Hi, I’m Marley, the astronomer here at the Space Centre. The nights have been getting longer, which means more time to observe the night sky. For this blog, I want to go through some helpful information on observing the night sky, which answered questions that I had when I first started observing and will answer what others have asked me. 

General Tips

The first thing I tell people is to move away from the city lights. Light pollution hides all but the brightest objects in the nighttime sky. When living in Vancouver, getting away from the light usually means getting away from the city. Get as high up as you can, for an added bonus. The higher you go, the less light pollution, but also the less air between you and the night sky. This makes for better seeing. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Vancouver Centre has a whole list of observing sites, and the Canadian Space Agency recommends Garibaldi Provincial Park. 

The ultimate tip I have is: to check the weather forecast! When I first started observing in Calgary, I was often wondering about how much I was going to have to bundle up in -30°C. In Vancouver, you’ll want to be sure that your nighttime plans don’t get rained out. 

What do I need?

A night of stargazing can be whatever you want to make of it, but there are a few things I always bring with me.

Binoculars

Often, what I want to observe is the Moon and its cratered surface. This I can do with just my binoculars. When Comet NEOWISE was visible back in the summer of 2020, I was able to get a pretty good view of it through my binoculars as well. They are much easier to bring with me than a telescope, which means easier access to viewing areas!

Star maps/cell phone app

If there is a smaller object in the sky that I want to observe, like a star or a planet, I use an app on my cell phone. My favourite is SkyView, and I also use ISS Detector. Both are free, and SkyView has a paid version if you want to see more stars and constellations with advanced features. These types of apps are also helpful if you spot something in the sky and don’t know what it is. Star charts – what these apps essentially are – are helpful for identifying constellations. This is useful especially if you are a beginner observing in dark sky conditions, or if you’re like me, unable to recognize patterns. With these apps, you will suddenly be able to see and identify more stars in the sky!

Red flashlight

This is an item that tends to be overlooked. It takes about half an hour for your eyes to adapt to dark conditions. Bright, white light will ruin your night vision, and you’ll have to start adapting again after turning on your flashlight or looking at your phone screen. Red light does not affect your night vision as much, due to a chemical that is produced on our eyes called rhodopsin 

Our eyes have two cells: rods and cones. Cones are mainly used for colour vision, and rods are used for seeing black and white in low light conditions. At night, our rod cells are more active, but they don’t turn on by themselves. Rhodopsin is the chemical that allows the rods to absorb light. When light hits rhodopsin, it breaks apart into two molecules, and then slowly recombines back into rhodopsin. It takes about thirty minutes for rhodopsin to recombine, which is thirty minutes you could be spending on observing. 

Rhodopsin is not as sensitive to red light. The chemical will still break apart, but much slower than if it was a white light, and you still want the light to be quite dim. Luckily, it is pretty easy to make a red flashlight. You can cover the lens with red cellophane, or paint it with red nail polish. As for your phone screen, you can usually turn on a red colour filter on most smartphones.

Even though I don’t usually bring my telescope with me when I have to go elsewhere to stargaze, I have used it when I wanted to look at Jupiter and Saturn during their great conjunction at the end of 2020. When I bring out my telescope, I use it to get a good view of the planets, or if I want to look at globular clusters, nebulae, or galaxies. 

Excited? Check out some of the resources below, and get ready to take advantage of any observing opportunities!