TIPS + TRICKS STARGAZING

Fancy yourself as the next Brian Cox, but haven't got beyond pointing at random bits of the night sky? Stuff team can help you unleash your inner astronomer...

- 

THE BASICS

Get educated

Armed with the right app, there's no excuse for not knowing just what you're gawping at in the sky. All the options mentioned here allow you to prod an object on the screen and then bring up a bunch of information about it. And if you fancy digging into the history of space travel, also grab the free NASA app (on Android and iOS).

Prepare yourself

Many apps will outline upcoming celestial events. Star Walk 2 (see panel) has Astronomy Calendar and Visible Tonight options, while SkySafari (see panel again) has a superb Tonight tab. For photographers, PhotoPills (on Android and iOS) and Sun Surveyor (on Android and iOS) are ideal for planning.

Set alerts