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Michael’s Miscellany: A lot to see around IC 1396

Michael E. Bakich — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:35:32 +0000

Scanning the constellation Cepheus the King leads us to one of the sky’s largest emission nebulae — IC 1396. It measures a whopping 2.8° by 2.3°. But this region also contains dark nebulae and a bright star cluster. Plus, there’s a famous colorful star nearby. Get ready to spend lots of time observing this wonderful region. In images of IC 1396, the mostContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: A lot to see around IC 1396"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe M15

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:36:49 +0000

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and are looking for a great object to observe on a fall night, M15 is a showpiece globular cluster that resides within the boundaries of the constellation Pegasus the Winged Horse. It’s fairly sizeable, having a diameter of 12.3′. From a dark observing site, sharp-eyed observers can spotContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe M15"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:52:51 +0000

How can a celestial object be bright and faint at the same time? The answer hinges on its surface brightness. In the case of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, its overall brightness, magnitude 9.6, is high for a galaxy. Unfortunately, that light spreads over an area 1/20 of 1° across. For comparison, that area is one-quarter ofContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Glorious Albireo

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:33:07 +0000

Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is a great time to hunt galaxies. You’ll find objects ranging from the marvelous Andromeda Galaxy (M31) to Stephan’s Quintet (NGCs 7317, 7318A, 7318B, 7319, and 7320) to NGC 1. But except for a few, like M31, most galaxies are faint and lack detail unless your telescope is large. So,Continue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Glorious Albireo"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:54:05 +0000

When we target objects in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, one of the first that observers go to is the North America Nebula (NGC 6000), and then they head right next door to the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070). But there’s another, equally fascinating nebulous region that covers even more area in the Swan: the VeilContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Veil Nebula"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Coathanger

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:38:59 +0000

On some clear, moonless night this fall, head out and locate the constellation Vulpecula the Fox. It’s not the easiest star pattern to identify, but two much more apparent constellations will help you get into the right area. Vulpecula lies south of Cygnus and north of Aquila. And while you might be thinking, ah, he’sContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Coathanger"

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Tour the sky’s best globular clusters

Alison Klesman — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:24:08 +0000

There is little I love more than gazing at a glittering globular cluster through a big, juicy Dob. The larger the mirror, the better! Each cluster looks a little different, and resolving individual stars is always a treat. Despite how easy they are to see, they are mysterious objects — and some of the oldestContinue reading "Tour the sky’s best globular clusters"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe NGC 6781

Michael E. Bakich — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:01:35 +0000

Although Aquila ranks 22nd in size among the 88 constellations, it contains no Messier objects or emission nebulae and few bright star clusters. Still, you’ll want to point your telescope 3.8° north-northwest of magnitude 3.4 Delta Aquilae to observe the wonderful planetary nebula NGC 6781. It glows at magnitude 11.4 and has a diameter ofContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe NGC 6781"

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An introduction to common astronomical catalogs

Alison Klesman — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 15:53:46 +0000

Humanity is obsessed with astronomical record keeping. The Babylonians compiled their first listing of the stars in the 12th century b.c.e. Around 1000 b.c.e., they followed it with an expanded catalog that includes familiar constellations and star clusters, as well as motions of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. The Mayans inscribed into stoneContinue reading "An introduction to common astronomical catalogs"

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Wild Duck Cluster

Michael E. Bakich — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:35:34 +0000

The Northern Hemisphere’s summer is — by far — the best time to view our galaxy’s rich star fields. And it’s during summer that the spectacular Wild Duck Cluster flies through the Milky Way. German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovered the Wild Duck Cluster in 1681. Messier made it his 11th catalog entry May 30, 1764,Continue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Wild Duck Cluster"

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