Will I be able to see my star?

Yes, you can see it, but for most of our stars you will want a pair of binoculars. Here is why, and how to know when and where to look.

How bright is my star?

A star's brightness is given as its magnitude: the bigger the number, the fainter the star. Your magnitude is on your Star Area Co-ordinates Sheet and on your star's page.

• Brighter than about magnitude 6: visible to the eye, but only on a very dark, clear night away from street lights.
• About magnitude 6 to 9: just beyond the eye on its own, but easy in ordinary binoculars. Most of our stars are here.
• Fainter than about 9: a small telescope helps.

Your star's page tells you which of these applies to your star, so you know what to take outside.

Is my star up tonight?

Stars rise and set, and each is best seen at a different time of year. Enter your Database Number on our star finder: your star's page shows whether it is above the horizon right now, the best time to see it tonight, how high it will be and which way to face. It works it out for London, or for wherever you are if you share your location.

The Altitude graph on your co-ordinates sheet shows the same thing through the year: pick a month when the line is high. How to read your sheet.

What you need

• A clear night, as far from street lights as you can get.
• 15 to 20 minutes outside for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
• The fold-out star chart from your pack, to find your star's constellation.
• A pair of binoculars, and your co-ordinates sheet: its Chart View shows the stars around yours, with your star in the centre of the two rings.

Step by step: how to find your star in the night sky.