Deep Sky Tours (FoS)

Much of the tour of the deep sky this month takes you around the small but amazingly rich northern constellations Cassiopeia and Cepheus. These star groups lie along the northern reaches of the Milky Way, so like Sagittarius, they are packed with open star clusters and nebulae along with a few interesting and astronomically important stars. Deep-so...

The Swan Nebula, M17, in Sagittarius.
The Milky Way is the highlight of the night sky this month. In fact, it is the largest single celestial object in the heavens, stretching all the way around the sky as a thin, white, mottled band of unresolved stars. This month you tour the finest deep-sky objects along the plane of the Milky Way including star...

M57, the Ring Nebula
This month you look at a good range of objects: resplendent open and globular star clusters, superb double stars, and a fine planetary nebula. Compared to the faint galaxies you toured last month, most of these objects are quite easy to see. And they are favorites of most experienced stargazers. As you master the art of stargaz...

This month you get a look at a hodge-podge of deep-sky objects. Leo and Virgo linger, so you have a taste of the great Virgo galaxy cluster nestled between the stars Denebola and Vindemiatrix. If you have good dark sky and 4” or larger scope, you can also attempt to see the lovely “Markarian’s Chain” of galaxies. You also get a look at two fine glo...

Needle galaxy
This month the Earth’s northern night sky points into the blackness of intergalactic space. We see a few foreground stars here from our own galaxy, but with a telescope you can see dozens or even hundreds of galaxies flecked through the constellations of April and May. You will meet a handful of the brightest and most accessible galax...