Tips & Guides
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01
How to Photograph a Meteor Shower
Taking photographs of a meteor shower can be an exercise in patience as meteors streak across the sky quickly and unannounced, but with these tips – and some good fortune – you might be rewarded with a great photo.
The Perseids Meteor Shower. -
02
Binoculars: A Great First Telescope
A first telescope should be easy to use and provide good quality views while being affordable. As it turns out, those requirements make the first telescope of choice for many stargazers something unexpected: a good pair of binoculars!
Observing the Moon with binoculars in Texas, USA. -
03
How to Find Good Places to Stargaze
If you're hoping to do some skywatching, but you're not quite sure how to find a great spot, we have you covered. Here are some key things to know about how to find the best places for stargazing.
The constellation Orion.
Latest Content
Stay up-to-date with the latest skywatching tips and facts from NASA.
Teaching the beautiful and inspirational science of astronomy using only the conceptual framework offered by a traditional textbook – without incorporating the wealth of incredible resources, images and activities from NASA – falls short of the more modern, active learning…
The annual Perseid meteor shower is scheduled to peak this August 11-12. Cross your fingers for good weather, find a nice dark spot to bring a blanket or lounge chair, and get ready to relax and spot some meteors.
A solar eclipse, the Perseids, bright Venus after sunset, and a deep partial lunar eclipse highlight August’s skywatching. Skywatching Highlights Transcript A solar eclipse, one of the year’s best meteor showers, Venus at its brightest in the evening sky, and…
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and look up during July evenings, you’ll see the brilliant star Vega shining overhead. Did you know that Vega is one of the most studied stars in our skies? As one of the brightest summer…
Editor’s note: An update to this story was made on July 30, 2026, to share information about NASA’s live eclipse broadcast. Each time the Moon covers the Sun during a total solar eclipse — darkening daytime skies and briefly revealing…
