This terrific image of the Orion’s sword was taken on January 7, 2019 by Rick Foster of Markham, Ontario. Even binoculars will reveal that the central patch of light is the splendid Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42. The grouping of bright stars at bottom right are “the Lost Jewel of Orion’s Sword”, particularly…
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This image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the fascinating Aristarchus Plateau. The crater Aristarchus at lower right is very prominent, and can be seen even with unaided eyes as a very bright patch. To its left is the similar-sized, but darker crater Herodotus. Vallis Schröteri, the largest sinuous rille on the moon, starts…
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During evening in early October, the Great Square of Pegasus is visible in the eastern sky. the horse’s nose star, Enif, shines about two fist diameters to the right of the square. Orange-tinted Enif has a tiny companion star visible in binoculars and backyard telescopes. The spectacular globular star cluster named Messier 15 (upper right)…
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This gorgeous scene captures summer nights in Canada. It was taken by my friend Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn on April 23, 2022. While autumn will soon arrive, its earlier sunsets will allow us to continue to view the Milky Way’s treasures for some time to come. The pink patches in this image are nebulas. They are…
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On Saturday, September 3, 2022, the moon will reach its first quarter phase. (Starry Night Pro) Hello, September Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of August 28th, 2022 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. You can also…
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The moon at its first quarter phase, imaged by Michael Watson of Toronto in mid-twilight on April 22, 2018. The nights surrounding first quarter on Saturday, April 9 are the best ones for evening views of the moon through binoculars and any size of telescope. Welcome to International Astronomy Month, April Stargazers!l Stargazers! Here are…
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This full-disk image of the sun in visible wavelengths was taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on August 29, 2021. It shows the huge sunspot group designated AR2860 that is currently visible by anyone using safely filtered telescopes, pinhole projectors, and eclipse viewers. That active region is emitting strong M-class flares. Visit Spaceweather.com and…
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The multiple star Castor in Gemini, as viewed in a telescope. While the moon is bright in the night sky, it’s still possible to view the brighter stars with your unaided eyes, and you’ll see even more through binoculars and backyard telescopes. Double stars are sets of two (or more) close-together stars. In many cases,…
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