Stargazing 101: Enjoying the night sky

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!