Observing off the beaten track

You may have bought this December issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine because you’ve been given – or you’ve treated yourself to – a new telescope for Christmas. And you may be wondering what to do with

10x 50 Winter skies teem with sparkling star clusters and one of the finest is M35, aptly dubbed the Queen of Clusters. Find mag. +2.9 Tejat (Mu (μ) Geminorum) and put it at the southeast edge of your

Messier 35 is a superb open cluster near the foot of Castor in Gemini. It marks one corner of an isosceles triangle formed with mag. +4.2 1 Geminorum and Propus (Eta (η) Geminorum). Located 2,800 ligh

BEST TIME TO SEE: As shown Jupiter is a magnificent planet to observe. Through the eyepiece, it presents a tangible disc full of detail. Weather and local seeing effects can reduce the visibility, but

1 Thursday The Moon’s libration makes it favourable for viewing features near the southern pole today. At 21:06 UT, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, can be seen emerging from behind Saturn’s disc. Callis

Cecil Navick and Francis Bozon, captured remotely via Obstech, El Sauce Observatory, Chile, 4 May–28 June 2025 Cecil and Francis say: “We chose NGC 6164 because it’s rarely photographed, plus it’s a t