What preparations do you need to make for the room to go out?

1. Take the map and flashlight with you, so that you can check the map in the book in the dark. Colour the glass on the flashlight red to prevent the light from affecting your eyes.

2. Choose a place where there are no trees, houses and street lamps blocking the line of sight. In the city, the roof of the building is a good observation place. But it must be safe and surrounded by walls or fences.

3. Use the "Star Map Usage Schedule" on the website to choose a suitable time. This timetable can tell you which star map to use and when to use it. This is very important. Otherwise, you have to spend a lot of time looking for constellations. However, when you observe the constellations several times and have some understanding of what the constellations in the real sky look like, you don't need to check the timetable every time.

4. Observe on a clear night in May. Because the bright moonlight will make the stars invisible to you-except the brightest stars. I can't recognize many constellations on a bright moonlit night. On a particularly clear moonless night, you can see many very dark stars, which are not on our map because they are not needed when looking for constellations. On the other hand, you can't expect to find all the stars on the map at once. Some stars may be hidden by clouds, while others are close to the horizon and blocked by smoke.

When going out, you should first look for the Big Dipper and the North Star, so as to determine the direction. You can face north or south. This is how our map is designed. Remember, whenever, you must first find the brightest star and compare it with the star map to see which stars it is. At first, don't rush to find many constellations in one night. It's good to recognize four or five new constellations every night.

6. When looking up at the starry sky, you should sit down or lie down to avoid spraining your neck. If you want to see meteors, you should also lie down (the best time to see meteors is August). Don't forget to bring a blanket, because the grass is often wet with dew in summer nights.

7. Finally, please observe the planets. Any bright star you see in the sky is probably a planet if it is not on the map. It may be one of Venus, Mars, Jupiter or Saturn. It may be mercury, but mercury is hard to see, so leave it alone.