Astronomy – Page 2 – Astronomy Now

Explore Puppis’ Messier cluster trio

26 February 2024 Mark Armstrong

Puppis is rich in open clusters, including the Messier trio of M46, M47 and M93.

Valleys on the Moon

13 February 2024 Mark Armstrong

With a waxing Moon riding high in the early-evening sky, now is a good time to become acquainted with four of the best valleys on the lunar surface.

Ignite Auriga’s Flaming Star Nebula

4 December 2023 Steve Kelly

IC 405, the colourful Flaming Star Nebula, is a prime target in the northern sky.

Go to the edge with NGC 891

26 November 2023 Mark Armstrong

NGC 891 in Andromeda is one of the finest edge-on spiral galaxies in the northern heavens.

William Optics Redcat71

21 November 2023 Steve Ringwood

The RedCat71 from William Optics is the new kid on the block aiming to serve this need, and courtesy of First Light Optics, I looked forward to seeing if it delivered.

Look out for the Leonids!

16 November 2023 Mark Armstrong

The annual Leonid meteor shower peaks on the morning of 18 November

Observing

Uranus at its best for the year

13 November 2023 Mark Armstrong

Remote and endlessly fascinating, Uranus is now peaking in accessibility, offering the best observing chances this year.

Buyers’ guide: The best equatorial mounts

6 November 2023 Astronomy Now

Before looking at a sample of equatorial (EQ) mounts on the market, we should answer three questions: what are they, why are they important and what makes some of them so astonishingly expensive?

Messier 74’s face-on beauty in Pisces

16 October 2023 Mark Armstrong

Messier 74 (NGC 628) is a spiral galaxy out of the top-drawer. This far-flung island universe yields awe-inspiring images, its sweeping spiral arms being presented in the ‘grand-design’ manner.

Fomalhaut (alpha [α] PsA), the principal star of Piscis Austrinus, the ‘Southern Fish’, and the eighteenth-brightest star in the heavens, is the most southerly first-magnitude star visible right across the UK.