What do I do with my Barska 20X50?

[KingNor]

Well I got my starchart and little red flashlight and a fairly dark park to do some sky watching in. I've got my Barska 20x50 binoculars.

I've figured out how to find Polaris and the dippers.

Any suggestions? For now I'm just trying to learn the constilations, but I'd love to hear if there is anything I should be looking for.

[Utwo]

I'm still brand new at this, and so I don't have a lot of advice to offer, however I made a similar thread about 9 months ago, and some folks replied with an insane amount of cool things to look at:

http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php?t=45289

Hope that helps!

[KingNor]

that is a great thread, thanks for the heads up! i found enough to keep me busy tonight just in the first few posts.

any suggestions on a good place to see which constillations the planets are in? (i'm a noob)

[Utwo]

The positions of the planets against the stars will change throughout the year, so your best bet is to use a program or website that calculates the positions for you. I used Heavens Above:

http://www.heavens-above.com

If you sign up and log in, the main page will have a link called "Whole Sky Chart" that will show you what the sky looks like in your area and time. The planets and constellations will be on it. I think that Venus is in Gemini right now, and Saturn is in Leo, but I could be wrong. I haven't learned much about the constellations yet myself.