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Guide to the Stars: Northern Hemisphere, Latitudes 30' to 60' North

Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

Collins Star Finder Pack

Binocular Highlights: 96 Celestial Sights for Binocular Users

Stikky Night Skies: Learn 6 Constellations, 4 Stars, a Planet, a Galaxy, and how to Navigate at Night--in One Hour, Guaranteed

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Southern-Hemisphere Stargazing

Stargazing Resources

There is a large amount of literature on stargazing and astronomy, available in most bookstores and libraries. If you want improve your stargazing skills, it’s a good idea to subscribe to a magazine such as Sky & Telescope or Astronomy, which contain star charts, planet-finding charts, astrophotographs, and observation tips.

Amateur Astronomy Clubs

Joining a local astronomy club is a great way to learn from experienced stargazers, try out new equipment, and get discounts on magazines and books. Most clubs hold regular observing sessions on weekends near the New Moon. To find a club in your area, see Sky & Telescope’s “Clubs & Organizations” page.

Astronomy Software

Software packages make it easy to plan your stargazing efforts by looking up Moon phases, planet movements, and positions of stars and other objects, for any point in time—past, present, or future. Some software packages even allow you to control your telescope and an attached camera. Popular programs include:

Starry Night® (by Imaginova): A planetarium program with different versions for amateurs of different levels
RedShift™ (by Maris Technologies): A planetarium program with telescope control
SkyMap Pro (by SkyMap Software): A planetarium program and comprehensive collection of star charts
MaxIm DL™ (by Diffraction Limited): A camera control and astronomical imaging program

Online Resources

These websites will help you figure out when and where you can find a variety of objects and events in the night sky:

International Occultation Timing Association: The best site for information about upcoming occultations. See www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm.
Heavens Above: Info on locating manmade satellites and spacecraft. See www.heavens-above.com.
Clear Sky Clock: A tool to predict how clear the sky will be in your location during the course of a night. See www.cleardarksky.com/csk.
JPL Horizons System: A tool for generating ephemerides of planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets. See ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance: A weekly description of Moon phases, visible planets, and transient objects, issued by Sky & Telescope magazine. See www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance.
Clubs & Organizations: A database provided by Sky & Telescope magazine to help you search for amateur astronomy clubs, museums, planetariums, observatories, and other organizations in regions across the world. See www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizations.
Telescopes 101: This guide to telescopes provides good information for when you’re trying to decide which telescope and accessories to buy. See www.telescopes.com/info/help.cfm.
Messier Catalog: A guide to locating nebulae, clusters, and galaxies. See seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier.
Aurora Forecast: A site, run by the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute, that provides daily predictions of the solar wind and advice on when to catch good displays of the northern lights. See www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast.
NASA’s Eclipse Home Page: Information about the times and best viewing locations of future (and past) eclipses, as well as information about how to view them safely. See sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html.