Archive for the 'Celestial Objects' Category
February 2, 2012
“It’s Venus!”
“No, it’s Jupiter!”
Actually, it’s both! The two bright planets move closer together in the western sky after sunset, confusing and bedazzling stargazers all over the world. The two planets are 40 degrees apart at the start of the month, and just 12 degrees apart by month’s end. To tell which is which, remember Venus is always brighter. The Moon brushed past the two bright planets in late January, and will do so again later this month. And the planet Mars is just four weeks from its closest approach to Earth for the next two years.
Here’s what’s happening in the sky this month…
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January 31, 2012
Gamma Velorum, also called Suhail, is a favorite multiple-star system among professional astronomers, who sometimes call it the “spectral gem of the southern skies”. This is a six-star system, and the brightest of the stars is losing mass at a rapid rate, an effect which causes the strange spectral signature. This deep-southern star has a modern name, too, which commemorates a brave spacefarer who sadly never got off the ground…
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January 24, 2012
Just south of the famous Orion Nebula lies the overlooked and puzzling little object NGC 1999. This tiny reflection nebula shines by the reflected light of newborn stars within, and it surrounds a surprisingly empty hole in space.
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January 19, 2012
The showpiece of the constellation Orion is the Great Orion Nebula, which bejewels the sword of the great celestial hunter. But Orion harbors dozens more deep-sky objects in its great star factory. Let’s look at one today… the fine young open star cluster NGC 2169, which takes on the unmistakable shape of the prime number “37″.
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January 16, 2012
One of the most notable asterisms in the sky gained its fame just 30 years ago. Called Kemble’s Cascade after the Franciscan friar from the Canadian prairies named Lucien Kemble, this group tumbles gracefully through the far-northern sky just east of Cassiopeia, ending at the open cluster NGC 1502. This is a perfect target for quick observation by northern observers on a cold winter’s night. Here’s how to see this asterism for yourself…
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January 2, 2012
Happy New Year! There’s lots to see during this first month of 2012. The early morning of January 4 is especially full of activity for observers in the Americas. And Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars are in position for excellent viewing by observers all over the world. Here’s what’s up in the night sky this month…
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December 30, 2011
This time of year, in the rich star fields of the deep southern constellation Carina, you’ll find numerous sights to hold your attention. Today we tour the Theta Carinae cluster, also called the “Southern Pleiades” because of its astronomical resemblance to the famed northern star cluster M45 in Taurus.
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December 15, 2011
Nearly a thousand years ago, on a late-April morning in the year 1054, groggy Chinese astronomers awakened to the spectacle of a blazing new star in the daytime sky. This “guest star”, as they called it, appeared out of nowhere, shone with a reddish-white light some six times brighter than Venus, then slowly faded from daytime view after 23 days. What they observed, of course, was a supernova, a massive star suddenly collapsed upon itself before exploding with as much energy as an entire galaxy.
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December 1, 2011
It’s a fine month for stargazing. Jupiter dominates the sky this month, shining brightly overhead and just east of the V-shaped constellation Taurus. Venus shines even brighter during December in the southwestern sky about 45 minutes after sunset. And Mercury gears up to put on a good apparition in the morning sky this month.
Observers in Australia, New Zealand, and western North America get a chance to see a total lunar eclipse on December 10. The fine Geminid meteor shower peaks on December 13-14, although the Moon will wash out the faintest meteors.
And the dim stars of October and November finally give way to the mighty constellation Orion as it wheels into view this month in the mid-evening hours. Orion is trailed by brilliant Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, and by the rich star fields of Canis Major and the southern constellation Carina.
Here’s what’s up in the sky this month…
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November 28, 2011
Now to one of the finest sights in the entire night sky, the great Double Cluster. This sparkling pair of clusters, which are among the youngest known in the galaxy, presents a rich array of scintillating giant stars of contrasting colors.
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November 24, 2011
Most stargazers know the Pleiades. Perhaps the finest deep-sky object for binoculars, this star cluster on the leading edge of the constellation Taurus presents a dazzling set of new blue-white stars set against an inky-dark background. It’s especially beautiful in the dark late-fall and winter sky of the northern hemisphere (although it is is also visible from the south).
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November 18, 2011
In the southern reaches of the constellation Sculptor, close to the practical limit for many northern observers, lies the lovely galaxy NGC 55, sometimes called “The String of Pearls”. The galaxy is located near the southern edge of Sculptor just on the border with the southern constellation Phoenix. (Note: This is an excerpt from the new guide “What To See in a Small Telescope” from Stargazer University…)
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November 10, 2011
The grand and elusvie Helix Nebula is the showpiece of the constellation Aquarius. One of the closest and apparently largest of all planetary nebulae, the Helix is one of the few sights that’s easier to see in a small telescope than a large one.
Like all planetary nebulae, the Helix is a region of rarified gas thrown off by a dying star of moderate mass. The star is essentially ejecting its outer atmosphere and exposing its blazing hot core to full view.
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November 1, 2011
Lots of planets to see in the sky this month. Jupiter just reached opposition, rising at sunset and reaching its maximum height above the horizon near midnight. Each night the big planet rises earlier, ideally located for after-dinner viewing.
Also this month (and hopefully this week), I release the next volume of “What To See in a Small Telescope”, a guide to take you on a tour of nearly 100 celestial sights this season in the northern and southern hemispheres. Stay tuned.
Here’s what else to look for in the night sky this month…
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October 28, 2011
If not the brightest deep-sky object in Sculptor, the galaxy NGC 253 is certainly the most famous and photogenic. Sometimes called the “Silver Coin” galaxy because of its shiny tilted disk, NGC 253 is the largest and brightest member of the nearby Sculptor Group of galaxies which lies about 10 million light years away.
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October 17, 2011
That bright “star” in the east? It’s the planet Jupiter, now at its brightest for the year. More on the big planet next week.
And that bright star in the south? That’s Fomalhaut, the bright-white star that marks the mouth of the constellation Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish). The star is a pretty enough sight for casual stargazers this time of year. But it harbours a glowing ring of dust and debris left over from its birth. And where there’s dust, there may very well be planets…
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October 13, 2011
The constellation Cepheus lies nearly overhead in the mid-evening hours for northern observers this time of year. The constellation represents the legendary husband of Cassiopeia, but it looks less like a king seated on a throne than a crooked stick-figure house drawn by a small child.
Cepheus contains few bright stars, but it hosts a number of remarkable stars and deep-sky objects worthy of inspection in a small telescope. One of the easiest to enjoy is mu Cephei, a gigantic swollen monster of a star in its last stages of life. This deep-red beauty is perhaps the largest star visible to the unaided eye…
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October 6, 2011
NGC 6744 (from the Anglo-Australian Observatory)
Like Tucana, the Toucan, Pavo, the Peacock is another exotic celestial bird of the deep southern sky. The constellation was conceived by Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser, who travelled in South America and mapped the southern sky. The group was included on Johann Bayer’s Uranometria in 1603.
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October 2, 2011
False Dawn
Here are some highlights of the October sky…
Oct. 1-15. Look for the zodiacal light, or “false dawn”, just before sunrise. This eerie wedge-shaped glow is reflected sunlight off fine dust particles in the plane of the solar system. Learn more about the zodiacal light here…
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September 30, 2011
Late evening skies feature the brilliant planet Jupiter rising in the east. The king of planets approaches opposition in October and presents the best viewing of the year. But there’s another remarkable sight near Jupiter right now — the variable star Mira. This famous star now shines at its brightest in decades and presents a great opportunity for you to find it and follow its slow fade over the next many months.
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September 8, 2011
A supernova… one of the most spectacular and violent explosions in the universe, where a single star blasts out more energy in a few days than our Sun generates in its lifetime. While several dozen of these fleeting exploding stars are discovered every year, few become bright enough to see in a small telescope. But a couple of weeks ago, a supernova exploded in the galaxy Messier 101 in the constellation Ursa Major… the brightest such event in nearly 20 years. Here’s how to see this magnificent stellar explosion.
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September 5, 2011
Here are some highlights of what to see in the night sky this month…
Sat. September 3 Mercury at greatest western elongation from the Sun… about 18 degrees. This week and next are good opportunities to see the planet before sunrise.
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September 1, 2011
Just a short message today… many readers are enjoying the last holiday weekend of northern summer, or cleaning up after a big Atlantic hurricane, or struggling with the last clouds of a deep-southern winter.
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August 25, 2011
Last week, we took at look at the tiny constellation Sagitta and the loose, dim globular cluster M71. This weekend, a fairly bright comet, Comet Garradd, cruises through Sagitta and right past M71, making the comet easy to find and see. The cluster and comet come within 1/4 degree of each other on August 26-27, close enough to fill the same medium-power field of view in a telescope. Well worth a look…
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August 18, 2011
Let’s take a look at the tiny and ancient constellation Sagitta, the Arrow. Located between the more famous Cygnus and Aquila, the stars of Sagitta were interpreted by many cultures as an arrow. The ancient Greeks took the constellation to be the arrow Hercules used to kill the eagle which upon Zeus’ command consumed the liver of the titan Prometheus over and over again, after he gave humanity the gift of fire.
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August 15, 2011
Here’s a lovely little image from the Hubble Space Telescope to brighten up the beginning of your week… this is the Necklace Nebula, a recently discovered planetary nebula in the constellation Sagitta, the Arrow.
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August 10, 2011
A reminder the Perseid meteor shower peaks over the next couple of nights. You’ll see the most meteors after midnight, and you’ll see them anywhere in the sky. No optics required.
You’ll know if a meteor is associated with the Perseids if its apparent path traces back to a point in the northern constellation Perseus. This year, the glare of the full Moon will wash out many faint meteors, but you’ll still see a few dozen brighter meteors each hour if you have a good view of the whole sky.
