Observing – Page 4 – Astronomy Now

Ancient open cluster NGC 6791: towards the dawn of the Universe in Lyra

7 August 2023 Mark Armstrong

NGC 6791 is well placed on August nights; located under 10 degrees east of brilliant Vega (alpha [α] Lyrae), it rides high and can be observed throughout the darkening nights.

Cygnus’ famous stellar duo: 61 Cyg and SS Cyg

31 July 2023 Mark Armstrong

Amongst its embarrassment of deep-sky riches, mighty Cygnus, the Swan, hosts two famous stars, the dwarf nova variable star SS Cygni and the binary 61 Cygni.

Messier 14: An Ophiuchus globular

24 July 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 14 (NGC 6402) is one of Ophiuchus’ seven Messier-tagged globular clusters, which are incredibly dense balls of stars that can provide striking viewing.

Galaxy NGC 4565: Coma’s edge-on wonder

29 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

It’s quite an accolade for NGC 4565, a stunning edge-on galaxy in Coma Berenices that’s also known as Caldwell 38 and the Needle Galaxy, to be widely regarded as the finest in its class.

Call on the Coma Star Cluster

23 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Melotte III is a sprawling open cluster that can be spotted with the naked eye tucked away in far north-west of Coma Berenices.

Make eyes at Messier 64, the Black Eye Galaxy

15 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

There are so many bright galaxies to choose from in springtime, but one you definitely shouldn’t miss is the marvellous ‘Black Eye Galaxy’, or Messier 64.

Catch the rays from the Sunflower Galaxy

10 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 63 (NGC 5055), the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici, sits comfortably with its reputation as one of the great galaxies visible in the night sky at springtime.

Mizar and Alcor: The Great Bear’s famous naked-eye double

9 May 2023 Mark Armstrong

Not only of surpassing interest historically, zeta Ursae Majoris (UMa), or Mizar, the middle star in Ursa Major’s famous Plough asterism, is also one of the finest double stars in the sky for a small telescope.

The iconic Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo

24 April 2023 Steve Kelly

If you were to take a poll of the top galaxies that amateur astronomers can observe and image, I bet you wouldn’t need to look far to see the name of the magnificent and striking Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104 in Virgo). Simply put, the Sombrero is one of the most stunning galaxy of all and is compulsory viewing for all deep-sky observers.

Lyrids meteor shower makes a welcome return

17 April 2023 Mark Armstrong

The April Lyrids meteor shower makes its very welcome annual return this week, as always breaking the roughly 15-week hiatus since the maximum of the past significant shower, the Quadrantids back in January.