Skywatch

Leonids Bundle up and get outside after midnight on November 17th to see the peak of the Leonids meteor shower as “shooting stars” appear to radiate outwards from the constellation Leo. The waxing gibbous Moon will set shortly after midnight, so the best time for meteor-gazing will be in the wee hours of November 18th … Read More

Skywatch

New Moon This is the best time of the month to observe the fainter deep-sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere. Leonids Bundle up and get outside after midnight on November 17th to see the peak of the Leonids meteor shower as “shooting stars” appear to radiate … Read More

Skywatch

The Pleiades November is sometimes called “the month of the Pleiades,” since the star cluster is visible all night long for observers in the Northern hemisphere. From a dark sky site, M45 is easy to see with the unaided eye and resembles a small “teaspoon” pattern in the sky. Taurids Meteor Shower On the night … Read More

Skywatch

A Challenging Nebula Making a small equilateral triangle with the stars Eta and Alpha Cassiopeiae is the elusive Pac Man Nebula, NGC 281. The Pac Man is a famous target for astrophotographers, but it’s not very easy to observe visually.

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Orionids Meteor Shower After midnight and before the Sun rises October 21 – 22, you can feast your eyes on the Orionid meteor shower. Look towards the eastern sky, where the constellation Orion will rise, for your best chance to see an Orionid meteor. As many as 50-70 meteors per hour will appear to radiate … Read More

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The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) Around midnight local time on October 3rd, the Sculptor galaxy (NGC 253) will be well positioned for viewing as it will be at the highest point in the sky. Cataloged as both H V.1 and Bennett 4, this 7th magnitude beauty is also known as Caldwell 65, and due to … Read More

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Dip into the Whirlpool If you haven’t tracked down “The Whirlpool Galaxy,” M51, just off the handle of the easily recognizable Big Dipper asterism, do it now while you still can! It will be too low for most to get a good view after September and you’ll need to wait until late winter or next … Read More

Skywatch

Three Globular Star Clusters Off the western side of the constellation Pegasus, three globular star clusters almost line up in a row from north to south in September skies. These globular clusters are, from north to south, M15 in Pegasus, M2 in Aquarius and M30 in Capricorn Planetary Nebulas in the Summer Triangle See how … Read More

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Spiral Galaxies The fall stargazing season kicks off in September with wonderfully placed spiral galaxies M31 in Andromeda, M33 in Triangulum, and M74 in Pisces. Use a big telescope to see these distant galaxies. The Northern Milky Way Early in the month, around 9 PM, the “Summer Triangle” of three bright stars Vega, Deneb and … Read More

Skywatch

August Challenge Object Our challenge this month is a surprisingly easy object to see with a telescope, but not so easy with binoculars. Look for M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula, just south of Cygnus. M27 is one of the nearest and brightest planetary nebulas visible from Earth.

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Nebulae Many excellent examples of gaseous nebulas are on display in the skies of August. The brightest are M16 the Eagle Nebula, M17 the Swan Nebula, M20 the Trifid Nebula and the very bright M8, Lagoon Nebula. All are visible in binoculars from dark locations with good seeing.

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Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation After sunset on August 17th, bright planet Venus will be at its greatest eastern elongation, reaching its highest point in the sky. Look above the western horizon right after the Sun sets to catch a glimpse of our next-door neighbor planet in a telescope.

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New Moon New moon is the morning of August 12th so the nights of August 10th into the 11th and the 11th into the 12th will be the darkest nights of the month and therefore the best time to observe the more faint objects like galaxies and star clusters. Grab your gear and enjoy! Perseids … Read More

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Late July Meteors July winds down with the Delta Aquarids meteor shower. For the best chance to see meteors, look towards Aquarius after midnight on July 28th into the early morning hours of July 29th. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, a bright, nearly … Read More

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Hercules almost directly overhead and Scorpius With constellation Hercules almost directly overhead and Scorpius to the south, there’s plenty to see in July skies as summer continues. Check out globular star clusters M13 and M92 in Hercules, and explore Scorpius to find numerous deep-sky objects including open clusters M6 and M7, and globular clusters M4 … Read More

