendar before heading out.