How should you plan stargazing around the seasons?

Plan by season, then by night. Each season has a few bright constellations that dominate the evening sky, and starting with them makes the rest easier to find. The list below is for Northern Hemisphere evenings around 9 or 10 p.m.

I build Sky Map, mentioned near the end, so weigh my suggestions with that in mind.

What leads each season

Winter. The brightest season. Orion with its three belt stars, Taurus with red Aldebaran and the Pleiades, Gemini’s twins Castor and Pollux, and Sirius, the brightest star of the night, below and left of Orion. Betelgeuse, Sirius and Procyon form the Winter Triangle.

Spring. Leo climbs in the south, its head shaped like a backwards question mark. The Big Dipper rides high; follow the curve of its handle to orange Arcturus and on to Spica.

Summer. The Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb and Altair sits overhead. From a dark site the Milky Way runs through it, down to Scorpius and red Antares low in the south.

Autumn. Fewer bright stars, more patience. The Great Square of Pegasus leads to Andromeda, and the W of Cassiopeia stands high in the north.

How to plan a night

1. Check the Moon. A bright Moon hides faint stars, so the nights around new Moon suit the Milky Way and clusters.
2. Check the weather and the hour. Clear air after a front often gives the sharpest sky.
3. Pick one target per season, such as the Winter Triangle, and find it before anything else.
4. Look up dated events, such as meteor showers, which return around the same dates each year.

Where an app helps

Sky Map shows the current sky over the camera view, including all 88 constellations with finding tips. Its astronomical calendar lists meteor showers, eclipses and equinoxes, and Tonight’s Sky Conditions shows cloud cover, humidity and the best time to look. Sky Map is free to download, the AR view is free, and some features are paid.

Read next: meteor showers, the Moon and eclipses, how to find constellations and zodiac constellations in the real sky.