As a young teenager, living in the city did not hamper my enthusiasm for peering into the night sky. I was always amazed with its seemingly infinite, star studded grandeur. I was able to purchase a small telescope to do some stargazing from our back porch to view some of the most prominent constellations on a few clear cold winter nights.
Some of us astronomy enthusiasts probably just dream about visiting the colossal 200 inch Mt. Palomar Observatory in California, while others are able to purchase for themselves, a reasonable sized backyard stargazing instrument. Today, you can buy a basic, but functional one for less than $ 200.. For this price, you will obviously not get an automated star tracking geared motor drive like the Palomar monster, but it will employ some simple coordinate tracking that will get you somewhere in the ballpark of the celestial object you might be interested in. Whatever amount you decide to invest in your first celestial escapade, it will be well worth it and you will surely get back your full investment from the endless pleasure you will derive from its relaxing therapeutic effects. You can also join a local meteor shower observation group. This is a very useful activity needed by astrophysicists and only requires visual counting of the observed meteor and noting which constellations they emanate from in the sky on certain days of the year and sending in the data, by letter or over the internet. This information is used by scientific research institutes for determining possible comet orbit sources of the past.
There is much literature available on stargazing for those who have more than a passing interest on the subject. Most local libraries are well supplied with hard cover books that would certainly fill the pallet of the least dedicated stargazing enthusiast. With the internet, you can search virtually every aspect of the science of astronomy. You can purchase a "Star Wheel", also called a Planisphere. This wheel will show you the sky overhead for your particular geographical location. With this particular star chart, you will be able to track your favorite constellations along with their positions at different times of the year showing the brightest stars of each constellation. A star wheel constellation locator can be ordered in kit form for about $ 25.00 from: http://www.scsastro.co.uk/it150008.htm. This company also carries many stargazing accessories at descent prices.
Of course, there are different levels to this fun and exciting hobby. You can tackle the building of your own telescope. A more than modest undertaking in constructing your own personal telescope would be to go with a 6-inch diameter reflector mirror type. A refractor, or front mounted dual convex lens telescope would be beyond even some professional stargazers. The reflector type is by far the least expensive of the two, especially if you decide to construct one from scratch. The blank pieces of glass, usually made of pyrex are usually supplied in kit form along with instructions on how to grind and polish the master for final silvering. You can also purchase a finished mirror kit and cut your own metal or plastic tube, drill your own side hole for your eyepiece for mounting the rack and pinion focusing. Still a lot of work. Probably the best initial approach as mentioned in the beginning is to purchase a completely assembled scope, preferably a 6 inch size reflector type, to start. You can visit: http://tfn.net/~blombard/ for much information and "Amateur Telescope Making" guide book sources and supplies.
Even without any optical equipment of your own, the night sky offers a wonderful panorama of ever changing activities, especially if you are away from the city lights counting shooting stars, to the occasional faint observance of a returning comet, which usually remains in the night sky for many nights. A Star Atlas is is a perfect study guide that can be used as a celestial textbook that can be studied on evenings that may be clouded over. This way you can find out where the constellation is located so that you can more quickly locate it on a clear night.