And while you’re out looking at meteors, take a peak at the lovely “Alpha Persei Moving Cluster”. This clutch of blue-white stars is a lovely sight in a pair of binoculars or small scope at low magnification. Here’s how to find it…
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August 7, 2011
Today, an excerpt from the new Stargazer University guide “What To See In A Small Telescope”. In this short sample, you get a look at Messier 24, also known as the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud. This scintillating patch of millions of stars is not a star cluster, but a gap in the dust lanes of the Milky Way that gives you a glimpse of a distant arm of the Milky Way. It is an astonishing sight…
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August 2, 2011
Aside from the beautiful deep-sky objects in Sagittarius, Scutum, and Cygnus, there are other sights of note this month. Here’s what to see in the night sky in August 2011…
Last Chance to See Saturn. This beautiful planet has put on a memorable show over the past few months, but its time now comes to an end for the year. Look for Saturn about 25 degrees above the horizon at sunset at the beginning of August near the star Porrima in Virgo (see image below). By month’s end, the planet is nearly lost in the glare of the twilight sky.
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July 28, 2011
Just a short message today as I’m packing my optics for an astronomy retreat in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. This retreat, organized by the illustrious comet-hunter David Levy, will be a great chance for me to actually look into clear, dark night sky instead of just writing about it!
And I certainly have a long list of deep-sky sights to observe…
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July 24, 2011
Stargazing is one of the few pastimes tailor-made for insomniacs.
And I’m an incorrigible insomniac.
Which is why I was up looking at the star clusters of Sagittarius last night, and the waning crescent Moon early this morning just after sunrise.
The waning Moon in the deep-blue morning sky is a glorious sight. You can still see hundreds of surface features on the Moon’s surface in early daylight, yet they’re not overwhelming to the eye as they are at night.
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July 21, 2011
Perhaps the finest globular cluster in Sagittarius, if not the entire sky, is the unappreciated M22, located just above the Teapot of Sagittarius. It’s not the brightest glob, nor the biggest, nor the closest. But it is perhaps the prettiest and easiest to resolve, especially in a small telescope. Astronomy writer Rod Mollise calls M22 the “Arkenstone in the stars”, after the famous white gem in Tolkien’s tale of “The Hobbit”.
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July 18, 2011
Summer’s here! And if thunderstorms manage to stay out of your way, there is fine star gazing to enjoy during these precious warm months. Here are 7 ideas for lovely night sky viewing for even the most casual star gazer. No telescope required…
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July 7, 2011
Today, an excerpt from the just-released guidebook “A Binocular Tour of the Southern Night Sky”. This guide is not just for southern-hemisphere observers, because we northerners also yearn for a peek at the exotic celestial wonders just over the southern horizon…
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July 2, 2011
Look up this month and sweep with a pair of binoculars the grand expanse of the Milky Way arcing across the night sky.
In the north the star clouds extend from Cygnus and Aquila and Scutum into Sagittarius where they are thickest.
In the southern hemisphere, the thickest part of the Milky Way in Sagittarius is directly overhead, and extends into Centaurus and Crux. Look for dozens of star clusters and nebulae along the plane of our galaxy.
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June 27, 2011
The bright star Arcturus blazes high in the northern sky this time of year, and even shines above the northern horizon for observers in the southern hemisphere. You can’t miss it… its orange-white light is unmistakeable. While Arcturus is pretty enough in its own right, there’s a little-known group of dim stars surrounding the bright star. These faint stars are not part of a star cluster, but rather, just a chance alignment of little stars in the line of sight of Arcturus.
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June 24, 2011
Binary stars are often passed over for more exotic sights like nebulae and galaxies and globular clusters. Which is too bad, because binary stars are much easier to observe in a small telescope, and even in less-than-perfect skies. But there are thousands of good binaries within reach of a modest scope, and each is as distinct as a piece of handmade jewelry.
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June 21, 2011
Open star clusters are usually quite young and hold close to the dust and gas in the arms of our galaxy from which they’re born. How strange then, to find the lonely open cluster NGC 188 far out of the galactic plane in a patch of sky better known for its views into intergalactic space. Here’s a look at this ancient whisper of a star cluster.
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June 16, 2011
Here’s a little mental health break… a stupendous view of the cannibal galaxy NGC 5128. This odd-shaped garbled galaxy is actually two galaxies: an giant elliptical galaxy merging with a flat dusty spiral. This interaction has stimulated frenzied star forming activity in the dust lanes of the spiral.
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June 14, 2011
A reminder that June 15 marks Full Moon and the first lunar eclipse of 2011. This eclipse will be long and deep and dark, with totality lasting about 100 minutes… the longest lunar eclipse in nearly 11 years.
If you’re in North America, like me, then you’re out of luck for this eclipse, alas. It will totally miss us. But parts of Europe, all of South Africa, India and the Indian Ocean, and Australia and New Zealand will get a fine view.
However… we North Americans (and anyone else who’s interested) can view the eclipse online here…
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June 10, 2011
Why does anyone become a star gazer?
Take a look at this video for the answer.
The creator of this masterpiece is Randy Halverson, a farmer and photographer from South Dakota. Randy experiments with time-lapse photography and video to create dynamic and realistic scenes of the night sky. You feel like you’re standing on the prairie, watching the sky and stars turn overhead.
It will leave you slack-jawed with amazement…
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June 8, 2011
A stargazer scanning the Milky Way through Crux and Centaurus is like a kid in a candy store, giddy with excitement at the sparkling treasures close at hand. This is a favoured part of the heavens for deep sky observers. When you take time to scan this area, be sure to pause at the lovely Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766), one of the richest clusters in a patch of sky already spoiled for riches.
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June 6, 2011
Here’s a stunning image of the Hercules cluster to start your week. This image, taken by astrophotographer Roth Ritter, shows some of the nearly 300,000 stars in this dense ball of ancient stars. And since we’re looking into deep space here, there’s an unexpected bonus in this lovely image…
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June 1, 2011
I hope you got a chance to see the rare and magnificent alignment of planets in the morning sky last month. The show lingers briefly this week, but the planets begin to scatter as June wears on. You’ll see Mercury and Venus sinking back towards the Sun, while Jupiter and Mars rise earlier each day.
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May 30, 2011
The Big Dipper is perhaps the most famous and easy to find star group in the northern skies. While it’s not a constellation itself, the Big Dipper makes up the brightest section of the large and sprawling constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. There’s much to see for stargazers in and around the Big Dipper. Let’s take a look…
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May 23, 2011
One of the finest examples of a lenticular galaxy is just hanging on in the western sky after sunset. Also called the Spindle Galaxy, NGC 3115 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy that presents one the most beautiful views in the heavens. Like all lenticular galaxies, the Spindle looks lie a spiral galaxy without the dust and star-forming regions. And it holds a super-massive black hole at its centre…
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May 19, 2011
On a clear dark night you can see 2,000 to 3,000 stars in the night sky. But that wasn’t enough for Nick Risinger. The Seattle-based marketing director left his job to undertake an historic quest to photograph as many as 20 million stars along with faint dark and emission nebulae and star clusters, all without a telescope. His goal? Simply to convey the grandeur of the night sky. His achievement is simply astonishing. You just have to see this…
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May 13, 2011
Now let’s turn to the grand southern constellation Centaurus, the Centaur. Surrounding the Southern Cross on three sides, Centaurus is one of the largest constellations in the heavens, and holds ample bright stars and deep-sky sights for stargazers of all skill levels.
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May 6, 2011
Here’s a lovely image of a string of galaxies that collectively hold several trillion stars. Called Markarian’s Chain after the Armenian astrophysicist who discovered the galaxies move together through space, this collection is some 40 million light years away in the massive Virgo Cluster. Have a look. It’s a dazzling sight…
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May 1, 2011
What To Look For This Month
This month holds the one of the best showings of bright planets in decades. Rise early, well before sunrise, to enjoy this splendid show in the eastern skies. And bring a pair of binoculars. You’ll see Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter play tag with each other all month, and with the waning crescent Moon on May 1 and May 30.
Then catch an afternoon nap, and head out after sunset to see the glorious rings of Saturn, which hovers in the constellation Virgo.
Early in the month, you may get a chance to see the International Space Station fly overhead as it meets up for the last time with the space shuttle Endeavour.
And in the southern skies, there’s a fine a meteor shower later this month.
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April 28, 2011
This news is hot off the presses tonight, and you’re among the first in the world to hear: an international team of astronomers have deduced the details of a planet around a nearby star, and revealed a “super-exotic” rocky world that would make the planet Pandora in the movie Avatar pale in comparison.
You can see the home star of this small, hot, and dense planet with your unaided eye or with a modest pair of binoculars.
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April 25, 2011
Today a look at Virgo, the second largest constellation in the sky. The sixth constellation of the zodiac, Virgo contains a few interesting foreground stars along with a gaggle of galaxies nestled in her celestial arms. The constellation affords some pleasant stargazing this time of year, for both northern and southern observers…
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April 21, 2011
No one’s ever seen a supermassive black hole. But today you’ll come close as you examine so-called Seyfert galaxies, a special class of spiral galaxy with immensely bright cores set aglow by hot gas spiraling into central black holes the size of a solar system.
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April 18, 2011
Many teachers scramble this time of year to teach a little about space and astronomy before the school year ends. And kids are keener to get outside in the warmer and drier air to look into the night sky. So here are a few easy but interesting sights for youngsters to see in the night sky with binoculars or a small telescope, or in some cases, with no optics at all. If you know a kid with a desire to see something extraordinary… or a teacher looking for some good celestial targets for a school project, please share this article with them….
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April 14, 2011
Sandwiched between Ursa Major and Auriga, the dim northern constellation Camelopardalis, the Giraffe, has no bright stars and attracts little attention from stargazers. But many galaxies lie here, and today we turn to NGC 2403, a dusty, fertile spiral flecked with star-forming regions and lit by bright blue O and B stars.
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April 4, 2011
Upon seeing Saturn through a telescope, many first-time observers ask, “Is it real?”
Oh, it’s real alright. And Saturn is primed for viewing over the next few months. So whether you’re starting out in astronomy or you’re a wizened observer with decades of experience, here are a few pointers to help you get the best view of this exquisite planet.
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April 1, 2011
If the clouds behave, April makes for pleasant stargazing in most parts of the world. Southern-hemisphere observers enjoy an expansive view of the Milky Way, from the bright stars of Canis Major setting in the west, through Carina and Crux overhead, to the thick star clouds of Scorpius and Sagittarius rising in the east late in the evening. The galaxy fields of Virgo are directly overhead, along with this month’s welcome “wandering star”, the planet Saturn.
