May Meeting – 5/7/2025
Quick-Start Guide to Observing the Night Sky
Rod Brown
Ready to get out and view the night sky, but don’t know how to prepare, what to bring, or how to use a telescope? You will not want to miss our May meeting! Our presentation will tell you the basics you need to know to start visually observing (with your eyes, not a camera). We will give you the answers to questions like:
What telescope and other stuff should I bring?
Where should I go to look at the sky?
How do I know if the conditions will be good to see anything?
How can I find celestial objects?
What can I expect to see?
Do I really need to use a red flashlight?
How can I get better at observing?
This presentation will be the first of a series of the basics of observing. Future presentations will discuss topics like:
What celestial coordinates mean
Constellations and seasons
Types of telescopes, mounts, and eyepieces and what to buy
Planets, moons, comets, and other solar system objects
Stars, galaxies, nebulae, and other deep sky objects
As the weather gets better, we will also have hands-on sessions for you to practice these lessons in the field under the night sky.
All beginners, whether club members or not, are encouraged to attend. More advanced observers are also requested to come to contribute their experiences and how they gained their skills.
** Note **
For the “Summer Season” (July and August) the NC Astronomers will be meeting on-line via Zoom. Club members will receive the keys to the Zoom conference in their email via Groups.io.
NC Astronomers Meets on the 1st Wednesday each month at 7pm in the
Madelyn Helling Library Community Room
980 Helling Way
Nevada City, CA 95959
(September – May)
** NC Astronomers “YouTube” channel **
Many of the presentations are recorded and posted to the club’s YouTube channel. Please see https://www.youtube.com/@ncastronomers9981/videos