Deep-sky tour

1. NGC 6940 10x 50 Let’s start the tour with open cluster NGC 6940, which deserves to be far better known. To find it, use the chart to identify mag. +4.2 52 Cygni and pan 3.5° to the southwest to an

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

A look at some of the thousands of astronomical objects visible in Hubble’s historic photograph

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

Ron Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 23–30 July 2025 Ron says: “Many celestial objects resemble animals, but perhaps none more so than the Dark Shark. Its snout, jaws, eye, dorsal fin and tail are al

Our showcase of finalists from the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards 17