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March 30, 2011
I thought you might like to see a couple of astonishing sights from this past week, if you haven’t seen them already, of the close-up planet Mercury and the northern lights over Norway. Things like this, you do not see often, so enjoy …
Here is the first image taken by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, the first satellite to orbit Mercury. This view of the planet is the first of thousands; it was just released a couple of days ago:
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March 28, 2011
The dazzling pair of galaxies M81 and M82, intertwined in dramatic gravitational one-step, are a rewarding sight for northern stargazers with small telescopes. The pair is visible for most of the year but swing into optimum viewing position over the next few months. And today, you get first viewing of a brand-new image of this galaxy pair from a dedicated amateur astrophotographer.
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March 24, 2011
Last time, you discovered how to find the rough position of the south celestial pole. But that was just preamble to show you a curious celestial alignment this time of year that helps southern stargazers easily tell local time using the Southern Cross (Crux). It’s a neat trick, and with a little arithmetic, it can be used all year long to tell time with the stars.
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March 21, 2011
In the northern hemisphere, the bright and easy-to-find star Polaris marks the position of the north celestial pole. This makes it easy for stargazers and navigators to find north, and get oriented in the night sky.
But in the southern hemisphere, it is different.
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March 10, 2011
A reminder that the next three to four days presents your best chance this year to see the planet Mercury. Look for this strange little world in the western sky just a few degrees from Jupiter after sunset. What’s more, Mercury gets an Earthly visitor next week which may solve several long-standing mysteries of this elusive planet.
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March 7, 2011
Let’s peer into intergalactic space today at a pretty little spiral galaxy in the constellation Lynx, just above Gemini and Cancer. Few stargazers bother with this galaxy because it lies in patch of sky with few bright stars. But it’s well placed right now for northern observers. And, because it’s near two zodiacal constellations, it’s accessible to southern stargazers too. Let’s take a look…
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March 1, 2011
What To Look For This Month
March marks the changing of the guard in the night sky. The bright stars and famous constellations of the past few months move westward each evening, leaving the fainter stars and star-sparse constellations of March, April, and May.
There’s a reason for this… from our rocky perch on Earth, we’re now looking out of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy and into intergalactic space. So see fewer foreground stars from our own galaxy, but many distant galaxies, especially in the constellations Leo, Virgo, and Coma Berenices. Southern hemisphere observers have a good view of these constellations, and the added bonus of the bright stars of Centaurus and the Southern Cross high overhead.
And… a promise fulfilled. Many readers asked for a printed version of Stargazing for Beginners. Well, it’s now available at Amazon in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Like the electronic version available at Stargazer U, Stargazing for Beginners takes you on an easy-to-follow tour of the stars and main constellations. No telescope required! Click here to get your copy…
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February 24, 2011
During an after-dinner stroll on a cool autumn evening in 1572, the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was stopped in his tracks by the sight of a blazing new star in the constellation Cassiopeia. Tycho knew every star in the sky since his youth, and he lived in a time when many thought the heavens never changed. So when he saw this new star, he was, as he later wrote, “so astonished at this sight that I was not ashamed to doubt the trustworthiness of my own eye.”
Tycho was amazed by what’s now called a supernova, a massive exploding star which for a few weeks can outshine an entire galaxy. It’s a sight you should see for yourself, as luck allows, which is why it tops our celestial “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers”…
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February 17, 2011
At #2 on our “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers” is the Orion Nebula, a blister of glowing gas set alight by blazing newborn stars. As beautiful an object as you will ever see in the night sky, this nebula is just a small part of the vast star-making machinery in our own Orion Arm of the Milky Way that offers many wondrous sights for backyard observers. The Orion Nebula is one of the grandest sights in all of nature: the birth of a cluster of new stars out of a dark cloud of interstellar gas and dust. And you can wander outside tonight and see it for yourself…
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February 10, 2011
Something good today… a small reflection nebula in the constellation Orion that’s often overlooked for the more famous Orion Nebula. Catalogued as M78, this pretty little nebula is well worth a look… in the words of Stephen James O’Meara, the two stars embedded in M78 look “like bloodless eyes peering back at you through a frosty window.”
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February 7, 2011
While a half-dozen comets come and go each year, most are too faint to see without optical aid. But a bright comet, with a swollen head brighter than Venus and a tail streaking a third of the way across the sky is a stunning and unnerving sight, one that should be seen by even the most casual stargazer. It’s a sight you’ll never forget, and it comes in at #3 on our “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers”…
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February 1, 2011
Lots to see for deep-sky observers this month. The star clusters of Orion, Canis Major, and Carina beckon observers with binoculars or a small telescope. And for stargazers with time for just a quick peek, the magnificent open star cluster M35 never disappoints.
For northern observers, February 2 marks Groundhog Day, and the half-way point of winter. As a Canadian, I always laugh at Groundhog Day… no matter why the little critter sees, I’m getting six more weeks of winter anyway. Of course, Feb. 2 also marks the halfway point of summer in the southern hemisphere.
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January 20, 2011
The very first article published on One-Minute Astronomer was about Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
So now, nearly three years later, it’s about time I got around to the second-brightest star, Alpha Carinae. Also known as Canopus, this star takes its name from a bit player in one of the earliest epics of western literature. And it embodies mystical properties of happiness and long life, according to ancient legends of the far East.
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January 17, 2011
“When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way”
- Stephen Stills
When 15th-century European navigators first embarked on long voyages to southern seas, they watched nervously as they crossed the equator as Polaris, the North Star, sank below the horizon. These navigators knew well the northern stars, and relied on them for safe passage. What wonders and omens, they asked, would the southern skies hold?
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January 3, 2011
The new year 2011 starts off strong for stargazers. Depending on your location, you can enjoy four fine astronomical events this week… a meteor shower, a partial eclipse of the Sun, a dazzling performance by Venus and Mercury in the morning sky, and perhaps the easiest chance you’ll ever get to spot the planet Uranus without a star map.
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December 30, 2010
Last time we looked at the “Christmas Tree Cluster” in the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. Today’s deep-sky sight, also in Monoceros, could easily be called “The Christmas Wreath Nebula”. But it’s really called the Rosette Nebula, an it’s an achingly beautiful blossom of glowing gas and dust where new stars are being born. While hard to see visually, even in large telescopes, the Rosette Nebula contains a fine young open cluster that’s easy to see in binoculars.
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December 21, 2010
Let’s continue our year-end tour of Monoceros with a timely stop at NGC 2264, also called the “Christmas Tree Cluster”. This lovely conical group of blazing-blue stars nestles in a faint patch of glowing gas and dust where new stars are born. And if you have a 10” or larger scope, you might just glimpse the dark “Cone Nebula” at the apex of the cluster. While visually faint, this nebula is stunning in time exposures, and to some, looks like a silhouette of Jesus holding a small child…
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December 13, 2010
We close out 2010 with a look at the constellation Monoceros. This dim constellation, which represents a celestial unicorn, holds no bright stars and is often overlooked for brighter Orion and Gemini and Canis Major. But don’t pass this constellation by. It holds more interesting deep-sky objects than Orion, and gives you many pleasurable moments of stargazing in the waning days of the year.
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December 6, 2010
Deep in the southern sky, in the vast constellation Vela, the Sail, lies the neat open star cluster IC2391. Also known as the Omicron Velorum Cluster, this little group of stars makes for pleasant viewing in binoculars or a telescope on a December evening.
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December 3, 2010
If it seems like you haven’t seen a lunar eclipse for a while, you’re right. It’s been about three years since seen a total lunar eclipse from anywhere on Earth. But the dry spell ends this month with an eclipse on the night December 20-21.
Northern skies are much darker this time of year as the sun moves further below the horizon than during the summer months. And all stargazers, north and south, enjoy the return of the bright stars of December in the constellations Orion, Canis Major, Auriga, and Taurus.
So go find your mittens and bundle up. Here’s what to look for this month…
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November 30, 2010
First sight of the Great Red Spot is a high point for any amateur astronomer. Few tire of the sight of this massive and ancient storm in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. But while it looks fine in photos, it’s surprisingly hard to see in a small telescope. Here are three tips to increase your chances of seeing the “GRS”, and a few words about this swirling vortex that’s large enough to swallow several Earths.
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November 24, 2010
High in the northeast sky, Almaak, the third-brightest star in the constellation Andromeda is one of the most beautiful double stars in the sky. It’s a snap to find, beautiful to see, and requires only a small telescope to reveal its splendor. This star should round out everyone’s must-see list this time of year.
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November 16, 2010
A meteor storm! The very term makes an honest stargazer’s heart beat faster. While a good meteor shower, like the Perseids, may show 50-60 meteors every hour, a meteor storm sprays shooting stars at a rate of hundreds or thousands an hour. During a spectacular storm in 1833, the sky seemed to “fill with falling fire” for nearly half the night.
While spectacular, a meteor storm, which comes in at #5 on our “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers”, may be the most difficult to see because they are extremely brief and rare.
But take heart. NASA is already preparing to deal with a possible outburst next year from a usually lacklustre shower in Draco. And since such events are hard to predict, there may be more opportunities in the coming years. One thing for sure… if you do see a meteor storm, you’ll never forget it.
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November 8, 2010
We come to #6 on our “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers”… the passage of Venus across the solar disk as seen from the Earth, also called the transit of Venus.
While not as striking as a solar eclipse, a transit of Venus is far more rare. It’s happened just seven times since the invention of the telescope more than 400 years ago. The next transit in June 2012 will be our last chance to see this remarkable event. There won’t be another until December 2117.
Here’s what you need to know to cross the transit of Venus off your celestial bucket list…
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November 1, 2010
Stargazers all over the world enjoy the sight of Orion rising in the eastern sky this month. The great celestial hunter fully emerges by 11 p.m. local time, and lifts the bright stars of the season along with it… a welcome sight after the star-poor skies of October.
