Brian Ventrudo

About Brian Ventrudo

Brian Ventrudo is a lifelong stargazer, writer, former scientist, and the publisher of Cosmic Pursuits.

A Dazzling New View of the Sombrero Galaxy

April 28, 2026 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Science

Messier 104, nicknamed the Sombrero galaxy, is a popular target for amateur observing and astronomical research. Its recognizable extended halo and dust-filled disk are captured in this image from the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

The Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104) offers a fine view for visual observers and imagers. This nearly edge-on spiral galaxy about 30 million light years away in the Virgo galaxy cluster shows a smoky lane of interstellar dust finely etched against a brilliant galactic disk and unusually bright halo. This new image from the Dark Energy Camera on the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope at CTIO in Chile shows an immense halo of stars around the galactic plane along with a loop of stars (lower right), all of which likely came from smaller galaxies gobbled by this big spiral. The galaxy contains some 2,000 globular clusters, nearly twenty times as many as our Milky Way. It’s a beautiful image to behold.

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NEAF 2026 Overview and Recap

April 20, 2026 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Equipment

The Northeast Astronomy Forum and Space Expo (NEAF) was held as usual this month at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. This forum features exhibits from gear suppliers for amateur astronomers from around the world and offers stargazers a chance to see the latest tools and mingle in a convivial atmosphere just as spring and warmer weather arrives. Many would like to go, but not everyone can manage the trip. But Luca Bartek (Space Koala) produced two excellent videos in which she tours the exhibition and talks to astro-vendors about their latest offering. Both of her videos below capture the highlights of Day 1 and Day 2 of the show…
[Read more…] about NEAF 2026 Overview and Recap

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If You Could Have Only One Reflector…

March 15, 2026 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Equipment

In a previous video, Ed Ting discussed what refractor he would have if he could have only one refractor. In this follow-up, he turns to a discussion of reflectors. These telescopes, of course, have more varied designs than refractors and offer the potential for far more aperture which enables brighter images and higher resolution. What does Ed choose? Well, it’s a bit of a head scratcher and one you can’t buy anymore. But his reasoning is well worth following in this enjoyable video.

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Ambling Through Auriga

March 7, 2026 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The carbon star UU Aurigae in the constellation Auriga.

In this month’s sky tour, we grab our optics (or our favorite smart telescope) and tour of a few of the deep-sky highlights of the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. Auriga lies along the relatively rich path of the northern Milky Way. And while it’s not Sagittarius, to be sure, the constellation has an eclectic selection of open clusters, nebulae, and interesting stars. Southern-hemisphere stargazers can also spot the constellation over the northern horizon in December through February [Read more…] about Ambling Through Auriga

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The Many Names of the Pleiades

February 20, 2026 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

A wide view of the Pleiades star cluster.

The Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus is one of a handful of objects in the heavens that never fail to amaze and inspire even the most experienced observers. As beautiful in an inexpensive pair of binoculars as in images from big professional telescopes, this star cluster presents visual observers an especially lovely sight with stars of an unearthly blue ensconced amid a faint frost of nebulosity. If there were more objects like it in the night sky, there would be a lot more amateur astronomers in the world [Read more…] about The Many Names of the Pleiades

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