Observing – Astronomy Now

Messier 15: Pegasus’ vast stellar metropolis

19 September 2022 Mark Armstrong

Messier 15 (NGC 7078) in Pegasus is a showpiece object of the early autumn sky and one of the finest globular clusters to grace the northern sky.

Observe far-off Neptune at its best for the year

14 September 2022 Mark Armstrong

Neptune comes to opposition at late-evening on Friday, 16 September, when it’s located among the stars of northern Aquarius.

Watch the Moon hide Uranus

12 September 2022 Mark Armstrong

On the night of Wednesday, 14 September there’s a pretty rare circumstance to observe as the planet Uranus is occulted by the Moon.

NGC 6905: a planetary nebula that’s no ‘flash in the pan’

5 September 2022 Mark Armstrong

NGC 6905 is a fine planetary nebula with the colourful moniker ‘the Blue Flash Nebula’.

Capture Kemble’s Cascade and Kemble 2

30 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

One of the best for binocular observers is Kemble’s Cascade, in the ‘void’ of Camelopardalis.

Uncloak the Veil Nebula

22 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Veil Nebula in Cygnus is an iconic deep-sky target, a ‘must-see’ object that rivals or exceeds anything else you’ll likely to observe this summer.

Track down the Triangle

15 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Summer Triangle is arguably the most popular multi-constellation asterism in the entire sky.

Catch superb Saturn at its best in 2022

11 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Solar System’s most picturesque planet comes to opposition at 17h UT on 14 August, when it lies at the vast distance of 1,324 million kilometres.

How to beat the Moon’s glare to see the Perseid meteors

10 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

Despite the strong Moonlight pervading this Friday’s night sky, it’ll still be worth seeking out Perseid shooting stars as the shower perennially produces high rates of meteors

North America Nebula is a true likeness

8 August 2022 Mark Armstrong

The North America Nebula (NGC 7000/Caldwell 20) in Cygnus is a fantastic emission nebula, an iconic object providing one of the highlights of the summer sky.