Along with brighter stars, November holds two respectable meteor showers, and a chance to see a number of bright planets during the night. Grab your optics, bundle up if necessary, and head out to see the night sky. Here are the highlights for this month…
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October 29, 2010
The Moon rises late this weekend as it approaches last quarter. As the shadows fall long across the central meridian of the Moon, this is an excellent time to see the ancient and striking crater Plato, which has tantalized astronomers with rare and unexplained mists and flashes of light on its dark, lava-covered floor. (Note: This article is adapted from our upcoming course Around the Moon in 28 Days: Lunar Observing for Beginners, available next week at Stargazer University.)
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October 22, 2010
While Jupiter is almost always a fine sight for stargazers, this weekend you’ll see the extra spectacle of two shadows moving across the face of the big planet late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The two shadows will be cast by the moons Europa and Ganymede as they pass between Jupiter and the sun. Here’s how to see the event…
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October 19, 2010
Just north of the famed Double Cluster in Perseus, you’ll see the little-known star cluster known as Stock 2. Few have noticed this obscure but striking little group, which looks like a headless stick man pulling a string of blue-white stars from the Double Cluster.
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October 15, 2010
The remarkable variable star Mira approaches peak brightness this month, making it easily visible with the unaided eye from anywhere in the world. The name Mira means “wonderful”. And it is wonderful, exhibiting the largest change in brightness of any star except for novae and supernovae. If you’re keen, you can make your own observations of Mira and contribute to astronomical research.
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October 7, 2010
I’ve had many emails asking about Comet Hartley 2, which passes the Double Cluster in Perseus tonight and tomorrow, making it a little easier to find. While the comet’s brightness is 6th magnitude, its light is spread over a wide area which makes it surprisingly hard to see. Here are a few tips to help you spot it…
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October 1, 2010
Here are the highlights of the sky this month…
Comet Hartley 2
This periodic binocular comet begins the month underneath the “W”-shape of Cassiopeia, then moves into Perseus and Auriga as the month progresses. We’ve been totally clouded out here… so let us know if you see it, or if you have a good image we can share with your fellow subscriber.
Here’s a link to last month’s article, which has a map to help you find Comet Hartley 2.
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September 24, 2010
While looking for Comet Hartley over the next few weeks, remember there are many fine deep-sky sights worth exploring in this part of the sky, including the Double Cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Triangulum Galaxy (the farthest thing you can see with your unaided eye). Amidst this splendor lies the little-known NGC 752, a lovely open star cluster well worth examining with a pair of binoculars.
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September 17, 2010
Today, we turn to the Moon. September 18 marks the first International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN). The event began last year at NASA to celebrate the beginning of the U.S. Lunar Reconnaissance Observer (LRO) satellite mission, which will collect detailed information and images of the lunar environment.
This year, the event goes global to raise public awareness and understanding of the Moon. To see what’s going on with InOMN, and to look for local events, check out the InOMN website here: http://observethemoonnight.org/.
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September 14, 2010
Visit the quaint but noisy tourist town of Key West, Florida, and you’ll have no shortage of things to see. Harry Truman’s “Little White House”. Jimmy Buffet’s Shrimp Boat recording studio. And Ernest Hemingway’s old home, now a museum, conveniently situated near the tall lighthouse that guided the great writer home as he stumbled in a drunken haze from Sloppy Joe’s or the Green Parrot.
As night falls on Key West, a large crowd gathers in Mallory Square at the foot of Whitehead Street. Most are there to browse the tourist shops and see the buskers. But some have come to see the dramatic sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, and a few hope to see a rare and beautiful sight… the fleeting “green flash” of light that appears on the sun’s limb as it vanishes over the horizon… and which comes in at #7 on our Bucket List of celestial sights to see before you die.
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September 2, 2010
Here are a few things to look for in the September sky…
What’s That Bright Star in the East?
No, that’s not the Christmas star come early. It’s Jupiter rising big, bright, and lovely just south of the great square of Pegasus. The planet is much higher for northern observers than it has been for several years, and it lies close to the celestial equator so it’s well placed for observers all over the world. The planet reaches opposition on September 21 and presents a stunning disk that spans some 49 arc-seconds. Which means in a telescope at 40x, Jupiter has an apparent diameter as large as the full Moon appears to the unaided eye (if I did the math right…)
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August 30, 2010
Last week, we examined the odd little asterism called Taurus Poniatowski, an obsolete constellation that’s now part of Ophiuchus. Though this asterism is not in a star-rich region of the Milky Way, it does host a few lovely star clusters. The best among them is called IC4665, a splendid but little-known open cluster that looks stunning in binoculars or a small telescope. Here’s how to see it…
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August 27, 2010
Even a casual look at the night sky south of Hercules reveals a small group of stars that looks like a mad little bull charging east towards the Milky Way. This horned beast is a striking sight, and, frankly, a little unsettling. But it points the way to some lovely star fields that make a lovely sight in binoculars or a small scope.
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August 16, 2010
We recently toured the Coalsack in the Southern Cross, the most famous of the so-called “dark nebulae”. But northern observers have a “coalsack” of their own. Nestled in the wings of Cygnus, the Swan, the “Northern Coalsack” is easily visible with binoculars or the unaided eye in dark skies. Here’s how to find it…
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August 12, 2010
Tonight is the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, also known as “The Tears of St. Lawrence”. And this year, if you have clear skies, the shower will be fine since the Moon is a dim, slender crescent which sets long before the shower peaks after midnight. So look anywhere in the sky and enjoy the show. But if you’ve seen your fill of meteors and the thick star clouds of the Milky Way, turn your eyes directly overhead to see the famous “Cat’s Eye” nebula in the constellation Draco, the Dragon.
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August 9, 2010
Yes, the “great Mars hoax” email is back. Since 2003, the email seems to make rounds at least once a year, claiming Mars will appear as large as the full moon in late August.
Sorry to say, that’s not going to happen. Here’s why you got the email, and what you will really see this month…
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August 6, 2010
Today, we look at two splendid star clusters between the stinger of Scorpius and the “spout” of the teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius. Lovely in a small scope or binoculars, and visible to the unaided eye, Messier 6 and Messier 7 are must-sees for stargazers nearly anywhere in the world, though they are best seen from as far south as possible.
August 2, 2010
Some highlights to look for in the sky this month…
Perseid Meteor Shower
For casual stargazers, the highlight of the month is the fine Perseid meteor shower. This annual event peaks on the nights of August 11-12, when the Earth passes through a stream of particles left over from Comet Swift-Tuttle. In dark sky, you can see many dozens of meteors each hour, especially after midnight as the Earth turns into the stream. And this year, the sky will be dark since the Moon will set long before midnight.
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July 26, 2010
Wedged between the star Acrux and the Jewel Box cluster in the Southern Cross, and extending east into Centaurus and south into Musca, lies the Coalsack, the most prominent and easily observed of the so-called dark nebulae that permeate the the star clouds of the Milky Way like black smoke.
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July 19, 2010
The constellation Crux lies under the hind legs of the much larger constellation Centaurus, and its four bright stars, Acrux, Mimosa, Gacrux, and delta Crucis, mark a kite-like shape about 6 degrees long. Some observers are disappointed at first seeing Crux, because it’s so small. But there are enough fine sights here to last for many nights of patient contemplation. To paraphrase Rainer Maria Rilke, if you are bored by the constellation Crux, you are not yet poet enough to call forth its riches. Let’s take a look…
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July 16, 2010
“… to greet lame the inspired sky
amazed to stumble where gods get lost
beneath the Southern Cross.”
- From the song “Beneath the Southern Cross” by Patti Smith
Dante Alighieri wrote about it. Crosby, Stills, and Nash sang about it. And it’s high on the must-see list of every northern stargazer who travels south of the equator. I’m talking, of course, of the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, the most famous sight of the deep southern sky. Though Crux is the smallest of all 88 constellations, it’s nestled in the thickest star clouds of the southern Milky Way and rich with deep-sky wonders.
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July 7, 2010
If you find yourself under a perfect night sky without a telescope this summer, don’t despair. There’s still lots to see. Here are 10 ideal targets for summer stargazing, sans optiques.
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July 5, 2010
The #10 sight in our Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers was the glittering globular cluster Omega Centauri. For the sight #9, we suggested you spend an evening watching sunrise over the grand lunar crater Copernicus. Today, we present #8 of our celestial sights for all of us to see before we kick the bucket: a total eclipse of the sun.
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July 2, 2010
Here are a few lovely celestial sights to see in the night sky this month.
Planet Alignment at Sunset
For most of July, look for a dramatic alignment of bright planets and stars in the southwestern sky at sunset. On July 1-2, you’ll see lined up a diagonal line extending some 40 degrees the planet Venus, the star Regulus in Leo, Mars, Saturn, and the star Spica in Virgo.
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June 28, 2010
If you’re traveling on vacation over the next couple of months, why not skip the usual tourist destinations and tend to your interest in the night sky? There are many fascinating destinations for stargazers, and if you’re lucky enough to find yourself near one of the following five landmarks, try to stop in for a few hours. There’s enough to grab the interest of nearly any astronomy buff.
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June 23, 2010
At star parties this time of year, I’m often asked about the bright, flickering, red star rising over the southeastern horizon after sunset: “Is that Mars”?
No, not Mars. It’s the dazzling red supergiant Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and one of the brightest stars embedded in the sweeping arc of the Milky Way. It’s beautiful from the northern hemisphere, and even more dazzling from the south, where it lies almost directly overhead for the next month or two.
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June 15, 2010
The #10 sight on our “Bucket List” for backyard stargazer was the dazzling globular cluster Omega Centauri, which hovers high overhead in the southern night sky this time of year.
Today, we move on to sight #9, one of the most moving and dynamic scenes you’ll ever see in a small telescope: the sun slowly rising over one of the Moon’s most spectacular craters.
And you can see it from anywhere on Earth once you know how, when, and where to look.
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June 8, 2010
We mentioned this on our Facebook page a few hours after it happened. But if you haven’t heard, Jupiter was whacked last week by a stray comet or asteroid.
And this time, the impact was caught live on video. Here’s what it looked like…
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June 3, 2010
If you’re up before sunrise on a clear night over the next two weeks, you’ll get a chance to see a comet ambling across the midsummer sky. It won’t be a dazzler, but it’s not everyday you see a visitor from the deep reaches of the solar system. And like many comets, this one may be unpredictable and brighten unexpectedly, putting on a good show for early risers at mid month.
