My interest in natural history has grown a lot in recent years. One of my favourite books on the subject is Otherlands by Thomas Halliday. Each chapter visits a different epoch or period in Earth’s long history. It’s written like a travel book.

One reviewer called Otherlands “an extraordinary history of our almost-alien Earth.”

I think that alienness is what makes natural history so fascinating. I’m intrigued by the idea of strange creatures on other planets. Over the last 4.54 billion years, Earth has been many different worlds, full of alien life. Natural history is space travel without the need to be an astronaut.

My only problem with natural history is knowing where to start as an adult beginner. There are books, TV shows, podcasts, and courses. But how do you go outside and do it yourself? What is there to do?

I suspect children may have an easier time getting started. They’re less prone to feeling that an activity must have a clear function and goal. Looking and being impressed is enough, and quite right too.

It is possible for an adult to feel like that, as I discovered when I “took up” astronomy a few years ago. To begin with, I approached the subject very seriously – like a proper grown up. I bought books, looked at courses, and invested in a telescope that was far too difficult for a beginner to use.

After a time, I fell into the best possible habit. I stopped trying to do things “properly.” Instead, I looked up at the sky little and often, without a telescope or binoculars, and allowed myself to enjoy it for its own sake.

I soon learnt something that seems obvious to me now, but wasn’t then. The night sky changes all the time. Watching and seeing what’s different and new really is enough. There’s no need to make the activity useful.

I particularly like the planets. As far as I’m concerned, being able to see Mars or Venus with your own eyes is the next best thing to going there. I often think, I’m standing on the ground looking at the ground of another world!

Before going out in the dark, I check an app called Sky Guide. It’s one of a number of apps that display a realtime map of the sky, with everything labelled. They’re very useful because they also share news of changes to watch out for, like meteor showers.

I don’t use the app outside because a backlit screen will affect night vision. I’ve found that avoiding light and staring at a dark patch of sky for several minutes helps me to see the fainter stars and planets. They’re often barely perceptible. I’m still not sure whether I really saw Uranus or just imagined it.

I’ve never stargazed in a dark sky area, so I haven’t seen the Milky Way. The lovely thing about stargazing is there’s always more to see.