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Star gazing is a wonderful way to pass the time and to start it can be done almost at no cost but what do you need to begin this? Hopefully this article will be able to help. The thought of a free interest appeals to many but that doesn’t really help when they really need to know just what they require to ‘get into it’.

Initially you will need to obtain a star chart from a book or try the internet although some people just use a book that contains images of the astrological zodiac. Try to find a simple one to begin with as some can be very complex and may contain too much information when you are just starting. These are readily available from planetarium or any observatory and you need to get hold of the cheapest one if possible, as the only need you have of it is to locate the brightest star and the rest can be done by yourself.

A tip is to never buy your kid a cheap telescope or let parents buy you a cheap telescope because it is far too difficult for a beginner to actually find a star looking through a cheap scope. If you manage to find a star to observe, the turning Earth will take it out of sight so quickly that you will have to start looking for it from scratch. This can disappoint you so much that you would land up spending the night with your telescope and ultimately put away the telescope back where it came from.

My second tip is a far cheaper option but one that will bring many nights of star gazing and all you need to do here is lend, borrow or buy a normal 10×50 set of binoculars. This could your viewing the complete constellation including star groups, the moon and other planets as well a reality. You will need information with your star gazing so why not go along to your local library and take out a few books on the subject to get you going - preferably ones for novices. M

any of them have star charts in and it doesn’t matter how old the book, the chart will always be correct. Try to find Orion or the Southern Cross or Scorpio so that you get an idea of how they look on paper and then go outside and see if you can find them in the sky. The Southern Cross lies in the south and Orion you’ll find pretty much moving from East to West over your head as the night progresses. Sometimes it will not be possible to see it especially when it is only visible very late at night or early morning hours.

Do you need to read a lot I hear you ask? Not really, but the moment you start to explore the stars, you will want to know more about them, where they come from and probably where they are going. Strangely, some of the best books to study with in the beginning are those written especially for children as they do not overcomplicate the subject. So in reality all you need to start start gazing is a star chart in the early days which should present you with enough to peak your interest. Do not buy a decent telescope until you are sure about your interest but once you do it will open up a whole new world for you.

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