Night Sky Helpers

Some of the information I am going to discuss here, are things that can help anyone explore the night sky, whether or not they have a telescope. For instance, you might be surprised what can be seen with a common set of decent binoculars, in a non urban area, where the :Light Pollution” of the larger cities is not present, so stars can be seen shining brighter than in the city.
Now, here is another “tip” or two about buying optical devices in general, but it is especially with binoculars. And that is, when possible, NEVER, but any optical device that is sealed up in a “blister package”. It helps greatly to be able to get a live look through a set of binoculars, before purchasing them. Because every optical device, even of the same manufacturer, and model, is different in the way the lenses were ground, and in the small nuances that make the difference between viewing a good crisp image, and just a “so so” or an OK image.
Most sporting goods stores will at least have their various models available on display to look through various sets of them. So that way you can at least make an intelligent determination about which model suits your purpose and vision the best. And if the set you chose happen to be in a blister package, if you buy locally and they aren't satisfactory, at least you have the option to bring them back, and swap them put for a better pair.
And there are other also other things to look for when purchasing a decent set of binoculars. But I don't have the time to go into those things here.
Next, a good “Sky Exploration” app is a very handy thing to have on your phone or on a larger “pad” type of a device. There are a myriad of free apps out there, but I recommend “Sky Safari”. It and many other's can be had for free at your “Google Play Store”. But I encourage people to check out some of the other versions besides Ski Safari. Most of them will mimic the night and day sky in your location. And some of them will even change the area of the sky you are viewing, as you turn your device towards different directions and areas of the sky, as you are kind of looking over your device at an area of the sky. (Clever, huh? :) )
And, you can usually either view the sky in real time, or you can speed up the “play speed”, to show what the night sky in your location will look like in an hour, or in a few hours from now.
They also usually allow for the adjusting the star's brightness level's, to match your local skies viewing conditions. Also, you can generally show the constellations - or not. You can label the planets, or the stars – or not. For the more fanciful among us, there is the option of showing the classical constellation characters, as in “Orion” “The Mighty Hunter”, or “Ursa Major” “The Great Bear” (The Big Dipper), or to see the “Gemini Twins”, of the Gemini constellation, etc.
And most of these sky exploration type programs have a very handy feature, for any level of astronomers, which is, “The best of Tonight”. And that features the celestial objects that will be in best view on any given night. Some of them even show exactly when and where various satellites will appear overhead. And it can be a lot of fun to try to find them, as they suddenly appear, sometimes as a very rapidly moving, brighter streak, zooming by in the sky overhead!
So, a good sky exploration app is indeed a handy feature to have. And those are also a great source of studying and reading about astronomy, in your “spare time”, perhaps, instead of just watching TV.
Also, a great thing to have is a good old fashioned compass. You can opt for a “real compass”, or there are many “virtual compasses available in the form of an app for your phone or for any other device of you choice.
An on the subject of getting a compass, it is also very helpful to learn the your, “N, S, E, W”, or your North South , East, and West” directions, in your backyard, or wherever else you are observing the night sky from. Knowing those basic directions will clue you in on approximately where the Moon will rise, if it is rising on a given night. And knowing those basic facts will help you to understand that all “Heavenly Bodies” more or less rise in the East, and then they Head West. And that will help to understand the movements of celestial objects in the night sky. It will also help you to predict if, or when a constellation or a planet, etc, might appear from behind a tree, or from behind a roof line, that is temporarily blocking your view of an object at present.
And then there are your “Humble” Lounge type, Lawn Chairs. Those are wonderful things to utilize, for just laying in, there, with your sky exploration device handy, and maybe with a set of binoculars, to leisurely peruse the Heavens on a crisp, cool, clear night! Because those lounge type lawn chars can usually be reclined down to almost flat. Or they can be adjusted to a more upright position, for the optimal viewing of any given area of the sky.
I recommend having two or three pillows handy as well, for assisting in your comfort, so you aren't straining your neck. And pillows are very handy things for putting under your elbows, to give your arms a good rest and a support, for helping to steady a set of binoculars with.
And with that, my last point is, a good rule of thumb is, for any kind of a spotting scope or a pair of binoculars, at or past the10 power range or “10 x's” range or so, you will likely need a tripod, or some other kind of assistance, to help keep the “shake factor” under control. Some binoculars have a place for mounting them on a tripod, and some of them do not.
But for any quality viewing, regardless the power rating of your instrument, it helps a whole lot to have some kind of a way to help to steady it, other than just trying to do it “free handed”.
So, I hope these ideas may help someone get started exploring the night sky.
And Happy Star Gazing!