There is a wealth of resources available to assist you in your quest to learn more about the night sky. A good place to begin is the Dark Sky Discovery Partnership which has a host of stargazing charts and tips to help you get started. Download one of its starcharts and you will have your first guide to spotting constellations in the night sky.
The Sky at Night offers a range of tips, tricks and equipment advice, plus you can download a map of what’s happening to the sky this month.
Stellarium is an excellent piece of software that sits on any platform (PC, tablet, phone) and lets you explore the night sky virtually as well as guiding you to what you can see from your location. Free to download with free and paid versions for android and ios (iPhone).
Download for PC, Android phone or IoS Apple device.
You can even help to update international records on the quality of the night sky while you’re out.
If you’re interested in learning more about astronomy as a subject, try these sites:
To learn more, though, the best way is to join one of your local astronomy clubs. Wessex Astronomical Society holds a series of events at its Dulston Observatory and around the Wessex region.
Fordingbridge Astronomers also hosts stargazing evenings in the local area. Sutton Veny community operates Starquest, a community-run astronomical society which hosts monthly meetings and observing sessions.