Archive – Page 34 – Astronomy Now

The largest comet ever seen has been measured – and it’s a whopper

14 April 2022 Keith Cooper

The nucleus of the largest known comet in the Solar System, C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli–Bernstein), has been measured by the Hubble Space Telescope to be 129 kilometres across.

Observe spring’s radiant sunflower in April

14 April 2022 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.

Observe Messier 81 this April

13 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Messier 81 (NGC 3031) in Ursa Major is one of the finest galaxies in the entire sky.

Choosing the best eyepiece for you

8 April 2022 Ade Ashford

If the optics of your telescope are well aligned but the views are still lacklustre, maybe it’s time for some new eyepieces. Ade Ashford helps you choose them.

Mars and Saturn come together in the pre-dawn sky

1 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

The next two months or so promises to be an exciting one if you enjoy viewing close conjunctions between the major planets – and who doesn’t!

Celestron SkyMaster 25 × 100 binoculars

1 April 2022 Ade Ashford

These behemoth binoculars are the largest in Celestron’s SkyMaster range, but are they the ultimate for astronomical and terrestrial use? Ade Ashford finds out.

APM HDC-XWA 7mm, 100-Degree X-Treme Eyepiece, a real eyeful

25 March 2022 Steve Ringwood

Steve Ringwood got his hands on APM’s new HDC-XWA 7mm, 100-degree X-treme eyepiece, and found out how its large field of view and powers of magnification fill an important gap.

Webb optics alignment achieves near perfect focus

21 March 2022 Astronomy Now

In another milestone, the 18 segments of the James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror have been aligned with near-flawless precision.

Beating the LED streetlights: IDAS light-pollution suppression LPS-D2 filter

18 March 2022 Ade Ashford

The LPS-D2 filter is the world’s first filter designed specifically to combat LED light pollution. Ade Ashford took a close look at the data to see how effective it will be.

TS-Optics Photoline 60mm, F/6 FPL53 APO refractor

15 March 2022 Ade Ashford

Ade Ashford explores the history of lens making to establish the lineage of TSOptics’ versatile grab-and-go 60mm, f/6 photo-visual telescope.