The mystery of messier 102

First up is the mag. +11.9 planetary nebula IC 351, located 2.3° west and 0.8° south of Menkib (Xi (ξ) Persei). Despite its small apparent size – just 8 x 6 arcminutes – it’s visible through a small s

1. The Hyades The V-shaped Hyades open star cluster is next to mag. +1.0 Aldebaran (Alpha (α) Tauri), the reddish eye of the Bull, a foreground star that’s not actually part of the cluster. At 153 lig

It’s a source of some frustration that the last time we spotted a supernova in the Milky Way Galaxy – all the way back in 1604 – no one had a telescope to point at it. We have to content ourselves wit

Comet 24P/Schaumasse is a faint comet, but definitely within reach of amateur imagers. It’s really well placed on 7–11 November, passing in front of the Beehive Cluster, M44 (read more on page 47). Bu

Imagine you’re in a woodland, with sunlight filtering through the endless green canopy overhead. There’s uniqueness everywhere. Some trees grow bolt upright, but others are wizened and twisted. Here t

1 Nov 00:00 AEST (31 Oct, 14:00 UT) 15 Nov 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) 30 Nov 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia. The sky is differ