After spending much time discussing their visibility for amateur astronomers in the Pacific Northwest, it makes sense to discuss constellations that are no longer around in the sky today. Prior to standardization efforts, many of…
When looking in the sky, there are several easy and well known globular cluster that are visible from the Pacific Northwest and other Northern Hemisphere observing locations. M13 Hercules Globular Cluster When Visible: May to…
When looking in the sky, there are several easy and well known diffuse nebulae (plural of nebula) that are visible from the Pacific Northwest and other Northern Hemisphere observing locations. A diffuse nebulae is a…
Neptune has 14 known moons, which are named for minor water deities in Greek mythology. By far the largest of them is Triton, discovered by William Lassell on October 10, 1846, 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself; over a century passed…
Ever since it was discovered in 1746 by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux, the nature of Messier 71 has been the subject of some questioning. Over the centuries, it has been classified as…
Here is the list of the 2022 Astronomical Events that will be visible in the Pacific Northwest! There are some items that we have left off such as the annual solar eclipse if the event…
Neptune is not visible to the unaided eye and is the only planet in the Solar System found by mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus led Alexis Bouvard to deduce…
Messier 70 (M70) is a globular cluster located inside the Teapot asterism in the southern constellation Sagittarius. M70 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780. It is located 30,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius….
Like the classical planets, Uranus is visible to the naked eye, but it was never recognized as a planet by ancient observers because of its dimness and slow orbit.[1] Viewing Uranus can be done using a…
Messier 69 is a globular star cluster located in the southern constellation Sagittarius. M69 is one of the most metal-rich globular clusters ever observed, which is heavier than hydrogen and helium. The stars in M69…