Stars, clusters and nebulae of summer

Planetary physicist Dr Sheila Kanani on why now is the time to spot shooting stars and a sunlit Saturn

When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas Day 2021, astronomers hoped it would revolutionise our understanding of the early stages of the Universe. And they were right. Almost a

1 NGC 697 Not to be unkind, but Aries isn’t generally regarded as a rich haven for amateur deep-sky jewels. However, we’re going to look hard and visit a light smattering of objects near the Aries–Pis

1. Psi Aquarii group 10x 50 This colourful grouping of stars spans nearly 5° of sky, from mag. +5.0 Psi3 (ψ3) Aquarii to mag. +5.6 96 Aquarii. The colours range from blue-white mag. +5.5 Psi2 (ψ2) Aqu

Star and deep-sky catalogues are crucial resources for making sense of the night sky. There are a lot of them, though – so many, in fact, that you almost need a catalogue of catalogues to keep track o

Our Solar System is home to hundreds of moons, but how many can you observe? Some – like our own and the brighter ones around Jupiter and Saturn – are relatively easy to see with the naked eye, binocu