Astronomy – Page 5 – Astronomy Now

Majestic Messier 45: take a peak at the Pleiades!

28 November 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Pleiades open cluster, or Messier 45, in Taurus is as good as it gets for night-sky eye candy.

Observe Messier 34, Perseus’ commanding open cluster

23 November 2022 Mark Armstrong

Messier 34 (NGC 1039) in Perseus is a gem of an open cluster that offers something for all observers.

Watch the Orionid meteor shower peak on Friday night

19 October 2022 Steve Kelly

The Orionid meteor shower is one of autumn’s major meteor showers and is a firm favourite with shooting-star watchers.

Observe a partial eclipse of the Sun

18 October 2022 Mark Armstrong

This month’s partial eclipse of the Sun is visible across the length and breadth of the UK on the morning of 25th October 2022.

The Helix Nebula: a big and good-looking planetary!

3 October 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293 and Caldwell 63) is arguably Aquarius’ showpiece deep-sky destination.

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.

Frank Drake, SETI pioneer, 1930–2022

3 September 2022 Keith Cooper

Frank Drake, the radio astronomer who pioneered the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), died yesterday (2 September) at the age of 92.

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.

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.