M76 Planetary Nebula
M76 (the Little Dumbbell Nebula) is located in the constellation Perseus at a distance of roughly 3,600 light-years.
Nov 21, 2023
M44 Open Cluster
M44, Praesepe, also popularly termed the Beehive Cluster, is one of the largest and brightest of all open star clusters.
Nov 21, 2023
M41 Open Cluster
M41 is one of the deep sky showpieces of winter, a beautiful open star cluster first documented in 320 B.C. by Aristotle.
Nov 21, 2023
Open Clusters
Open clusters are extended families of a few hundred comparatively young stars bound together by gravity.
Nov 21, 2023
NGC188
NGC 188 has the dual distinction of being both the northernmost and the oldest open star cluster visible from Earth.
Nov 21, 2023
NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula
NGC 7662 is a bright planetary nebula in Andromeda, one of the easiest objects of its type to see with small amateur telescopes.
Nov 21, 2023
Planetary Nebulae
Planetary nebulae are shells of gas thrown out by some stars near the end of their lives.
Nov 21, 2023
Owl Nebula
M97, the Owl Nebula lies relatively nearby at 2,300 light-years from our Sun, so it appears 3.2 arcminutes in diameter – only ten times smaller than the Full Moon.
Nov 21, 2023
Orion Nebula
In winter evenings Orion the Hunter stands high in the southeast at midnight, with his shield and club raised against the fierce charge of neighboring Taurus the Bull.
Nov 21, 2023
Whirlpool Galaxy
Of all the countless island universes scattered across the sky, none seem as exciting as M51, the renowned Whirlpool Galaxy.
Nov 21, 2023
The Virgo Cluster
The Virgo-Coma Cluster of Galaxies is a huge aggregation of systems at a mean distance of around 60 million light-years.
Nov 21, 2023
The Hyades Star Cluster
The Hyades (also catalogued as Melotte 25) are one of the major tourist attractions in the sky
Nov 21, 2023
Stephan’s Quintet
Stephan’s Quintet is a remarkable compact group of galaxies which is also known as Hickson 92 and Arp 319.
Nov 21, 2023
Rosette Nebula
One of the most attractive deep sky objects in Monoceros is NGC 2244, a bright open star cluster visible even to the naked eye under good conditions.
Nov 21, 2023
Ring Nebula M57
The best-known planetary nebula is the Ring Nebula M57, easily found about halfway between Beta and Gamma Lyrae.
Nov 21, 2023
The Pleiades
The Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters”, is the most famous of all star clusters. The group is very conspicuous, and has been known and regarded with reverence since early times.
Nov 21, 2023
Deep Sky Intro
The category "deep sky" encompasses all astronomical objects beyond our solar system, most of which are invisible to the naked eye.
Nov 21, 2023
Comet ISON
3C 273 is the first identified and optically brightest quasar, the super bright nucleus of an “active” galaxy.
Nov 21, 2023