Stargazing

When | What | Equipment | Advocacy

What to View and When

Major celestial bodies and events to view throughout the year and where to view them

It is best to go outside before sunset and get acquainted with the names of the surrounding peaks. Across the caldera is the distant Matterhorn-shaped summit of Mt. Thielsen. This is the general direction of north. Thus, with your back towards the caldera and Mt. Thielsen, you are looking in the general direction of due south. Cloudcap and Mt. Scott are in the East, Garfield Peak is in the South East, and the Watchman is in the West. Llao Rock is in the Northwest. The Wineglass is in the Northeast.

After sunset, the first stars

Once sunset occurs, look for a bright star. If the bright star is in the west, it's most likely the planet Venus, the second from the sun. A view in mounted binoculars or a small telescope will usually reveal that, like the early moon, it is crescent-shaped.

Within a few minutes, as dusk darkens, the next stars to look for are Vega, high in the sky above Garfield Peak and Arcturus in the West. These two bright stars will be followed by Deneb and Altair.

Vega, Deneb and Altair make up the three stars of the summer triangle. They are each in different constellations, however. As the minutes pass, as it gets much darker, the Milky Way can be seen emerging from the South Eastern Horizon through Deneb and between Vega and Altair.

Look up across the caldera, the stars in the handle and bowl of the Big Dipper (the most visible portions of Ursa Majoris) are now visible. The form an arc that points to Arcturus.