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To learn the constellations all you need to do is have a planisphere and look up.

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But only if your skies are reasonably dark. Really bright constellations like Leo show well enough in the city -- though even for that constellation, the "Sickle" (lion's head) is likely to prove challenging from typical urban locations. But to make out Pisces (a pretty important constellation, being one of the 12 signs of the zodiac) binoculars are a huge help even from medium-dark suburbs.

For this particular purpose -- and this purpose alone -- I strongly recommend the lowest power and widest field you can find. Certainly nothing above 8X, and preferably 7X or lower. Even the measliest optical aid will boost your limiting magnitude by two, which is all you need to make out the signature stars of all constellations even through the worst light pollution.

If you also want to see deep-sky objects (or double stars) within the constellations, then you might want to go a little bigger. In any case, hand-held binoculars are far superior to mounted ones for learning the sky.

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Tony Flanders

eyeglasses
6x15 and 8x32 monoculars
8x25, 7x35, 10x30 IS, 10x50, and 15x70 binoculars
70mm and 100mm achromatic refractors
4.5", 7", and 12.5" Dobs

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