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Mercury will reach greatest eastern elongation Just after the Sun sets on July 12th, tiny planet Mercury will reach its greatest eastern elongation. Since Mercury will be at its highest point in the evening sky, it’s a great opportunity to observe the tiny planet. It won’t be high in the sky for long though, so … Read More

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Mars Up Close! In late July the red planet Mars will appear bigger and brighter in the sky than it has since 2003! So bright, in fact, that it will outshine even giant Jupiter from early July through early September, grabbing third-place bragging rights for brightness, after the Moon and Venus. Mars reaches opposition on … Read More

Skywatch

May’s Challenge Object May skies present some of the best opportunities to grab a view of Omega Centauri — the brightest globular star cluster in the sky! While it’s big and bright, even visible as a “fuzzy” star in binoculars, the challenge Omega Centauri presents is its low position in southern skies, which can make … Read More

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Saturn at Opposition Saturn shines brightest June 10 through July 16, and will be at opposition to the Sun on June 27. Gems of the Summer Triangle In mid-northern latitudes, the Summer Triangle, comprising beacon stars Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (in Cygnus), and Altair (in Aquila), will be fully visible above the horizon. Several celestial … Read More

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Summertime Star Party Take advantage of the New Moon on June 13th and Saturn’s great position in the night sky and plan a summer star party! Not only will the dark skies of the moonless night provide great opportunities to see fainter objects more clearly, but the warm June weather will make it easy to … Read More

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Mars in Capricornus Mars is putting on a spectacular show for us this year. Joe Rao of Space.com explains you can catch the red planet rising above the east-southeast horizon before midnight, in constellation Capricornus. While there, it will shine brightly, rivaling the brilliance of Sirius, the brightest star (besides the Sun) in the Earth’s … Read More

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Four Face-On Spirals Use a large telescope to see the classic pinwheel shapes of galaxies M51 and M101 in the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major, and M99 and M100 in the Virgo galaxy cluster. May’s Challenge Object May skies present some of the best opportunities to grab a view of Omega Centauri – the … Read More

Skywatch

Four Face-On Spirals Use a large telescope to see the classic pinwheel shapes of galaxies M51 and M101 in the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major, and M99 and M100 in the Virgo galaxy cluster. May’s Challenge Object May skies present some of the best opportunities to grab a view of Omega Centauri — the … Read More

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Five Glittering Globulars Five picture-perfect examples of globular star clusters will be visible in May skies. Check out M3 in the constellation Boötes. M13, the “Great Cluster in Hercules” will be visible near the zenith. M5 can be found in Serpens, and M92 in the northern section of Hercules. Be sure to track down M4 … Read More

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Jupiter at Opposition Gigantic Jupiter reaches opposition on May 9th, making it the best night of the year to explore the gas giant planet and its four brightest moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Since Jupiter will be directly opposite the Sun from Earth, it will be visible all night long. Opposition occurs when a … Read More

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Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Grab a blanket or a comfy lounge chair to sit back, relax and watch the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Catch the peak of the dazzling show before dawn on May 6. The waning gibbous Moon might outshine some of fainter meteors, but there will still be opportunities see meteors streak across … Read More

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Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation On April 29th, Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Use astronomy binoculars to view the planet low in the eastern sky just … Read More

Skywatch

International Dark Sky Week Endorsed by the International Dark-Sky Association and the American Astronomical Society, International Dark Sky Week presents an opportunity to appreciate the beautiful night sky without the adverse effects of light pollution from outdoor lighting. Turn out those lights and enjoy views of the starry sky from your own backyard! Lyrids Meteor … Read More

This Week In Astronomy

Spring Brings Galaxy Season! April skies provide stargazers with ample opportunities to observe far-off galaxies. With the Virgo Galaxy Cluster and bright galaxies in the Big Dipper and Coma Berenices well-positioned in the sky, April evenings are truly a gift for galaxy hounds. Check out a few of our favorite galaxies: M101, M51, and M106 … Read More

This Week In Astronomy

April is Global Astronomy Month Here’s your chance to bring your telescopes and binoculars to stargazing parties organized by your local astronomy club. Kicking off on April 1st, Astronomers without Borders will bring together enthusiasts and organizations from around the world to share their passion for the universe, celebrating the motto of One People, One … Read More