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deep sky

A Northern Observer Discovers the Southern Skies

June 20, 2018 by Joe Bergeron Filed Under: Stargazing

The Southern Cross and the Coalsack. Image credit: Joe Bergeron.

Imagine a young stargazer living at a latitude of 42 degrees north.

Polaris, the fabled North Star, shines far above the northern horizon. Around it wheel the circumpolar constellations of Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, Draco, and Cepheus, ancient landmarks of the northern sky.

In the south, the tail of Scorpius brushes low along the horizon for a few brief months of Summer. Those stars are among the most southerly he can see. But from his star maps, the young stargazer knows that farther south lie some of the greatest wonders of the entire celestial sphere, all the way down to the obscure South Celestial Pole. Yet the poor lad can never see them. The obstinate bulk of the spherical Earth hides them forever [Read more…] about A Northern Observer Discovers the Southern Skies

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Filed Under: Stargazing deep sky, sky tour, southern cross, southern sky

Moving Stars

May 21, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Science

Like the drift of the continents or the erosion of great mountain ranges on Earth, the motion of the stars across the sky is almost imperceptibly small over the paltry span of a human lifetime. But in this quite astonishing video made with data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Gaia spacecraft, which compresses 5 million years of star motion into a few minutes, you can see more than 2 million stars move across the sky like grains of pollen floating in a breeze. It is mesmerizing (and unexpectedly calming) [Read more…] about Moving Stars

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Filed Under: Science deep sky, milky way, proper motion

The Colorful Double Star Almaak in Andromeda

November 12, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

Almaak, a double star in the constellation Andromeda (credit: Mt. Lemmon Observatory)
Almaak, a double star in the constellation Andromeda (credit: Mt. Lemmon Observatory)

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 and reveals its full splendor in even the smallest of telescopes [Read more…] about The Colorful Double Star Almaak in Andromeda

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Filed Under: Deep Sky andromeda, deep sky, double stars

Book Excerpt: The Armchair Astronomer, Volume 1

November 4, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The “Heart Nebula” show the reddish glow of hydrogen atoms energized by bright stars that form inside this emission nebula. Lanes and patches of dark nebulae are also visible in the foreground of this star-forming region of the Milky Way.
The “Heart Nebula” show the reddish glow of hydrogen atoms energized by bright stars that form inside this emission nebula. Lanes and patches of dark nebulae are also visible in the foreground of this star-forming region of the Milky Way (Image by Terry Hancock).

(Today’s article is an excerpt of the book The Armchair Astronomer, Volume 1. It’s available from Cosmic Pursuits in multiple formats at this link).

***

When 18th-century composer William Herschel grew restless with his life as a professional musician, he turned to the new science of astronomy for inspiration and challenge. Like most new stargazers, Herschel began by reading popular works of astronomy, learning the names of the stars and constellations, and inspecting the heavens with telescopes made with small glass lenses that collected the feeble light from distant stars [Read more…] about Book Excerpt: The Armchair Astronomer, Volume 1

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Filed Under: Deep Sky books, deep sky

The Helix Nebula

September 18, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. Image credit: Warren Keller at Billionsand Billions.com. Additional credit: Piermario Gualdoni and Alessandro Cipolat Bares.
NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. Image credit: Warren Keller at Billionsand Billions.com. Additional credit: Piermario Gualdoni and Alessandro Cipolat Bares.

The showpiece of the constellation Aquarius is the grand and elusive Helix Nebula, NGC 7293. 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 in a large one. In images, like the excellent collaboration above led by Warren Keller at BillionsandBillions.com, the nebula looks like an expansive eye in deep sky. Some refer to the Helix as the “Eye of God” [Read more…] about The Helix Nebula

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Filed Under: Deep Sky aquarius, deep sky, planetary nebula

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