A beginners guide to astronomy, plus some holiday gift ideas for the burgeoning scientist in your life

The winter darkness – we slog through it every year. But thankfully one thing shines bright this time of year, our night sky.

Cold winter air isn’t able to hold much moisture, providing a crisp, bright view of the stars and planets above. When moisture is trapped in the air, it captures and reflects light, creating a hazier view of the sky.

So while your skin might suffer from the dry air, consider it a glow-up for the stars. Now is the time to lather on some extra lotion, immobilize yourself with layer upon layer of insulating clothing, and look up.

Beginner stargazers can especially benefit from the improved visibility. You may be surprised at just how simple it is to begin observing the night sky.

Many astronomy lovers recommend beginners start stargazing with the naked eye.

“Start with identifying things in the sky that are brightest in your typical field of view and work from there,” said Spokane Falls Community College astronomy instructor Michele Moore. “Getting to know your own ‘backyard’ sky can be very helpful as a base reference for your future night sky viewing.”

If you’re shopping for an aspiring astronomer this holiday season, you don’t have to break the bank with an expensive telescope. Don’t underestimate the stargazing power of budget-friendly binoculars.

“Learn the night sky with a good pair of binoculars and a sky simulation program before investing in a telescope,” SFCC astronomy instructor John Whitmer said. “A good telescope is a complex piece of equipment.”

“A good pair of 10x50 binoculars will show you an amazing array of objects you cannot see with the naked eye,” Whitmer added. The 10 indicates 10 times magnification. The second number, 50, tells you the size of the objective lens in millimeters, which determines how much light can enter the binoculars. 10x50 binoculars perform well in low light settings.

Another great tool for night sky viewing is a simple camera. Spokane resident Erik Botchek has been a long-time hobbyist astrophotographer, and it all started with experimenting with basic camera settings.

“I got into astronomy altogether in Boy Scouts,” Botchek said. “I started using the camera more often after I graduated high school … I would see these really cool pictures of the Milky Way or something like that and I just always wanted to try it.

“So I just started messing around with the camera and changing the settings, and trial and error, and I finally got to the point where I was able to start making my pictures work.”

Astrophotography allows you to capture snapshots of the night sky that you can then take indoors for further analysis. A basic 35mm or 50mm lens will photograph a swath of the sky, giving you more visual context than a telescope for identifying stars, planets and constellations.

“Any type of DSLR, mostly because it gives you the option to use that manual mode,” Botchek recommended.

He also recommends a basic tripod to stabilize the camera the entire time the lens is open to capture light from the night sky. Astrophotography requires a longer exposure than a photo taken in daylight.

Beginner astronomers will also find a wealth of programs and apps to help them get acquainted with their local sky.

“I like the Starry Night program,” Moore said. “This software can be downloaded onto personal computers, allowing you to set your home viewing location to display the night sky as it looks when you step outside. We use this in the SFCC Planetarium.”

Spokane County Library District staff member Jane Baker said her favorite app is StarWalk 2.

“This app is like having a planetarium in the palm of your hand,” Baker said. “It will even draw out the constellations as you scan across the sky.”

Baker has had a lifelong passion for looking up at the night sky, stemming from childhood summers spent at camp on Lake Coeur d’Alene. One of her favorite aspects of astronomy are the age-old stories told about the stars and planets.

“I favor the Native American stories of the sky as they are beautiful stories, but also helpful in remembering positions of the constellations in the sky easier than memorizing scientific terms,” Baker said.

Stories are great for inspiring young children to look up at the night sky. Two of her favorite children’s books are “Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back” and “How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend.”

Whichever tools you have for stargazing, the first step is always just to start looking. One bright object in the sky to point your gaze toward this month is the planet Jupiter.

“Jupiter is high in the southern sky around 8 p.m., which is a good time to observe its four largest moons,” Whitmer said.

If you’re a morning person, try spotting Venus instead.

“Venus is currently rising several hours before sunrise and can be seen just before sunrise as a very bright object in the southeast sky,” Whitmer said.

Becoming an amateur astronomer is as simple as looking up and wondering. Don’t let the cold stop you this winter from taking a moment to admire some of the most brilliant skies of the year.