Exploring Our Skies

Lacerta

Lacerta

View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Lacerta, the Lizard, is a small and little-known constellation that lies along the band of the Milky Way right between the constellations Cygnus and...

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…