
Ask HN: Beginner guide to  astronomy? - giis
I&#x27;m absolute beginner with astronomy. So wanted to check  whats your advice on how to get started? any thoughts on telescope models &amp; types ? Just wanted to start a new hobby in 2017<p>thanks
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iends
Start with the book NightWatch and a set of 10x50 astronomy binoculars.

Stellarium is great because you can map out what you want to view. Get used to
navigating the night sky and trying to find things yourself.

Join a local astronomy club. There are experts with nice scopes that can make
the hobby more enjoyable.

Beyond that, telescopes models and types really depend on your budget. I
recommend looking at the sidebar of
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/)
particular on the guides to buying a telescope.

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giis
I thought Stellarium is kind of simulation but didn't realize the mapping
idea. thanks for the great tips. I'm not sure about local astronomy club in my
region, will figure it out.

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scmoore
You might check out the current humble bundle:
[https://www.humblebundle.com/books/astronomy-book-
bundle](https://www.humblebundle.com/books/astronomy-book-bundle)

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giis
Nice, "A Stargazing Program for Beginners " looks interesting..will check them
out.

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IndianAstronaut
Not a telescope but here is a free, and good, textbook on Astronomy.

[https://openstax.org/subjects/science](https://openstax.org/subjects/science)

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giis
thanks will check it out.

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someearth
[http://www.stellarium.org/](http://www.stellarium.org/)

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giis
Stellarium looks pretty cool, will explore that. But honestly I want to leave
the computers and stare at the sky :D

