Want to start gazing at the stars? An expert astronomer explains where to start.

They are like dark skies covered with countless stars. I've enjoyed this type of travel since I was young and it helped cement my passion for the night sky and all things space.

One of my greatest joys as an astronomer is sharing the night sky with people. Something is amazing about helping people observe the universe through telescopes and see its many wonders for the first time. But we can also share and enjoy the night sky with our own eyes, discover constellations and planets, and find the joy of watching a meteor shower.

It's easy to get bitten by the astronomy bug. A question I often get is, "How can I see more stars?" Here are some ways to start this fun and timeless hobby without spending much money. Knowledge of the night sky

If you're a new astronomer, looking at the night sky is a good place to start. When I was a kid, that meant getting a planisphere (a star map, you can make your own here) or a good reference book. There are many great apps today that help you find your way around the night sky.

A good example of such an application is Stellarium. This planetarium program allows you to observe the night sky from the comfort of your couch or plan a pre-program viewing party. Gaze at the stars for a memorable night sky. Choose a bright, famous, and easy-to-find constellation and use it as a guide for identifying nearby constellations. If you learn one constellation a week, within a year you will be familiar with most of the constellations visible from your current location.

Let's take Orion as an example. The slider below shows a Stellarium image of Orion rising high in the sky on a summer evening. I've added arrows to show how to use Orion (shown in the center of the map below) to jump across the summer sky. Discovering the constellations around Orion is relatively simple. Start on a clear, dark summer evening and look for Orion in the north. The three stars in Orion's belt are a great signal to Orion's neighbors.

As you move along the beltline to the right, you'll encounter Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. As you walk, turn left and follow the line until you find Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky.

Now return to Orion's Belt and follow the line down and to the left. You'll see a V-shaped cluster of stars, including the bright red Aldebaran. This is the Hyades star cluster, which forms the head of Taurus (the rogues are the front-line attackers). Further on, you'll reach the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters), a beautiful group of stars easily visible to the naked eye.

Return to Orion. This time, draw a line from Rigel (the bright star in the upper left of Orion's square body) through Betelgeuse (the bright red star in the lower right of the box) and continue. towards the horizon. That brings you to Gemini, Gemini. Using Orion as a guide, you can find your way to many constellations (the blue line represents Lepus, the rabbit, and the white line represents Canis Minor, the small hunting dog).

Star hopping allows you to slowly but surely learn your way through the night sky until the constellations become your familiar friends. virtual control

It's nice to look at the sky with the naked eye, but it's good to zoom in and see it in detail.

What if you don't have binoculars or a personal telescope? Fortunately, software like Stellarium can provide a fantastic virtual surveillance experience.

Imagine trying to see Saturn's rings. You can see amazing sights even through a small telescope. Stellarium makes it easy. Use the search bar to find Saturn and click on it to display information about the planet. To \"lock\" click on the cross and then enlarge it. The more you zoom in, the more you can see.

We can also turn the clock forward or backward to see from our perspective how the planet's moons move in their orbits and how the tilt of Saturn's rings changes over time.

A virtual tracking session is very simple. Hover and zoom in until you find what you want to see. the best-shared hobbies

Virtual tracking sessions are great, but they are short compared to the real ones. I recommend using a planetarium app like Stellarium to figure out what you want to see, then go out and see it in person. Astronomy is a great hobby that is best shared. Many towns and cities have astronomy clubs, which usually welcome guests who want to look up at the night sky.

I joined the West Yorkshire Astronomical Society in England, the local astronomical society where I lived. At that time I was only 8 years old. I owe them a lot.

The members have been incredibly supportive of a boy with many questions and I don't think I would be where I am without their help. As a member, I have seen firsthand how fantastic the amateur astronomy community is. Club members and astronomers from local universities gave astronomy lectures at weekly conferences.

We also hosted a nighttime viewing party using the community's own telescope, a giant telescope built by our members. People passionate about their hobby want nothing more than to share it with others. Members of the Astronomical Society are fantastic guides to the night sky and often have great equipment that they are happy to share with you.

Astronomy clubs and universities often offer open night parties, which are a great opportunity to observe the sky with a telescope and find the most impressive sights to share with an experienced guide.

So if you want to learn more about the night sky, contact your local astronomical society. This could be the start of something special.