Dumbbell Nebula

Highlights of the Night Sky in August

ring nebula,m57,messier 57,planetary nebula,bipolar nebula

Here are some of the highlights of the night sky in August: 9 PM southern sky – Mars and Saturn moving toward the western horizon after sunset, moving closer together as the month progresses 9 PM western sky – August 31 – Mars, Saturn and the crescent Moon in a triple conjunction 5:45 AM eastern … [Read more…]

Dumbbell Nebula – Messier 27

messier 27,m27,planetary nebula

The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27 (M27), is a bright, large planetary planetary nebula located in Vulpecula constellation. The nebula lies at a distance of 1,360 light years from Earth. It is sometimes also called the Apple Core Nebula or Diablo Nebula, and has the designation NGC 6853 in the New General Catalogue. The … [Read more…]

Summer Triangle

summer triangle stars

The Summer Triangle is one of the most familiar patterns in the northern summer night sky. The three bright stars that mark the vertices of the Summer Triangle are Altair, Deneb, and Vega, the brightest stars in the constellations Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra. The star pattern makes it easy to locate each of the three … [Read more…]

The Night Sky in August

planetary nebula

Here are the highlights of the night sky in August: 8:30 PM western sky – Venus over the western horizon at twilight, and Saturn slightly higher in the sky, moving toward the western horizon in the evening 10 PM southeastern sky – Lyra constellation with the bright stars Vega and Epsilon Lyrae (the Double Double), … [Read more…]