Astronomy for Beginners: Getting Started in Your Backyard

In the most straightforward words, astronomy is the study of everything we see in the sky; the stars, the moon, the sun, galaxies, and other things like that, but there is much more to it. Every time we look up at the night sky thousands of questions pop up; what are these stars? What do other planets feel like? What is space filled with?

To answer these questions, scientists came up with the study of astronomy. This article will help you learn about the night sky and everything related to astronomy. For instance, constellations, new Hubble or space missions, comets, new planets, cosmos information, etc, it is basically to help you start your astronomy journey from your backyard with your interest and passion. For people interested in learning about comets and space missions, this is just the space for you to begin.

Backyard Telescope Setup - David Clark Swalm

How To Get Started In Your Backyard

The best thing about being interested in astronomy is that you can start learning about it from the comfort of your garden. There is no need to buy expensive equipment and courses. Some basic astronomy books and courses are available online.

The first step to begin your astronomy research is to start stargazing. You can start this from your backyard or your roof and notice the phases of the moon, shapes of stars, etc, with your naked eye. The more time you spend stargazing at the night sky, you will observe something new and fun facts every night.

What Are The Basics Of Astronomy?

Before digging into the darkness of the night sky and stargazing, here are some basic terminologies that you should know about. These are some words that will often come across while learning and observing.

The Night Sky + Constellations

In the early years, people used to look up at the night sky and imagine the star patterns as sculptures of their heroes. In today's upgraded world we call these star patterns constellations. With the help of the latest technology and telescopes, astronomers observe that these light marks shining in the distant night sky are actually groups of stars.

Constellations are drawn with an imaginary boundary or an outline. From earth, these stars seem to be of a definite shape which might look like a different shape from another planet. As a matter of fact, the night sky changes with the seasons. The winter sky shows a Taurus constellation whereas the spring sky shows Leo. Other famous constellations are:

Big dipper
Little Dipper
Lion
Gemini
Pegasus

Planets

Planets are large astronomical bodies that can not be classified as stars or as remnants. They all orbit the sun just like the earth however no one is sure of what is actually going on on these planets. There are eight planets in the solar system which we can see from earth with a telescope:

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are visible during the months of October.

Solar Systems

The solar system is the space where plants including the earth orbit around the sun forced by the pull of the sun's gravity. This system was built around 4.6 billion years ago. The biggest mass of the solar system is the sun followed by the planets Jupiter and Earth as the smallest planet.

Galaxies

The entire space of the sun, planets, stars, etc is called the galaxy. We are situated in the Milkyway galaxy. Although there are numerous other galaxies billions of light years away from us.

How Do I Start Learning Astronomy?

Start To Learn The Night Sky With An Unaided Eye

This is called stargazing. All you need for this is the night sky, a lawn chair, and some basic knowledge of stars. Spend a few hours noticing the moon's shape, star patterns, etc in the night sky. These are easily visible to the naked eye and can tell a lot about astronomy.

Get A Celestial Guide

The best and easiest way to start learning about astronomy is by collecting relevant reading material. Many good celestial guides for beginners are available on the internet for free along with videos of relevant information.

Learn All About The Planets

If you are interested in learning about the sky and solar system, knowing what is happening on planets around us is something that will obviously catch your attention. Hence, follow NASA reviews and stay up-to-date about life on other planets.

Join An Astronomy Club

Being the oldest science to exist: astronomy has many clubs and groups where beginners can start their journey of research. Many of these groups are led by NASA themselves, which can be a great opportunity for young enthusiasts.

How Can I Study The Night Sky?

Studying the night sky is an interesting step in astronomy. The moon and stars have more to tell us than we can ever imagine. To study the night sky, you can start with your naked eye and stargazing and slowly upgrade to binoculars and telescopes. You should be looking for famous constellations and star clusters.

Astronomy is a great science to study and involves many interesting and adventurous opportunities. It tells us a lot about the earth and life outside the earth. Get more info from our astronomy blog.