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June 1, 2010
Overview
This month brings good news and bad news for stargazers.
The good news: All seven major planets are visible this month, as well as a bright “dwarf planet” that grazes the lovely Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. Even better… the star-sparse skies of spring give way to the brighter summer stars and the deep-sky delights of the Milky Way that arcs overhead after midnight.
The bad news: the long days of June mean the stars aren’t visible until after 10-11 p.m. local time in northern latitudes. And at 50ºN or higher, the sky never truly gets dark, since the sun dips only 16.5º or less below the horizon on June 21. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets at this time of year.
Of course, this is all reversed for observers in the southern hemisphere. The cool first days of a southern winter mean long, dark nights and excellent views towards the center of the Milky Way and the thick star clouds of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius.
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May 26, 2010
We begin our bucket list for backyard stargazers with the dazzling star cluster Omega Centauri. Found in the deep southern sky, this globular cluster is an easy target for southern-hemisphere observers from March through October. But in May and early June, some northern stargazers get their best chance to spot the cluster as it peeks just above the southern horizon.
And it’s well worth a look. So breathtaking is this swirling mass of stars in a small telescope that astronomy writer Stephen James O’Meara says “observing Omega Centauri is like peering into the working mind of the Creator.”
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May 26, 2010
Stroll through most bookstores and you see them on the shelves… thick books full of a thousand fascinating places to see before you die. Or pieces of great music to listen to. Or exotic things to eat, or exhilarating things to do.
All worthy activities, no doubt.
But we want to think bigger.
So over the next several weeks, we present our totally subjective list of ten celestial sights to see before you die, or “kick the bucket”, as they say. We call it the “Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers”.
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May 24, 2010
The constellation Leo is one of the few star patterns on which ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Indian astronomers agreed: they all saw a great celestial Lion ushering in the start of spring. With its bright stars and unmistakable sickle-shape, Leo is a magnificent sight with nearly no end of delights for stargazers in both hemispheres.
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May 14, 2010
This weekend brings a lovely conjunction of the planet Venus and the slender crescent Moon in the western sky at sunset. And if you’re lucky, you may see the ISS drift by along with a special guest… the space shuttle Atlantis.
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May 11, 2010
As its cycle of activity finally begins to build, you’ll find more to see on (and around ) our sun. Perhaps the most beautiful of all solar phenomena is the prominence… a massive outburst of material from the sun’s limb that extends hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space. With the right optical tools, you can see these amazing events from your backyard. They look like slow-moving flickering flames on the edge of the sun.
And here’s the best part: when you observe the sun, you can “stargaze”– in the daytime– without losing a minute of sleep.
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May 2, 2010
Overview
May brings the fringe benefits of stargazing. Rich smells of new leaves and lush green grass. Warmer nights, unburdened by winter’s frost or summer’s insects and humidity. And the slow build of birdsong that greets early-morning stargazers who steal a preview of the summer stars, or perhaps a glimpse of Jupiter as it rises before the sun in the eastern sky.
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April 27, 2010
Our sun has been unexpectedly quiet these past few years. Where there should be increasing sunspot number and solar flare activity, in line with the well-known 11-year solar cycle, there’s been not much of anything. Which has puzzled scientists.
But over the last few months, astronomers have observed more sunspot and prominence activity. So it looks like the sun is finally waking up.
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April 22, 2010
A little further along the constellation Hydra, you’ll find a dying sun gently blowing its outer layers into interstellar space. The great William Herschel, who discovered this nebula known as NGC 3242, noted its resemblance in size and shape to the planet Jupiter. But if you look at it carefully, you’ll find it takes on many other shapes and patterns, including that of a logo well known to American TV viewers…
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April 16, 2010
Like many constellations this time of year, Hydra contains mostly galaxies. The venerable Burnham’s Celestial Handbook lists some 60 galaxies in this long constellation. But most are dim… less than magnitude 12 and quite hard to see with scope smaller than 10″. And since Hydra sports few bright stars, many casual observers pass by Hydra in search of better sights.
Which is unfortunate. Because there are a few memorable bright deep-sky objects nestled in the great sky serpent. One of the prettiest is the oft-overlooked open star cluster M48. This cluster, along with M44 and M67 in Cancer just 10 degrees north, make for a pleasant short observing session on an April weekend with binoculars or a small scope.
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April 12, 2010
Over the next few weeks we’ll veer off the spring ecliptic, below the constellations Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Libra, to examine the deep-sky delights of the constellation Hydra, which stretches across a quarter of the night sky. Today, a quick tour of the constellation, and look at a lovely double star in the head of this celestial beast.
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April 8, 2010
An inspiring trip to the planet Saturn, courtesy of the Cassini spacecraft and mission scientist Dr. Carolyn Porco. You’ll see an incredible photo album of Saturn and its moons, and tour the most mysterious moon, Titan, with its lakes of liquid hydrocarbons. See the images from the Huygens probe, the first human-built space probe to land in the outer solar system. These are the results of human exploration at its best. The mainstream newspapers don’t do these missions justice. Watch this and you’ll get goosebumps. Then wander out and see Saturn for yourself…
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April 2, 2010
Overview
In mid-December about six years ago, your publisher rode in a taxi to a meeting in suburban Dallas, Texas. My young taxi driver hadn’t met many Canadians before, and he was curious about the legendary Canadian winters. “So when does the snow finally melt in Canada”, he asked as he sipped his coffee. I told him it was usually gone by, oh, about mid-April. He nearly choked on his coffee. “Snow until April? Whoa… that’s harsh, man. That’s harsh!!”
Indeed.
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March 30, 2010
Upon seeing Saturn through a telescope, many first-time observers ask, “Is it real?”
Oh, it’s real alright. And Saturn is primed for viewing this month and next. So whether you’re starting out in astronomy or you’re a wizened observer with decades of experience, here are a few pointers to help you get the best view of this exquisite planet. Continue Reading »
March 26, 2010
As couple weeks ago, we went through the basics of binoculars for astronomy. Today, some plain advice on how to choose a good pair of binoculars, and possibly save a bunch of money in the process.
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March 23, 2010
The planet Saturn reached opposition this past weekend, rising as the sun sets and making its closest approach to Earth this year. The planet saunters across Virgo over the next few weeks: it’s the brightest object between the stars Porrima in Virgo and Denebola in Leo. This image shows you, roughly, where it is right now. Take a look if you can. Saturn is truly one of the prettiest sights you can see with a telescope.
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March 20, 2010
As the weather moderates and northern observers emerge from hibernation this time of year, the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog, is ideal for exploring an hour or two after sunset. In this part of the sky, as you look along the Orion Arm of the Milky Way, you’ll find many fine open clusters and star fields. It’s well worth a look with binoculars or a small telescope, or even with your unaided eye on a dark early spring night.
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March 12, 2010
A good pair of binoculars gives you grab-and-go convenience on nights when you don’t have much time to observe. Binoculars give you an expansive view of the sky, let you see in “3D” with both eyes, and cost far less than a telescope. Even a modest pair lets you see as many as 100,000 stars, hundreds of star clusters and nebula, supernovae remnants, and dozens of galaxies.
Some find the features and specifications of binoculars a little confusing. So here are the basics you need to know to understand and use a decent pair.
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March 2, 2010
Overview
March is a “change over” month for the night sky. The bright stars of the northern winter move westward and give way to the star-sparse nights of March, April, and May. That’s because we’re starting to look out of the plane of the Milky Way and into intergalactic space. So we see fewer stars and nebulae and open star clusters, but more galaxies become visible, especially those of the Virgo cluster and smaller collections like the M81 and Leo groups.
And of course, the seasons change this month. The southern hemisphere begins fall and the northern hemisphere begins spring on March 20 at 17:32 UT. At this time, the sun sits at the point where the celestial equator and ecliptic meet. All points on the Earth receive an equal amount of sunlight, hence the term “equinox”, or “equal nights”.
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February 26, 2010
If you have a little time for stargazing this week, check out the tiny constellation Lepus just south of the great hunter Orion. Often overlooked for more famous constellations, Lepus, the Hare, holds two delightful objects worth examining with a small scope or binoculars.
There are many legends of how Lepus came to be among the stars.
The Roman writer Hyginus wrote of a man who brought hares to the island of Leros to raise them for food. A few escaped, and before long the island was overrun with voracious rabbits who consumed crops and caused a famine among the human population. The hares were eventually driven out, but the inhabitants placed Lepus among the stars as a reminder of their experience.
The poor celestial hare forever runs from the Big Dog, Canis Major. Perhaps that’s why he’s cowering in the hopes of a little protection at the feet of the great hunter.
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February 15, 2010
The idea of “Men from Mars” has been with us for more than a century now, thanks to writers like H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs. And movies like “Mars Attacks” and “War of the Worlds” are good fun. But what’s the real story of the search for life on Mars? Today we tell the tale of the search for life on the Red Planet…
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February 11, 2010
Let’s have a little fun today with an animated trip to Mars. This video shows… in amazingly realistic detail… the journey of the Mars Exploration Rover mission in 2003. The two Rovers… Spirit and Opportunity… were supposed to operate for just 90 Martian days during their mission to look for signs of water and life-friendly geological processes. But they’re both still going strong.
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February 8, 2010
You can see many things when you look at Mars through a small telescope, but you can’t see its two puny moons, Phobos and Deimos. Few have ever seen these moons directly. Even the largest scopes show them as faint points of light. But they’re there, and recent space probes have snapped close-up images of these potato-shaped satellites as they zip and wobble around the red planet.
In an odd way, the presence of Mars’s moons was predicted more than two centuries before they were discovered in 1877.
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February 1, 2010
Overview
An anniversary this month: 80 years ago, the young astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the (former) planet Pluto at Lowell Observatory after a year of grinding, diligent work.
Through most of 1929 and early 1930, Tombaugh photographed and analyzed hundreds of star fields along the ecliptic from Cancer to Gemini in search of “Planet X”. Tombaugh planned to start his search in Gemini, but the full moon was in the way. So he started just next door, in the constellation Cancer, and worked his way all the way around the sky back to Gemini a year later.
