Stargazing Guide

This may seem obvious, but choose a park or location free of any bright street lights, as any light pollution will make it harder to see stars. If you’re going to do it in your own back garden, make sure to turn off the lights in your house!

You'll have the best visibility when the moon is in a crescent or gibbous phase, because this is when the moon casts the least amount of light. The optimum times to go are before and soon after each new moon.

While stars and planets can be seen with the naked eye, to get the best views, try a pair of binoculars to experience the skies close-up!

While there are some great apps out there, we're a fan of good old-fashioned star chart to show you where to find the bright stars and main constellations at a particular time and place.

If a bright light in the sky sparkles, it’s a star. If it doesn't and appears stationary, it’s a planet. In this image there's a star on the left and planet Mars on the right.