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It is getting dark, you have a wonderful spot for skygazing picked out and you are ready to rush out of the house. If you are just going outside for a few minutes to grab a quick look, go ahead. Once you know the sky, it is almost impossible not to look up at every opportunity. One of the many pleasures of skygazing is taking a casual walk a friend and occasionally pointing out that the square of stars above you is the constellation Pegasus or that the very bright red star is actually Mars. But it will be worthwhile to bring a few things along if your are going to observe the sky for more than a few minutes.
The first item is a small flashlight. The best type is one that you can slip onto your shirt like a pen. If you cover the bulb with a piece of red cellophane from a candy wrapper, its light will not disturb your night vision. A good small flashlight is useful when you occasionally have to look at something close at hand. You might need to read your watch, open the car door or look at a sky atlas. Try to keep away from penlights with on buttons that have to be pressed continually. They are a real nuisance when you need both hands to spread out a large chart and you try to hold the light wedged under your armpit.
It is a good idea to bring pencil and paper. Many skygazers make extremely important observations that are used by professional scientists. The number of giant telescopes is small and the amount of time available to make observations on them is limited. Professionals are dependent on amateur skygazers for information on the sky, which they themselves do not have the resources to obtain. This type of skygazing is a field unto itself, but there is no telling when you might see something unusual that is worth recording on paper and reporting. It is also good to have paper and pencil ready if you want to make a note to yourself or even sketch what you are seeing. In some ways the eye is better than the most advanced camera and a good way to improve your observing skills is to draws what you see.
Bring anything that will make you physically more comfortable, for instance, a chair. You might try a rubber mattress to lie down on. The best looking is directly overhead at the zenith and not straight- ahead at the horizon. Standing up with your neck bent backwards for half an hour is no fun. Dressing correctly is also important. My two favorite past times are running and skygazing. No matter how cold it is when I run, I under dress and wear shorts. For skygazing, however, I have to do the opposite. When skygazing you will be standing still on one spot that will most likely be exposed to the wind. Dress warmly and during the winter, bring a thermos of tea or coffee. On the other hand, during the summer I use the most powerful bug repellent I can find.
All of the above-mentioned items are in almost everyone’s home. There is one thing, which is worthwhile to go out and buy: binoculars. Binoculars are a good compromise between the naked eye and a telescope. There are even some objects that appear better through a pair of binoculars than through a telescope. Binoculars provide a larger “field of view” than a telescope. In other words, they show more of the sky so it is much easier to find objects through them. They also allow you to use both eyes which makes viewing over long periods more comfortable.
A pair of binoculars is actually a pair of telescopes folded up into a compact casing. The light is reflected from lens to lens within the casing through a series of prisms. When you buy a pair of binoculars, you do not necessarily want the largest ones you can find. These will be so big that you will need a mounting to hold them steady. Binoculars that you can easily hold in our hands are much more useful.
Binoculars are rated by two number, for example 6 x 30 or 7 x 50. The first number indicates magnification. The Moon will appear with a radius six times its actual radius when viewed through a pair of binoculars with a rating 6 x 30. A star will still appear as a point of light through binoculars no matter how great the magnification. The second number indicates the diameter of the largest lens of the binoculars in millimeters. Fifty millimeters is about two inches. The side of the largest lens is important because it determines how much light enters the binoculars. The more light that enters, the better you can see dim objects. On a night that you are able to see with you naked eyes stars with a magnitude of six, with the assistance of a pair of binoculars with a 7 x 50 rating you will be able to see stars and other objects with magnitudes 10 and 11. Either 7 x 50 or 10 x 50 are excellent ratings for skygazing.
A pair of binoculars can resolve the Milky Way into individual stars. Through them, you can see the creators of the Moon, the four largest satellites of Jupiter, and several distant galaxies. Do no use them to look at the Sun. Looking at the Sun directly, particularly through binoculars or a telescope, will cause serious damage to your eyes.