Turns out Pluto was in Gemini after all. It seems Murphy’s Law applies to the heavens as well.
Now for this month’s sky. If you liked January, then you’ll like February even more…
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January 28, 2010
If you have clear sky this week, try to get outside to take a look at Mars. While the Red Planet never easily reveals its surface features, this week’s view is a good as you’ll get for a while: the planet won’t get this close again until 2012.
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January 25, 2010
Mars swings to within 99 million kilometers of our fair planet this week, making its closest approach until 2012. Get your telescope out, or simply look up and gaze at the steady orange-red glow of the Red Planet. It rises in the east in the constellation Cancer just after sunset. You can’t miss it. At magnitude -1.3, Mars almost shines as bright as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
Later this week, we’ll give you some tips for observing Mars. Today, we have a few facts and figures about this fascinating world.
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January 13, 2010
In our last article, we looked at the Hyades star cluster. Today, in the spirit of next month’s Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, we present three pairs of stars in the Hyades to test your visual acuity. Give these pairs a try on an upcoming clear night. And if you can resolve them with your unaided eye, then, well, give yourself a medal!
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January 8, 2010
Many constellations host tiny open star clusters. But a only a few constellations find themselves completely dominated by the bright stars of a single nearby open cluster.
Coma Berenices is one example. So is the Ursa Major Major Moving Group, a star cluster which includes the innermost five stars of the Big Dipper.
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January 2, 2010
Overview
If the weather forecasts are accurate, the new year will greet the One-Minute Astronomer with five days of snowfall. So there’ll be no stargazing for us, though we will enjoy a little cross-country skiing.
If you’re starting 2010 under better sky than we are, then you have much to see. This time of year brings drier and more transparent air in the northern hemisphere. That means you’ll get excellent views of the stars of the Milky Way, extending across the constellations Perseus, Auriga, Orion, and south into Canis Major. The Milky extends through the southern skies into Carina, Vela, and Norma, and eventually into Sagittarius.
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December 21, 2009
Like clouds floating overhead on a summer afternoon, celestial nebulae often take on shapes and names of well known earthly sights, objects, and even places.
There are, for example, the “Heart” Nebula, the “Ring” Nebula, the “Dumbbell” Nebula, the “North American” Nebula, and dozens of others.
But the California Nebula in the northern constellation Perseus is one of the most aptly-named emission nebula, bearing an uncanny resemblance to one of my favourite U.S. states. While this emission nebula is lovely in photographs, it’s quite faint and difficult to see visually. But the dark, dry skies of winter offer you a good chance to see this “stately” nebula with binoculars, and even your unaided eye.
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December 15, 2009
Let’s turn skyward once again, this time to the deep southern constellation of Carina. Here, along the edge of the southern Milky Way, star clusters stick out like dandelions in a spring field. Many clusters are visible here to the naked eye or binoculars. One the prettiest is NGC 2516, also called the “Southern Beehive” after its resemblance to the northern Beehive star cluster, M44, in the constellation Cancer.
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December 3, 2009
Despite the colder weather, the constellation Orion is always a welcome sight this time of year. The great mythical hunter bounds over the eastern horizon shield-first not long after sunset, facing Taurus, the angry V-shaped celestial bull with its glowing red eye, the star Aldebaran. Because of its location in the plane of the Milky Way, this constellation is full of enough fascinating sights for an entire winter of stargazing. To quote from our own Binocular Tour of the Night Sky:
“To the naked eye, to binoculars, and to the telescope, Orion is a gold mine of wonders. This great constellation embraces almost every variety of interesting phenomena that the heavens contain. Here we have the grandest of the nebulae, some of the largest and most beautifully colored stars, starstreams, star-clusters, nebulous stars, variable stars.”
If the first seasonal appearance of mighty Orion fails to stir your imagination, it may be time to turn in your telescope. But not this year, I hope.
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November 29, 2009
The bright December stars are wheeling into view this week, along with a few bright planets later in the evening. We’ll post our regular “What’s Up This Month” article in the next few days.
Meanwhile, we’ve posted videos 8-14 of the “How To Choose A Telescope” series. These videos give you the basics of telescope mounts and essential accessories like finder scopes and eyepieces. You can see these videos here:
http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/choose-telescope-video-series/
We’ll post the remaining six videos over the next week.
November 27, 2009
This is long past due… some good advice on how to choose a good telescope for astronomy. Today, we present the first seven of a series of twenty videos on how to select a good telescope and accessories. It’s produced by Anacortes Telescope in Washington state, and it’s the best introduction to selecting a telescope we’ve seen.
You can check out the first seven videos here:
http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/choose-telescope-video-series/
We’ll post the remaining videos over the next week or two.
November 9, 2009
Last week, we toured a few lovely star clusters in Cassiopeia. Truth is, there’s so much to see in this part of the sky, we just have to share two more sights in this part of the sky…
But first, we admit a mistake in the last article, alas. The star beta Cassiopeii is called Caph, while alpha Cass is called Shedir. We got them backwards in our last article (thanks to our dedicated subscriber F.P. for pointing this out).
Onwards…
If you have reasonably dark skies, and even a 3-4 inch scope, try to spot the emission nebula NGC 281 (shown just near alpha Cass in this map. An OIII or UHC filter is a big help, especially if you’re up against some light pollution.
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November 5, 2009
For northern observers, November and December are the best months to explore the lovely constellation Cassiopeia. High overhead this time of year, this W-shaped constellation is situated in the plane of the Milky Way, so it’s full of bright stars and enough open star clusters to fill many nights of pleasant observation, either with binoculars or a small telescope.
In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia. She was beautiful but vain, and boasted she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than all the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus. Poseidon, the main sea god, did not take kindly to this boast and threatened to flood the kingdom of Ethiopia.
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November 1, 2009
The evening sky is fairly sparse this time of year, with few prominent foreground stars and fewer bright star clusters and nebulae. After sunset, a few summer constellations like Lyra and Cygnus linger in the west. The bright star Capella twinkles madly in the northeast, and slowly wheels higher after midnight. The lovely constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia lead Capella high overhead. And well past midnight, you’ll see the bright winter constellations rising in the east, including the unmistakable shape of Orion, with Taurus and the Pleiades leading the way.
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October 23, 2009
As Jupiter lingers in Capricorn this month, why not take a few minutes to step outside into the crisp fall air (or warm spring air if you’re south of the equator) and take a look at the big planet’s four largest moons?
“Oh, I’ve seen them many times before”, you say. “They’re getting a little boring to look at.”
Boring? Come now. When you begin to tire of the beautiful sights in the night sky, it’s time to fire up your imagination. As you look at Jupiter’s four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, you might consider all the areas of art and science these four moons have influenced over the centuries.
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October 19, 2009
We’re mostly visual observers here at One-Minute Astronomer, but we do get questions about how to take images of celestial objects. And with Jupiter hovering in the southwest sky these days, many readers want to know how to take a decent picture of the clouds, zones, and Great Red Spot of the big planet.
If you’re keen to image Jupiter, I have good news and bad news.
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October 15, 2009
The moon is a thin waning crescent today, which means the night sky over the next week will be dark and ideal for viewing galaxies in Pegasus, Andromeda, and Triangulum. But there’s another spectacle this week… the Orionid meteor shower. And if the experts are right, this year’s Orionids will put on a fine show.
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October 12, 2009
Subscriber R.B. asks, “All I have is binoculars, 10×50, with a 5.5 deg field of view. What could I expect to see?”
The answer is, of course, quite a lot.
With a 5.5 degree field-of-view, R.B.’s 10×50 binoculars show a patch of sky as wide as four fingers held at arms length. That’s a good wide field, ideal for viewing many things at once.
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October 8, 2009
Subscriber E.D. writes, “I wonder if you can help me get a better view of Jupiter. I have a 10” reflector and with a 5mm eyepiece, so I get 240 X magnification of Jupiter and very good resolution. What I lack is contrast. I can see the planet quite large and see the cloud bands, but the red spot is very difficult to see. I’ve tried a blue filter but it’s just very difficult to discern. Do you have any advice for making the red spot really pop out?”
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October 5, 2009
I miss Arthur C. Clarke. He died more than 18 months ago at age 90, but the great science-fiction writer left more than 30 novels and dozens of short stories that described a mostly optimistic vision of mankind’s exploration of space and his responsible use of technology. His most famous work, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was made into what many consider the best science fiction movie of all time.
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October 1, 2009
We have several orders of astronomical business today…
First, two celestial events to mark in your calendar for the next couple of weeks…
On the morning of October 9, at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (11:30 Universal Time), the upper stage of a Centaur rocket will purposefully crash into the crater Cabeus near the south pole of the moon. Four minutes later, a second probe will fly through the dredged-up lunar debris and analyze the material for signs of water. This event is part of NASA’s LCROSS mission (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) to look for water on the surface of the moon. Such water might supply future manned lunar expeditions with drinking water, and allow the fabrication of rocket fuel for missions further into the solar system.
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September 24, 2009
Our article last week about the zodiacal light resulted in quite a few emails. Seems that many of our readers can see this light, although some didn’t know what it was.
And some of you asked if it’s possible to photograph zodiacal light. In fact, this sight is not too hard to photograph with a simple camera and lens, although taking good astrophotos is a little different than daytime shots. If you’re interested in basic astrophotography with a digital camera, here’s a resource to help you get up to speed quickly…
Now, to today’s business… this one is a little longer than usual, but I think you’ll find it interesting…
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September 22, 2009
“I don’t understand it. It should be right there in the eyepiece. But I can’t see a thing.”
GB was struggling. I could just barely see him in the faint glow of the sky, about 20 feet away. He was holding a little star atlas, his gaze sweeping back and forth across southwestern sky.
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September 18, 2009
“Before the phantom of False morning died,
Methought a Voice within the Tavern cried,
When all the Temple is prepared within,
Why nods the drowsy Worshiper outside?”
- from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam
The “false morning” in this 900-year-old passage by the Persian poet and astronomer is not a dreamy literary invention, but a real astronomical phenomenon called the “zodiacal light”. Appearing as a faint, eerie glow before sunrise or after sunset, the zodiacal light has likely been seen by stargazers since since antiquity. And it’s well positioned for viewing over the next month or so by observers in both hemispheres.
