This image of the Fossil Footprint Nebula NGC 1491 in Perseus was captured by Adam Block at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona. This image is nearly one degree wide, or about finger’s width. Wikipedia Hello, Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of January 23rd, 2022 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass…
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This image of the Pleiades star cluster from Stellarium shows the “sisters” shrouded by blue nebulosity – their stars’ light scattering from foreground dust. Their parent stars Atlas and Pleione are huddled at top left. The image spans about 2 finger widths of the sky, or 2 degrees. Happy Solstice, Winter Stargazers! Here are your…
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On Tuesday evening November, 23, observers in the Americas with telescopes can view a rare treat when the shadows of Ganymede and Callisto traverse Jupiter, accompanied by the Great Red Spot, as shown here for 8 pm EST Hello, late-November Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of November 21st, 2021 by Chris…
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The faint Witch’s Head Nebula aka NGC 1909 and IC 2118, is a ghostly reflection nebula near the bright star Rigel in Orion. It’s very large – stretching nearly three finger widths from her chin to her forehead! Image by Jeff Signorelli, NASA APOD for Oct 30, 2015 Happy Halloween week, Stargazers! Here are your…
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This image of the Iris Nebula in Cepheus was captured through a RASA 11-inch f/2.2 Astrograph telescope and a ZWO ASI294MC Pro CCD camera by Gary Colwell at the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve northeast of Toronto, Canada. It shows both the reflection nebulosity and the surrounding dark dusty regions. The image spans 1.5 degrees…
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The well-known Pleiades open star cluster (Messier 45) has long been the centre of indigenous star stories around the world, including South Pacific island groups. The Maori of New Zealand tie their new year to the appearance of the Pleiades in the pre-dawn sky during June/July. The area of sky shown here spans 2 degrees.…
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Messier 101 also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy and NGC 5457 is a large, face-on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major near the Big Dipper’s handle tip star, Alkaid. This Sloan digital Sky Survey image spans about 25 arc-minutes top to bottom – or about the diameter of the full moon. In June the galaxy is…
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This image of the globular star cluster Messier 3 in Canes Venatici was captured by Adam Block at the Mount Lemmon sky Center, University of Arizona. The area of sky shown spans a little more than the full moon’s diameter. Hello, May Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of May 2nd, 2021…
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This image of the LeoTrio of Galaxies was captured by Marcus Bauer. It was a NASA APOD for April 18, 2019. Top to bottom, the image spans one degree of the sky. The Hamburger Galaxy (NGC 3628) is at centre left. Messier 65 is at top centre and Messier 66 is at centre right. The…
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This image of Orion’s Sword by my friend John Deans includes the Great Nebula in Orion, also known as Messier 42 and Messier 43, at centre. The bright knot of stars in the centre of the nebula were born out of the gas around them and are illuminating the nebula. The patch of nebulosity at…
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