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Hi,

Welcome to GoOutLookUp.net!

This website aims to help new astronomers ("observers", actually) enjoy the night sky. We talk sky, skills, and equipment Sky, Skills, and Equipment.

I'm Jeff; each letter in this site has been typed by me - no AI. And, clearly, insufficient spelling and grammar checks.

I have a YouTube channel where I share similar info by yapping and gesturing rather than typing: YouTube Channel: Go Out Look Up

The Big News:

The Great 2024 Total Eclipse

Quick Reference Shortcuts:

I want to Learn about the Sky
I want to learn about how to be "an Observer"
- I have a new scope at home. Now what? click here: New Scope at Home
- What about the sun? Solar Observing!
I want to Learn about Equipment

Latest:

"Garbage" Scopes - Any value at all?

New: When to "Go Dark" (planning when to "head to the dark skies")

New: a collection of SpaceX Vandenberg launch videos I took: Rocket Launches

Lunar and Planetary Viewing: easy beginner targets, anywhere

The Four Awesome Solar System Objects - and Mars

Always

Just like most of the stars and most of the "Deep Sky Objects" (DSOs, aka, "Faint Fuzzies"), the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn are (almost) always visible on any given night. Unlike "Faint Fuzzies", the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible anywhere on the globe - including bright city skies. Faint Fuzzies are typically washed out in bright city skies (and around a bright moon). The only real variable in observing the moon and bright planets is: are they visible in the evening sky or the morning sky? If you're willing to get up or stay up, almost the entire sky is visible on any given night.*

(*full technical disclosure: in the northern hemisphere the southern horizon limits how much of the Southern Sky you can see, you can see the full Northern Sky. In the Southern hemisphere you are limited by your northern horizon. Other than this "Latitude Limitation" only a narrow longitudinal band of sky (north to south) the sun straddles will be not visible (the sun washes out the sky after sunrise and before sunset),. he nearly the entire sky is "up" over the course of every night).

The Moon is so bright that it washes out a lot of the "Faint Fuzzies" even in a dark sky. Consider how the Sun washes out the stars (they're all still there, just not visible in the Sun's glare). But Jupiter and Saturn are bright enough where the moonlight doesn't bother them.

Here are your planetary targets to scale in a single shot summary:

Size Scale - nearest to and farthest from Earth

The Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, are always good targets, they're big and bright.

Mars is iffy. It's so small that we can only see it well when we're close to it - a couple months before after Opposition every 26 months.

Now

Saturn and Jupiter are really good targets right now.

Now is a good time to look at Saturn

Hurry, the "rings are disappearing"!!!!

Here's the info: Saturn - Life's most Certain Thrill

Saturn's Rings' Tilt over its Orbit — Saturn's Rings' Tilt (over its 29-year Orbit)

Jupiter is always excellent to view, but now we're really close to it (bigger, brighter, more detailed!)

Jupiter rotates in 10 hours, the Great Red Spot will be visible in any 5 hour interval!

Jupiter and Io over two hour lapse - by San Diegan Mark Collins — Jupiter, Moon Io and its shadow over a two hour timelapse - by San Diegan Mark Collins

Jupiter - always awesome!

Eyepieces? Why are some so expensive ($700 and up)? Why? Which should I buy?

Answers (in text and video) are here: Eyepieces

Past "Headlines"

The Eclipse of October 14

Info about the: Annular Eclipse October 14, 2023

San Diego: begins 8:09am PDT, maxes 9:26am, ends 10:52am
Orlando: begins 11:52am EDT, maxes 1:26pm, ends 3:02pm

Get your eye protection: Looking at the Sun - Precautions
The Eclipse Experience - Partial vs Total
- While this is an annular/partial eclipse, it's a good warmup for the Great Total Eclipse of April 2024!
  - What's it's like experiencing a total eclipse? Here's the 2017 Total Eclipse in 360 degrees
The Joys of Solar Observing! Note that while eclipses are rare, observing the sun - safely - can be an everyday activity. The sun actually has visible "weather" that changes from day to day.

Mars 2022

Mars Opposition is a year past. Mars is tiny now. Here's what to expect near it's next Opposition is January 2025.

Mars at Opposition is Huge — Mars at Opposition (right) is Huge

Read about it here: Mars Opposition 2022

New: Lunar Eclipse - May 15, 2022

New: BSA Scouting Astronomy Merit Badge info.

Old: Observing List - 2021(09) September

Use the Search. It should work pretty well.

All new my astronomy videos will be on this YouTube Channel: Go Out Look Up.

Thanks and Enjoy!

-jeff martin

Go Out, Look Up!