Kemble’s Cascade is an asterism in the constellation Camelopardalis featuring more than 20 stars, with the open cluster NGC 1502 at one end. This star pattern is an unofficial arrangement of stars known as an asterism and is not one of the recognized constellations in the night sky. HIP 18505 is the star in the…
Finding the Winter Hexagon will give you a fresh viewpoint on the winter night sky. It is made up of six brilliant stars that surround the constellation of Orion in the southeast (as seen from the northern hemisphere). The Winter Hexagon is an excellent naked-eye target in January and February. Going clockwise in the hexagon,…
Variable stars are crucial for testing our theories of stellar development, from bloated red giants nearing the end of their lives to binary stars engaged in deadly gravitational dances. They play a significant role in stellar astrophysics. However, extrinsic variables and intrinsic variables are the two basic categories of variable stars. Intrinsic variables are stars…
The Pleiades is an open cluster of stars that can be observed with the naked eye, yet binoculars or a small telescope reveal it to contain a dense swarm of hundreds of glittering points. A wide-field instrument frames the nine brightest members clearly, and under dark skies the bluish haze around Merope and Maia becomes…
The Hyades Star Cluster is the closest cluster to the solar system containing myriads of stars some of which can be observed with the unaided eye. It is located at a distance of 150 light-years away from us. The four brightest stars Gamma Tauri, Delta 1 Tauri, Epsilon Tauri, and Theta Taur makes a V…
Imagine when Earth comes between the sun and the moon and the shadow of the earth falls on the moon. This darkens the moon and it happens only when the moon is full. The outer lighter shadow is called the penumbra, and the darker core is called the umbra. Penumbral shadow is hard to detect…
Sometimes stargazing does not need to memorize all the constellations because like the Summer Triangle, the best star patterns to observe are not always constellations but asterisms. An asterism is a pattern of stars not included in the official 88 constellations. The Summer Triangle is an asterism, made of 3 bright stars Vega, Deneb, and…
Polaris, the North star is located in the constellation named Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole of the earth. It is very easy to identify from the northern horizon using the little dipper as a reference. It seems like all the stars and constellation orbits Polaris throughout the year. But…
The Big Dipper constellation is a group of stars belonging to the constellation Ursa Major or the Big Bear. It is easy to spot on any dark night in the Northern Hemisphere. The Big Dipper with its neighbor the Little Dipper can be seen rotating around the North star Polaris throughout the year. In summer…
Lagoon Nebula is a star-forming region located 5,000 light-years away, one of two star nurseries visible without magnification. The active stellar nursery stretches across about 130 light-years and is visible in mid to late summer. The Lagoon Nebula is catalogued as Messier 8 and is located in the constellation Sagittarius. The nebula has an apparent…
M57 (The Ring Nebula) is a planetary nebula located in the Lyra constellation at a distance of 2,300 light years from the earth. The shell of gas was produced by a red giant that has to evolve away. The expansion rate of this nebula indicates that it is 10,000 years old. Quick Guide to Observe…
The International Space Station (ISS) can be observed through a telescope, offering a captivating viewing experience. The ISS is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, with a maximum magnitude of -5.9, making it an ideal object for telescopic observation. To view the ISS successfully, a telescope with an aperture of at least…
Comets are a mixture of ice, frozen gasses, dust, and rocks. Scientists think that comets are the debris from materials that formed the solar system initially around 4.6 billion years ago. Comets follow elliptical orbits around the sun. The more it gets closer to the sun, the faster it is pulled in. Some comets fall…
Telescope has revealed the interesting fact that all stars are not alone. Sometimes they are accompanied by one or other multiple stars and form star systems. Double stars that are bound gravitationally are called binary star systems. According to the research around 85% of the stars of the Milky Way are in binary pairs unlike…
Orion Nebula can be observed through a telescope and is one of the easiest objects for beginners. The Orion Nebula is the closest star-forming region to Earth. Finding the Orion Nebula is easy as it lies within the famous Orion constellation. Although the Orion Nebula can be seen with the naked eye, especially in darker…
The Andromeda Galaxy is a distant celestial object. Andromeda can be viewed from Earth using a telescope of the right size. Even amateur astronomers can enjoy a stunning view of Andromeda with a moderate-sized telescope, specifically one with an aperture of 6-8 inches (15-20 cm). This size is ideal for gathering enough light to reveal…
A telescope can be used to see the Milky Way, but it cannot view the entire galaxy structure. Telescopes miss the broader view of the galaxy’s sprawling band. On clear, moonless nights, the Milky Way is visible from most dark sky locations and can be enjoyed with naked eyes. An optical instrument is used to…
