Exploring Our Skies

Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius is a sprawling constellation that stretches across nearly 40° of the southern sky on autumn evenings…

Aquila

Aquila

View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Aquila, the Eagle, is a mid-sized constellation that lies right along the summer Milky Way just south of the zenith on September evenings in the...

Scutum

Scutum

Scutum, the Shield, is a small constellation that lies along the summer Milky Way, just south of the Summer Triangle…

Hercules

Hercules

M13. Photo © Reinhold Wittich/Dreamstime.com. Hercules, the Strongman, is a large constellation that lies straight east of Bootes, the constellation we focused on last month. If you imagine a line...

Bootes

Bootes

View the full issue in the Magazine Archive M3. Photo © Reinhold Wittich|Dreamstime.com. Bootes lies nearly straight overhead on June evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. This constellation is...

Auriga

Auriga

Auriga contains a number of open star clusters; the best three are M36, M37, and M38.

Triangulum and Aries

Triangulum and Aries

riangulum and Aries are a pair of small constellations that lie south of Andromeda, between the Great Square of Pegasus and the Pleiades.

Cetus

Cetus

A guide to finding deep-sky objects in Cetus.

Pegasus

Pegasus

View the full issue in the Magazine Archive M15. Photo © Hubble and NASA. Pegasus is one of the most familiar autumn constellations. The most prominent part of the constellation is a large square of...

Cygnus

Cygnus

Thanks to its location along the Milky Way, Cygnus is loaded with star clusters and nebulas. It also contains a couple of outstanding double stars…

Binocular Observing

Binocular Observing

I always carry my binoculars when I’m out under the stars, even when I’m primarily using a telescope. Over the years, I’ve discovered that even a modest handheld binocular like the Vortex Viper HD 10×42 I use can reveal a wide range…

Lyra

Lyra

Lyra, the Harp, is a small constellation that lies almost straight overhead on August evenings in the mid-northern latitudes…

Ophichus

Ophichus

Ophiuchus is a large constellation that lies high in the southern sky on midsummer evenings…

Draco

Draco

Draco isn’t heavily populated with great telescopic targets, but the double stars and deep sky objects that do lie within the constellation’s boundaries are widely varied…