Stargazing Basics
Most people who quit astronomy quit in the first month, and almost always because they bought a telescope before they learned the sky.
Guides
Practical guides to looking at the night sky — what is visible without any equipment, what to buy first, and how to find things once you are out there.
Latest articles
What You Can Actually See Without a Telescope
The night sky gives up most of its best objects to the naked eye. Learning those first is what separates people who stay in the hobby from people who own a dusty telescope.
Binoculars First, Telescope Second
A cheap telescope will show you less than a decent pair of binoculars, cost four times as much, and take twenty minutes to set up. Here is what to buy and in what order.
Finding Your Way Around the Sky
The sky rotates, drifts through the seasons, and looks nothing like the charts at first. Star hopping is the skill that turns it into a place you can navigate.