Cosmic Pursuits

Basic astronomy and night sky information

Deep Sky Observing

Articles about how to understand, find, and see celestial objects including stars, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters with binoculars, telescopes, and the naked eye.

View of the Veil Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

Image of the eastern section of the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992 and NGC 6995). Credit: Jeff Johnson.
Image of the eastern section of the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992 and NGC 6995). Credit: Jeff Johnson.

The Veil Nebula is a sprawling supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus and is one of the most intricate and beautiful objects visible with a small telescope. The nebula was formed by two stars that exploded 18,000 and 5,000 years ago, approximately. The stars were just 2,000 light years away, close enough to create a spectacular display when they detonated. Each must have shone as bright as a crescent Moon and cast shadows by night for weeks, but there are no records of these prehistoric events carved on a cave wall anywhere, at least none yet discovered [Read more…] about View of the Veil Nebula

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A View of New Star Cluster and Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

Image of open star cluster and emission nebula NGC 6823 and NGC 6820 in the constellation Vulpecula (credit: Jeff Johnson)
Image of open star cluster and emission nebula NGC 6823 and NGC 6820 in the constellation Vulpecula (credit: Jeff Johnson)

Within the Summer Triangle, in the constellation Vulpecula, the Fox, lies a fairly new star cluster NGC 6823 embedded within the glowing gas cloud of its birthplace, the nebula NGC 6820. The image above by astrophotographer Jeff Johnson of New Mexico shows cluster and emission nebula along with a dark nebula within the brighter emission nebula that shrouds yet another round of star formation [Read more…] about A View of New Star Cluster and Nebula

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NGC 6503, the Lost-in-Space Galaxy

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

This NASA/ESA HUbble Space Telescope image shows galaxy NGC 6503. The galaxy, which lies 18 million light-years away, is at the edge of a strangely empty patch of space called the Local Void. This new image shows a very rich set of colours, adding to the detail seen in previous images.
This NASA/ESA HUbble Space Telescope image shows galaxy NGC 6503. The galaxy, which lies 18 million light-years away, is at the edge of a strangely empty patch of space called the Local Void. This new image shows a very rich set of colours, adding to the detail seen in previous images.

Thanks to gravity, most galaxies clump together in groups or clusters, so a neighboring galaxy is usually never far away. But the galaxy NGC 6503 has found itself in a lonely position, perched at the edge of a strangely empty patch of space called the Local Void. The galaxy is near enough and bright enough to spot with a small telescope in the northern constellation Draco, the Dragon [Read more…] about NGC 6503, the Lost-in-Space Galaxy

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The Southern Pinwheel – M83

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video, Deep Sky

Messier 83, the "Southern Pinwheel", imaged at the Star Shadows Remote Observatory. Courtesy
Messier 83, the “Southern Pinwheel”, imaged at the Star Shadows Remote Observatory. Courtesy of Warren Keller, Steve Mazlin, Steve Menaker, and Jack Harvey

Today, let’s look at the spiral galaxy M83, a lovely cosmic lotus blossom and one of the showpieces in the southern deep sky.

Barely visible from northern latitudes, M83 lies roughly 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. It’s one of the 25 brightest galaxies in the sky, and one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies. At magnitude 7.6, it’s easily visible with binoculars and small telescopes about 18° due south of the bright star Spica, in Virgo, and just north of the star Menkent in the constellation Centaurus [Read more…] about The Southern Pinwheel – M83

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The Owl Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

M97, the Owl Nebula (credit: Adam Block/NOAO)
M97, the Owl Nebula (credit: Adam Block/NOAO)

Northern stargazers in spring look out of the plane of the Milky Way in the night sky before midnight, so there are few bright stars and star clusters visible, and even fewer bright nebula. But there is a little gem under the bowl of the Big Dipper, the famous Owl Nebula, also known as M97. A young planetary nebula, M97 is a speeding cloud of glowing gas ejected by a small dying star. In a small telescope under dark sky, the nebula resembles the eyes of wise old barn owl gazing out of the interstellar darkness [Read more…] about The Owl Nebula

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