LOST IN THE NIGHT SKY : STARGAZING

There are millions of tiny sparkling lights in the sky. Notice them once in a while and spent some time with the sky. You will surely get addicted to it. One of the best aspects of stargazing is its sheer simplicity. Just keep your eyes on the sky, and eventually, you will know what is up there. In city life, you forget to enjoy the beauty of nature due to light pollution. Stargazing is something that you are always going to enjoy. Join us at Revillage to experience a fantastic and magical experience far away from the busy city.

Here are some tips that will help you maximize your enjoyment of stargazing

1. Get away from light pollution:

You have to get away from the light pollution where your view won’t be obstructed to enjoy stargazing. At Revillage, you can watch a peaceful sky without the obstruction of buildings, clouds, or light. The streetlights will knock out your dark adaption. The LED streetlights are bad for stargazing. Watching a clear sky with stars is a heavenly feeling. With enough experience, you will know the stars in the sky by heart.

2. Start with your naked eyes:

Now, simply relax and start slow. Lay down and look up so that you won’t have a stiff neck. If you are a beginner, just give your eyes enough time to adapt to the night sky. Giving your eyes time to adapt to the sky is called dark adaption. There are so many high-tech types of equipment to help you watch the skies, but if you are a beginner it's always best to start with unaided eyes. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors saw the sky without any telescope so let’s start the same way. Even astronomers recommend watching the stars with naked eyes once in a while.

3. Start with binoculars and later a telescope.

Just go slow and use a binocular first. Beginners will be tempted to start with a telescope first. Using a telescope in the initial stage would be difficult. It’s tough to use so you might get frustrated with star gazing soon. Binoculars can help you watch the sky more closely. Let your eyes adapt to the details of the sky with a small level of magnification.

At Revillage, we will provide you with the telescope as well as binoculars. You can enjoy the beauty of the night sky without any disturbance. Watch the moon, stars, and planets with it. When your eyes get adapted to the magnified details, you can use the telescope. Check out some constellations. If you fumble through the darkness, use a red flashlight or cover your mobile's flashlight with red paper and use it so that the obstruction of the white flashlight won’t disturb the dark adaption of your eyes.

4. Use a star chart or mobile apps:

A star chart is your best companion during stargazing. But you can also use an app like Google Sky Map, Star Walk, etc. Everyone prefers the app now, but star chart can teach you a bit more. You can download easy-to-use charts and print them. The Internet is great, but if you want the best experience without the disturbance of the mobile's light, then use a star chart. Some apps have a red night mode that will not interfere with your dark adaption.

5. Watch the moon:

Once your eyes are adjusted with the sky, slowly try to differentiate between stars. You will notice subtle differences between two stars depending on their temperature. Watch the moon for some time. You would have seen the moon in between the city lights but watching it without any light pollution is different. Observe the moon regularly, and understand the phase changes. The moon’s orbit around the Earth is regular and predictable so you will understand the pattern within a few days. Just give it some time. Watch the moon and its craters that can be seen as bright patches with binoculars.

6. Differentiate between stars and planets:

If you find a bright star that isn’t sparking, then it’s a planet. If a bright light twinkles, then it’s a star. You can easily differentiate between them after a few days of observation. Planets will be much brighter than stars. You can spot five planets from the Earth that are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Planets reflect the light of the sun, and they are stationary while stars move. Slowly you can study the movement of stars and differentiate between stars and planets. If you are lucky, you will find a shooting star too.

7. When to look at the sky.

The sky is at its best on winter nights. During summer, you will get a blurred view of the sky due to the humidity in the air. While you go for stargazing on clear winter nights, wear enough warm clothes so that we can spend more time with the sky. Also, the best time to watch the sky is when the moon is not there as the moon will have too much-reflected light, and it blurs the twinkling of the stars.

8. Notice the few constellations and make the sky your friend

Start noticing a few patterns and identify the name of the constellations. Use your imagination and watch the stars. Some of the patterns that you find will already have a name so you can watch them and find out their names using the app. Just look up and enjoy the beautiful patterns. Slowly you will start making connections with the sky after a few days. You need to watch it regularly, and eventually, you will know all the elements in the sky by heart.

Stargazing is a magical way to experience the beauty of our natural sky. We hope that, at Revillage, you will have a memorable experience with the types of equipment provided. You can escape from light pollution and relax at Revillage. Make some notes of what you see and watch the sky regularly. Be comfortable and learn as much as you can. Enjoy it with your friends and family. Try stargazing at different times in the year to spot different constellations and patterns.