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September 16, 2009
In the mid 19th-century, after many years of diligent solar observation, the German astronomer Samuel Schwabe noticed the number of sunspots visible on the sun’s disk rises and falls in nearly regular 11-year cycle.
In peak years of the cycle, he found, there were spots visible on the sun most days, and hundreds of spots and groups of spots during the course of a year.
In lean years, roughly 5.5 years after the peak, there were weeks or months when astronomers saw not a single sunspot, with fewer than a dozen spots observed during the year.
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September 11, 2009
In two earlier issues, you learned how to observe the sun (and more importantly, how not to observe the sun).
But why bother observing the sun? What is there to see on our home star?
The answer is… not much. At least right now, though this will likely change very soon. As we’ll explain in coming issues, the sun is strangely quiet this year, which has astronomers deeply puzzled. But most expect the sun will get back to its old self soon enough and generate a number of dazzling sights for observers on Earth.
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August 31, 2009
Jupiter’s moons are at it again.
Last week, on August 26-27, you had a chance to see a double shadow on the face of Jupiter, cast by Ganymede and Europa. I had the good fortune to see this event, and it was a splendid sight (though I’m still paying for the sleep deprivation… a busy schedule makes it hard for your humble publisher to catch up on sleep).
But this week, on September 2-3, you’ll see the extraordinary sight of Jupiter with NO moons. Ganymede and Europa will once again pass in front of the giant planet, while Io and Callisto will pass behind Jupiter from our point of view, making it nearly impossible to visually detect any moons around Jupiter.
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August 27, 2009
I hope you had a chance to see two of the moons of Jupiter cast their shadows on the face of the giant planet last night. I fought sleep and took my telescope outside to catch the show, and it did not disappoint. Even in my little 4-inch refractor, I could easily see the shadows of Europa and Ganymede. And I saw a third small dark spot I’ve yet to explain. Did anyone else see that third spot? Whatever it was, it was all a lovely sight.
There are more cosmic rendezvous to come this week. On Saturday morning, Mars plays tag with the lovely open cluster M35 in Gemini just before dawn.
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August 20, 2009
If my time was fast running out on this earth and I had but one night left for stargazing, I’d have to spend some of my final hours studying the celestial riches of Scorpius and Sagittarius. These grand starry regions, which lie in the direction of the center of the Milky Way, hold a treasure chest of celestial wonders unmatched anywhere else in the sky.
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August 7, 2009
In 258 A.D., to distract the masses from constant war under his reign, the Roman emperor Valerian ordered the merciless execution of dozens of leaders of the Catholic church. Among those martyred was one of the seven deacons of Rome, Laurentius, just 33 years old. The Roman authorities, rarely subtle, tortured Laurentius by roasting him alive on an iron stove. Though doomed, Laurentius taunted his captors and cried out, “I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other.”
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August 3, 2009
Something strange is circling a bright star in the constellation Auriga, and over the next many months, you can see its effect for yourself.
And if you’re really keen, you can make your own observations of this star and contribute to the science of astronomy.
The star in question is called epsilon Aurigae, in the constellation Auriga. Unlike most strange stars, epsilon is easily visible to the unaided eye. (You’ll find it on page 28 of the sky tour of Auriga in Stargazing for Beginners: A Binocular Tour of the Night Sky). And you should have no trouble following the eclipse as it begins this month to dim the star by a factor of two over the rest of 2009, from magnitude 3.0 to 3.8.
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July 28, 2009
Yes, the “great Mars hoax” email is back. Since 2003, the email seems to make rounds at least once a year, claiming Mars will appear as large as the full moon in late August.
Sorry to say, that’s not going to happen.
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July 24, 2009
Last Monday marked the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, an event schoolkids will read about a thousand years from now, after most of the trivia and follies of the 20th century have turned to dust.
There were just 66 years between the first flight of the Wright brother’s wood-and-cloth glider with a strapped-on 30 horsepower engine to the 3,300 ton Saturn V rocket that carried Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon. The event still staggers the imagination.
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July 14, 2009
With all the talk of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, I’m reminded of a question I get at least once a month:
“If there is no air on the Moon and the lunar sky is black even in daylight, why can’t we see any stars in the photographs taken by the Apollo astronauts?”
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July 7, 2009
No question, the hard science of astronomy enriches our view of the night sky, and tells us the ‘what’, and the ‘why’ of what we see. But the ancient star legends from cultures all over the world still capture our attention and connect us with the long line of humanity passed, those who gazed on (roughly) the same sky as we do, and had the same fears and guarded hopes as we do in our so-called modern age.
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July 3, 2009
Not sure what the weather’s like where you are, but here in eastern Canada, the only observing we get to do is observing the underside of clouds. But clouds don’t stay forever. And when they clear there’ll be much to see in the star-rich skies of northern summer, especially the nebulae and star clusters along the Milky Way from Cygnus through Sagittarius and on into the southern sky.
This month also marks the 40th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin landed a tiny tin-can of a spacecraft on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility and went on a 2-hour walkabout. It was an amazing achievement.
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June 7, 2009
So enough talk about planetary nebulae and white dwarfs. Let’s see one. Deep in the southern sky in Centaurus lies the “Blue Planetary”, cataloged as NGC 3918, and one of the brightest planetaries in the southern sky. Its blue-green color makes it look like the planet Uranus or Neptune.
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June 2, 2009
As June arrives, the galaxy fields of spring slowly give way to the beautiful overhead arc of the Milky Way. On June 6, a nearly-full Moon passes in front of a bright red supergiant star in Scorpius. All planets are visible this month, though only Saturn is found in the evening sky.
For observers in the northern hemisphere, the sun lies high in the sky during the day and not far below the horizon at night, which makes for long twilight and short nights. Summer arrives at 5:46 GMT on June 21. But the days now– slowly at first– start getting shorter. (Of course, it’s the other way around for observers in the southern hemisphere).
Life is busy, I know. But try to get out to enjoy a few moments of stargazing. Let a few rays of ancient starlight strike your eye and incite your imagination.
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May 22, 2009
Since you’ve been looking under the Dipper’s handle these last two issues, let’s try one more short tour of the area for the sake of efficiency. Today, two “challenge objects”, both galaxies, that will test your optics, your sky, and… perhaps your patience.
(Note… these last three issues were for northerners only. We haven’t forgotten about you in the southern hemisphere… we’ll tour a patch of southern sky in the near future.)
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May 18, 2009
Not far from Cor Caroli and La Superba, which we saw in the last issue, you’ll find three far more distant objects: the spiral galaxies M94, M63, and the famous Whirlpool galaxy M51. Here’s part two of our tour of the sky under the Dipper’s handle.
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May 10, 2009
Though it lacks the opulent wonders of winter, the northern spring sky holds sights that are far more subtle and well worth exploring. Today, the first part of a tour under the handle of the Big Dipper, where you’ll discover a fine double star and a strange poppy-red carbon star burning off the last of its nuclear fuel.
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May 5, 2009
Our own Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are the largest of the forty members of the Local Group of galaxies, all held together by mutual gravitational attraction. But the Local Group is puny compared to the massive Virgo Cluster, home to as many as 2,000 galaxies spread across our sky between the stars Denebola in Leo and Vindemiatrix in Virgo. Dozens of these galaxies are visible from your backyard.
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May 1, 2009
Galaxies and planets are on the menu this month. All planets are visible (even Pluto), though not at the same time. Saturn presents the finest view for small telescopes as it hovers under Leo. And those of you with a good-sized telescope and dark sky can hop the galaxy fields of Virgo, between the stars Denebola in Leo and Vindemiatrix in Virgo to see the nearest major cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way (more on that in the next issue). Also, in mid-month, if you get up early you can see a double transit of Jupiter…
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April 24, 2009
While its name sounds like a disease you’d catch after a weekend of incautious living, iota Cancri (pronounced “eye-OH-tah KAN-kree”) is actually a pretty double star in the northern part of the constellation Cancer, the Crab. This pair is easy to separate and striking in a small telescope, which makes it a pleasant diversion for those gazing at the nearby “Beehive” cluster.
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April 21, 2009
A springtime beauty, Messier 44 or (also called the Praesepe or “Beehive” star cluster) is easily visible to the naked eye as a misty cloud. Its true nature and striking beauty are revealed only with help of binoculars or rich-field telescope. But because of its mysterious appearance to the unaided eye, the Japanese had a more ghoulish interpretation of this lovely star cluster.
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April 15, 2009
This time of year, in the rich star fields of the deep southern constellation Carina, you’ll find numerous sights to hold your attention. Today we tour the Theta Carinae cluster, also called the “Southern Pleiades” because of its astronomical resemblance to the famed northern star cluster M45 in Taurus.
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April 11, 2009
One of the brightest stars of the storied Southern Cross isn’t a star at all, but splendid cluster of young stars aptly called the “Jewel Box”. This star cluster, one of the treasures of the southern sky, is unforgettable in a small telescope.
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April 1, 2009
There’s good news and bad news as March turns to April and a long winter finally fades.
The bad news: the spring sky has nowhere near as many bright deep-sky objects for small telescopes as winter, at least for northern-hemisphere observers.
The good news? All five bright planets are visible this month, so you still have lots of observing to do. And if you have a 6 to 8-inch or larger scope and dark sky, this is a great time of year to go hunting for faint deep-sky fuzzies in the galaxy fields of Leo, Virgo, and Ursa Major. Continue Reading »
March 26, 2009
A modest but unusually attractive open star cluster in Canis Major, NGC2362 hosts some of the youngest-known stars, some of which are still contracting and settling onto the main sequence. This open cluster contains many faint stars centered on the bright star tau Canis Majoris; in a telescope, the cluster looks like a large diamond set among many smaller blue-white gems. Very pretty.
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March 15, 2009
Two weeks ago, a small asteroid passed within just 72,000 km of Earth. Moving at thousands of kilometers an hour, this rocky piece of space debris, some 20-50 m across, was large enough to cause significant damage had it hit our planet. Here’s a video of the asteroid as it passed by…
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March 9, 2009
A superb object for small telescopes, the open star cluster Messier 35 in Gemini ranks as one of the most beautiful objects in the heavens. Even a modest scope reveals curved strands of stars twisting about a sparse central region, like bursting fireworks on a dark summer night.
