Messier 38 Starfish Cluster

Messier 38 Starfish Cluster

Messier 38 (M38), also known as the Starfish Cluster, is an open star cluster located in the northern constellation Auriga. The best way to observe Messier 38 is in small or medium-sized telescopes at low…


Venus

Venus: A Brief Overview

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets. Its thick atmosphere traps heat…


Conjunction conjunctions

Planetary Conjunctions Of 2021

As there are differing number of conjunctions between planets and a moon and two planets, we are splitting these types into 2 separate articles to make it easier to review. To learn more about what…


Messier 37

Messier 37

Messier 37 is an open cluster in the constellation Auriga Messier 37 is the brightest, richest and largest of the three open clusters in this constellation that were catalogued by Messier. Interestingly, Messier 37 lies in…



Messier 36 Pinwheel Cluster

Messier 36 Pinwheel Cluster

Messier 36, also known as the Pinwheel Cluster, is an open cluster located in the northern constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. Messier 36 is one of the most distant open clusters catalogued by Messier and about…


Gamma Ray Burst

Gamma Ray Burst: An Introduction

A gamma-ray burst, often abbreviated as GRB, is extremely energetic explosion that is observed in distant galaxies and are the brightest electromagnetic events in the universe. The length of a GRB can vary, with some…


Solar System Planets Observing Planets

Observing Planets With A Telescope

Some of the first questions that amateur astronomers have when first observing planets is when to can each planet be observed and how large of a telescope is required to see them. NEVER look at…


Uranus at Opposition

Opposition

In positional astronomy, two astronomical objects are said to be in opposition when they are on opposite sides of the celestial sphere, as observed from a given body (usually Earth). A planet, asteroid, or comet…


Mercury

Observation Of Mercury

At its brightest, Mercury can reach magnitude -1.9, a little brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. However, it more normally hovers at around magnitude 0, becoming roughly the fifth brightest object in…