A galaxy is referred to as the collection of dust, gas, hundreds of billions of stars, and their planets which are held together by gravity. A galaxy is the most distant object you can see with your telescope. They appear with different shapes and colors and we can see the combined glare of all the…
A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust composed of Helium, Hydrogen, and other ionized gasses. They become visible from Earth due to the interaction of gas with other materials or supernova explosions. However, it is possible to see a nebula with a telescope. Typically a nebula looks gray though the view improves with…
Photo: The Dogstar (Sirius A) and its Pup (Sirius B) Sirius, also known as the Dog star, is the brightest star in the sky found in late winter and spring. It has a tiny companion named Sirius B known as Pup which is basically a white dwarf star. Both of them make a binary star…
Viewing the Sun through a telescope can be a fascinating experience, but it’s crucial to prioritize safety to protect your eyes from potential damage. Looking directly at the Sun through a telescope without the appropriate protective equipment is extremely dangerous and can cause severe damage to the eyes, including permanent blindness. Concentrated sunlight can burn…
Titan is the largest among 83 moons of Saturn and the second largest natural satellite in the solar system. Titan is the only moon that has a dense atmosphere. This is also known as the only object in space that has surface liquid. A small beginner telescope can spot them easily. Quick Guide to Observe…
A telescope with an aperture of at least eight inches is used to observe asteroids, while observatories study the reflected light these bodies scatter. Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) supply views of these asteroids. The first space telescope, Near-Earth Object Surveyor, uses infrared to track thermal signals and gauge size…
Pluto is possible to view through a telescope but the planet’s dimness and distance makes viewing challenging. A telescope is required, and larger aperture helps. A 6″ or 8″ instrument is theoretically strong enough to glimpse Pluto under dark skies, yet you can see Pluto more sharply at an aperture of 10″. An 11-inch scope…
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. Neptune can be seen through a telescope. Telescope with an aperture of at least 8 inches (20 cm) and a magnification between 100-200x is recommended to achieve the best view of Neptune. Neptune appears as a small, blue-green dot or disk when viewed through…
Uranus can be seen with a telescope, and the view improves as aperture increases. A 60 mm scope will resolve it, yet a 6-inch (15 cm) instrument already shows the planet clearly. Through an 8-inch (200 mm) lens Uranus appears as a tiny aqua-colored dot. Even a backyard telescope brings the ice-giant within reach, and binoculars make…
Telescopes can observe Saturn, and even a backyard telescope is sufficient to see Saturn’s rings and Titan. At 25x magnification the planet’s shape becomes clear, while 30x reveals the rings. A 10 mm-15 mm eyepiece gives a closer look. Any small telescope shows the rings, and a 50 mm aperture already suffices. 6-inch instruments catch…
Jupiter is visible from Earth with the naked eye as a steady, non-twinkling cream-colored star. A telescope reveals the planet’s dark bands and atmospheric structure. Binoculars are enough to spot Jupiter, yet a small telescope brings it into perfect position for viewing. What kind of telescope do you need to see Jupiter? A telescope with…
Meteors are basically dust and rocks that float at thousands of miles per hour through our solar system. On their way, if they strike the earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and make a long streak across the sky. Sometimes earth encounters them in large numbers making Meteor showers. Meteor showers are formed by debris from…
Seeing Mars through a telescope is possible. The planet Mars is one of the most interesting planets to observe with a small telescope, and any good telescope allows for viewing Mars. Mars can be observed with the naked eye, yet a telescope is necessary to fully appreciate its beauty and see polar caps and other…
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. Viewing Venus through a telescope is a popular activity for amateur astronomers due to its brightness and proximity to Earth. You can observe Venus’s crescent shape as it moves away from the Sun with a small telescope. Higher magnification can help reduce Venus’s bright glare, although surface…
Viewing Mercury with a telescope is possible but challenging due to its proximity to the Sun. The Sun’s glare often obscures Mercury. Mercury can be seen during its greatest elongations, when it appears farthest from the Sun’s glare. Telescope with at least 60 mm (2.4 inches) in aperture is recommended to see Mercury. Observers will…
Telescopes with decent optics paired with a clear sky allow one to see the Moon. Low quality telescopes are capable of showing details of the Moon. The best telescope to see the Moon is a refractor telescope with an apochromatic lens. A model offering a lens diameter (aperture) of at least 60 mm and at…