The Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009) is a small but fairly bright planetary nebula found in Aquarius constellation, about a degree west of the star Nu Aquarii. The nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.0 and lies at an estimated distance between 2,000 and 4,000 light years from Earth. It was named the Saturn Nebula by … [Read more…]
The Eta Aquariids are an annual meteor shower that appears to radiate from the southern constellation Aquarius. The meteor shower peaks on or around May 6 every year and is associated with Halley’s Comet, a short period comet that can be seen from Earth every 75 to 76 years. The Eta Aquariids can typically be … [Read more…]
Here are some of the highlights of the night sky in September: 8 PM southwestern sky – Mars and Saturn near the horizon just after sunset 5:30 AM eastern sky – Jupiter appears above the horizon before sunrise 11 PM southern sky – Aquarius constellation with the Y-shaped Water Jar asterism and the globular star … [Read more…]
Here are some of the highlights of the night sky in July: 10:30 PM, western sky – Saturn and Mars coming near the western horizon 11 PM, southern sky – Scorpius constellation, with the prominent tail and stinger, the red supergiant Antares marking the scorpion’s heart, and the globular cluster Messier 4 (M4) lying in … [Read more…]
Here are some of the highlights of the night sky in May: 9 PM eastern sky – Saturn and Mars staying in the sky from nightfall until the early morning hours, with Saturn making its closest approach to Earth on May 10 9 PM western sky – Mercury above the horizon after sunset, Jupiter visible … [Read more…]
Here are the highlights of the night sky in September: 8 PM western sky – Saturn and Venus low over the horizon 11 PM southern sky – two zodiac constellations prominent in the night sky: Aquarius constellation with the globular cluster Messier 2 (M2), and the nearby Capricornus constellation with the bright star Algedi (Alpha … [Read more…]
Here are the highlights of the July sky: 9 PM western sky – Venus low in the west 10:30 PM southern sky – Saturn moving toward the western horizon and setting after midnight 11 PM southern sky – Scorpius constellation with the red supergiant Antares, and the globular cluster Messier 4 to the left of … [Read more…]
Here are some of the highlights of the sky in May: 9 PM – Jupiter rises in the western sky 9 PM – Mercury, Jupiter and Venus in the western sky toward the end of the month 9:30 PM – Saturn rising in the southeastern sky just after sunset and moving to the west before … [Read more…]
The Helix Nebula is a large planetary nebula located approximately 695 light years from Earth in Aquarius constellation. It is the nearest bright nebula to our solar system. The nebula’s striking appearance earned it the nickname the Eye of God. The Helix Nebula is a popular object for amateur astronomers and can be observed with binoculars, … [Read more…]