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Hey, Stargazers! Whether you're 
brand new to stargazing or an 
amateur astronomer, we all

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look up at the night sky and 
admire the stars and planets 
from time to time, but 
sometimes, it

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pays to have a friend in the 
biz, like me. Here are five 
stargazing pro tips to get you 
to the next level.

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First location, location, 
location. Whether you live in 
the countryside or downtown

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in a city, there is always some 
place nearby that can help you 
get the most out of your

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stargazing experience. If you're 
lucky, your own backyard may be 
an ideal spot for star viewing,

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but sometimes you could have 
trees blocking your view or even 
light pollution from nearby 
street

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lights or local businesses. None 
of that is going to help you see 
the stars, so even taking a walk

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to your local park or schoolyard 
can make a huge difference in 
what you can actually see in 
the sky.

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The best option is to venture 
out into the countryside a bit 
and escape the light pollution.

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Depending on what you're trying 
to see you might have to hit the 
skies at a different time of

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night or even a different time 
of year. Have a plan before you 
go outside and things will go

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more smoothly. Trust me. That 
said, autumn, winter and spring 
are what many astronomers refer 
to as the

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observing season. These are the 
months where the nights are the 
longest and when you're more 
likely

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to have clear skies. Also, when 
there is a full moon, it can 
disrupt your view. It's pretty 
but it's not

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the best for stargazing because 
it's so bright and it can wash 
out everything around it.

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Generally, the best time to 
stargaze is when the moon is in 
the gibbous, crescent or new 
phase.

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Remember, humans are not the 
only thing that can cause light 
pollution.

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You may be thinking, "Trace, how 
can I truly dive into the 
wonders of stargazing without 
owning a telescope?"

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No need to worry, man. I don't 
even have a telescope and I host 
an astronomy show. You 
can actually learn a lot about

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the night sky without any fancy 
high-tech tools. In fact, many 
astronomers recommend beginners 
just observe the night sky

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with their own eyeballs. You can 
orient yourself in the night sky 
by locating some anchor objects

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such as the Big Dipper or the 
North Star and go from there. 
Then if you want to start 
looking a

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bit closer, binoculars are 
a good place to start.

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Whenever you're stargazing, let 
your eyes get adjusted. 
Astronomers refer to this 
process as dark adaptation.

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Just like walking into a dark 
room, you should give yourself a 
couple of minutes to let the 
cells in your eyes adapt to the

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darkness. This is a physical 
process so it can take like 10, 
20 minutes. It also means 
avoiding your phone

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since the phone's light can take 
away from your night vision. If 
at any point you need a light to

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see something, use a red 
flashlight. Red light helps your 
eyes maintain their night vision 
so you get

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the best view possible when 
you're looking up at the sky.

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If you're really excited to 
see the night sky, there is no 
one who knows the area you live 
in better than

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your local astronomy club or 
organization. You can also go to 
a planetarium, an observatory, a 
museum, even a library is a

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good place to start and you can 
find out more info from those 
people. And they may even have 
tools you

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can borrow. Not to mention, 
you'll meet people who share a 
similar passion of stargazing.

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Astronomy is fun, but it can be 
even more fun when you do it 
with other people. Those were 
our top five tips to

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better your stargazing 
experience. If you have more 
tips or suggestions, comment 
below and let us know

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your favorite way to study the 
night sky. We'll see you next 
time and remember keep looking 
up!