Naked eye and binocular targets

Stephenson 1 is a cluster that deserves to be better known. Delta (δ) Lyrae is a very wide (10-arcminute) and bright (mag. +4.3 and + 5.6) double star with a stunning colour contrast. It’s not a true

1. The Horn of Plenty Look 2° northwest of mag. +4.2 Kang (Kappa (κ) Virginis) to see a little trio of stars, the brightest of which is mag. +5.5 95 Virginis. This marks the convergence of two irregul

During June evenings, the beautiful red supergiant Antares (Alpha (α) Scorpii) can be seen passing above the southern horizon. This ‘rival of Mars’ represents the heart of Scorpius, the scorpion, a co

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the lack of true darkness in the middle of the year doesn’t make astronomy that easy to do. The planets are good at cutting through slightly brighter skies,

Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope have likened this object to an ice cream sundae. Others examining it with the now-defunct Spitzer Space Telescope dubbed it the cosmic tornado. T

We start with open cluster IC 4756, right at the top of the tail, located 4.2° west and 0.9° north of mag. +5.6 Alya (Theta1 (θ1) Serpentis). It’s a large, bright object perfectly suited for a small t