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March 1, 2009
The nights grow warmer this month as the stars of spring finally wheel into view. Along with the seasonal beauties like M35, M44, and the galaxy fields of Leo and Virgo, this month treats us to a spectacular view of Saturn and Venus. And Comet Lulin is still bright enough to see in binoculars, while in a telescope it looks like a fuzzy “apple on a stick” as it swings past the sun and begins its journey into interstellar space.
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February 27, 2009
Comet Lulin zips across the night sky this week, having made its closest approach to the Sun and Earth. You still have time to get a good view of this strange comet before it slowly dims and the waxing Moon brightens the sky. Lulin is easily visible in binoculars or telescope, and may be visible with the naked eye as a faint, fuzzy star in very dark skies . Whether you’re in the city or under dark sky, this comet is easily visible and well worth a look.
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February 20, 2009
We recently looked at Castor, the second brightest star in Gemini and a fine multiple star. Not far away, you’ll find the remnants of a dying star, the beautiful planetary nebula NGC 2392. This is one of the youngest-known planetary nebula– only 1,000 years old— and it’s easily visible in a small telescope, even in city skies. In photographs, this nebula looks a bit like a clown’s face; it also resembles the hooded face of a person wearing a parka, so it’s sometimes called the “Eskimo Nebula”
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February 6, 2009
The sky darkens early in winter, so it’s a great time to get outside with the kids for a little stargazing before bedtime. But what to see? Here are 5 objects primed for viewing in February and March that are easy for kids to see with binoculars or telescope, or even with the naked eye.
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February 3, 2009
In the depths of winter, when the sky is dark and the air is cold, you may wish to try shorter observing sessions early in the evening. Here are two fine multiple stars that, along with the multiple star sigma Orionis are ideal for a quick look on a cold night.
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February 1, 2009
There’s lots to see this month. Orion, Auriga, Taurus, and Gemini dominate the northern and parts of the southern sky, while deep-southern stargazers have both Sirius and the second brightest star in the sky, Canopus, almost directly overhead. But the highlight is a strange new comet that may be visible to the naked eye in dark sky and will certainly present a fine view in binoculars or telescope.
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January 27, 2009
Perhaps the finest multiple star in the sky visible to both northern and southern observers, sigma Orionis is a system of five stars, four of which are visible in a small telescope. The brightest star of this group is one of the most luminous known and will one day expire, like many stars in Orion, in a spectacular supernova explosion.
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January 16, 2009
As beautiful an object as you will ever see in the night sky, the Orion Nebula is a blister of glowing gas set alight by blazing new stars. This nebula is just a small part of the vast star-making machinery in our own Orion Arm of the Milky Way that offers many wondrous sights for backyard observers. The Orion Nebula is one of the finest sights in all of nature: the birth of a cluster of new stars out of a dark cloud of interstellar gas and dust.
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January 12, 2009
Four degrees due south of Sirius, you’ll find the fine open star cluster M41. With a mix of hot blue-white stars and a few red giants, this cluster presents a range of contrasting color and brightness. In dark skies, you can see Messier 41 with the naked eye. But it looks best at low power in a modest telescope or pair of binoculars. It’s primed for viewing in the late evening this time of year.
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January 2, 2009
Happy new year, dear reader, and welcome to 2009. This is a special year for you because UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union have designated 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. All over the world, you’ll find a number of special events and celebrations, including webcasts, live broadcasts from observatories, blogs from professional astronomers, and public star parties to encourage as many people as possible to experience the thrill of looking through a telescope at the night sky. You’ll find more information at the international website or your national IYA website.
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December 16, 2008
The tiny northern constellation Triangulum contains the gorgeous face-on spiral galaxy M33, also called the Pinwheel Galaxy. At 3 million light-years away, M33 is a next-door neighbor of the Milky Way. Under dark skies it’s visible without telescope or binoculars. This makes M33 the most distant object you can see with your unaided eye.
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December 1, 2008
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the sky darkens early and deeply this time of year. We can get a full night of observing in and still get to sleep at a decent time. But don’t envy us, you in the southern hemisphere, because it’s getting cold here and the long-term forecast is for a tough winter. I’ve never enjoyed Christmas in the southern summer before. But after forty-four Canadian winters, I’m starting to think it might be nice to give one a try.
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November 28, 2008
Many amateur astronomers, including me, believe observers in the southern hemisphere enjoy a better collection of fine objects for small telescopes. But there are treasures in the northern skies, too, and one of the finest for a small telescope is the Double Cluster in Perseus. This sparkling cluster, which is among the youngest known in the galaxy, presents a rich array of scintillating giant stars of contrasting colors.
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November 14, 2008
We’ve looked at 47 Tucanae, a jewel of an object accessible only to observers in the southern hemisphere. Today… Messier 15, a dense globular visible from parts of the south but best positioned for those north of the equator. The extreme concentration of stars near the center of this cluster suggests the presence of a black hole formed billions of years ago.
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November 7, 2008
Not far from the Andromeda Galaxy, you’ll find the fine but overlooked spiral galaxy NGC 7331. Unlike Andromeda, which spans so much sky its hard to take in at once in a telescope, the delicate spiral arms of NGC 7331 fit nicely into a single field of view at moderate magnification. And if you have a good-sized scope, just to the southwest you might glimpse in a single field of view a fascinating quintet of galaxies some 300 million light years from Earth.
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November 4, 2008
Algol, the second brightest star in the northern constellation Perseus, is a beautiful example of an eclipsing variable star. While the ancients were frightened by Algol… its name comes from the Arabic “al Ghul” meaning “The Demon”… it’s a beautiful example of two stars revolving about each other in a rhythmic gravitational dance. And you can see it from your backyard. No telescope required.
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October 31, 2008
Mira, in the constellation Cetus, is a strange pulsating variable star that fades in and out of view every 11 months. The name Mira means “wonderful”; this star exhibits the largest change in brightness except for novae and supernovae. If you’re keen, you can make your own observations of Mira and contribute to astronomical research.
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October 24, 2008
Today, a fine globular cluster. It’s not the brightest, it’s not the biggest, but it may very well be the prettiest. 47 Tucanae lies deep in the southern skies and, in a perfect world, is something we should all see through a telescope at least once in our lives.
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October 14, 2008
Today, a small open star cluster visible from most parts of the world that will take your breath away. Set in the most star-rich section of the Milky Way and surrounded by dark nebulae that look like holes in space itself, the “Castaway Cluster” is too beautiful to miss.
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September 30, 2008
This young star cluster in the southern skies was born just 3 million years ago from gas and dust compressed by a nearby supernova explosion. Graced by hot blue stars and generous remnants of glowing gas in nearby NGC 6188, this region in the constellation Ara reveals an open star cluster, a reflection nebula, an emission nebula, and dark nebula all in one place.
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September 5, 2008
Well-positioned for northern and southern observers, the Swan Nebula lies 5,000 light years away among the rich star clouds of Sagittarius about 10 degrees north of the “teapot”. The Swan is one of the three finest emission nebulae visible to small telescopes.
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September 2, 2008
This sparkling group of associated stars in a rich section of the Milky Way presents the uncanny appearance to the naked eye of a small comet. It’s a beautiful sight this time of year.
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August 22, 2008
We always try to over-deliver at One-Minute Astronomer. Today, instead of one dazzling sight, we present two: a pair of colorful double stars on display near the celestial equator.
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August 12, 2008
Compact and rich, the “Wild Duck Cluster” is perhaps the finest open star cluster visible to backyard astronomers. One look at its dazzling stars set against an inky dark sky and you will have no doubt that life is worth living.
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August 5, 2008
The bright double star Albireo that marks the head of Cygnus the Swan is a stunning example of contrasting colors and one of the finest double stars in the heavens. And today, a bonus object…
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July 15, 2008
The laid-back days of summer vacation are an ideal time to introduce children to astronomy. Sure, many kids hear about exotica like the Big Bang and superstring theory on TV. But too few enjoy the primal wonder of seeing the real universe first hand. If you get a chance, show a kid around the night sky this summer. They’ll never forget it. Here are six sights to get you started.
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June 24, 2008
The Veil Nebula is a sprawling supernova remnant in Cygnus and is one of the most intricate and intrinsically beautiful objects in our galaxy. Here’s how to see it.
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June 10, 2008
There’s nothing subtle about the giant elliptical galaxy M87… no faint spiral structure or dust lanes to see at all. The excitement lies in contemplating the stupendous size of this monster galaxy and the scope of the violent physical processes going on in its core.
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June 3, 2008
Striking in photographs, the Sombrero galaxy offers a fine example of an edge-on spiral. Is your scope up to the challenge of revealing the dark dust lane that gives this galaxy its Mexican hat-like appearance?
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May 27, 2008
Today we turn to a striking example of a dark nebula in the southern skies. The so-called “Dark Doodad” lies in the constellation Musca, just south of the Southern Cross.
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May 6, 2008
Today, we have something for those of you in southerly locations: the spiral galaxy M83, lovely as a lotus blossom and one of the showpieces in the southern deep sky.
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April 29, 2008
Members of a nearby group of galaxies, M81 and M82 are a dramatic example of galactic gravitational interaction. They’re a rewarding pair for northern observers with small telescopes.
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April 22, 2008
One of the finer sights in the spring sky, the spiral galaxy M64 in Coma Berenices reveals to a keen observer a striking dust lane that gives the appearance of a “black eye” in intergalactic space.
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March 28, 2008
With a thin disk and bulging central nucleus, this magnificent edge-on spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices resembles a frosty flying saucer speeding through intergalactic space.
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March 18, 2008
A springtime beauty, the Praesepe or “Beehive” open star cluster is easily visible to the naked eye as a misty cloud. But its true nature and striking beauty are revealed only with help of binoculars or rich-field telescope.
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March 4, 2008
A spectacular sight in the cold dark sky of a northern winter, blue-white Sirius shines as the brightest star save for the Sun. Its name comes from the ancient Greek seirios, “scorcher”. As the most prominent in Canis Major (the Big Dog), Sirius is often called the “Dog Star”.
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