This image of the Horsehead Nebula from the James Webb Space Telescope focuses on a portion of the horse’s “mane” that is about 0.8 light-years in width. It was taken with Webb’s NIRCam (Near-infrared Camera). Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, Karl Misselt (University of Arizona), Alain Abergel (IAS, CNRS). The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of a zoomed-in portion of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. The observations show the top of the “horse’s mane” or edge of this iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing th ..read more

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this artist’s concept traveling through interstellar space. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech. For the first time in five months, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is returning usable data about the health and status of its onboard engineering systems. The next step is to enable the spacecraft to begin returning science data again. The probe and its twin, Voyager 2, are the only spacecraft to depart the Solar System and fly in interstellar space. Voyager 1 stopped sending readable science and engineering data back to Earth on 14th November 2023, although ground contr ..read more

NGC 4361 is an attractive planetary nebula in Corvus, the Crow. Image: Adam Block. Amidst the myriad spring galaxies lies NGC 4361, a large and bright planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Corvus, the Crow. Locating it means dipping low towards the murkier skies close to the horizon, but it’s well worth the extra effort to find and observe it. Corvus lies south of the ‘bowl’ of Virgo asterism.NGC 4361 forms the apex of an upside-down triangle with magnitude +2.9 Algorab (delta [d] Corvi) and magnitude +2.6 Gienah (gamma [g] Corvi), the northern pair of stars in Corvus’ irre ..read more

Forecasters predict that a solar eclipse passing over North America on Monday will offer a partial viewing from select areas of the UK. In vast regions of the US, the Sun will be completely obscured by the Moon, creating a momentary night-like atmosphere during the day. Total darkness will envelop certain areas for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, while those outside the path of totality will witness a gradual darkening of the skies as the Sun is partially covered. In the UK, the partial solar eclipse will traverse the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the western part ..read more

Markarian’s Chain is a string of eight galaxies straddling the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices. Messier 84 and 86 dominate together with ‘The Eyes’, interacting NGC 4435 and 4438. Image: Terry Hancock. The Virgo Cluster of galaxies reigns supreme for galaxy enthusiasts on spring nights. Its teeming galaxy fields centred either side of the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices are crammed with any number of outstanding individual galaxy gems, but if you’re wanting more bang for your buck, then track down Markarian’s chain, a string of galaxies that includes Messier 84 and 86 and t ..read more

An eight-day-old gibbous Moon imaged on 16 August 2021. Image: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes. In its 29½-day voyage In around Earth, the Moon makes its first observable appearance as a scimitar of light to the west of the Sun perhaps a day or so past new. Still in the Sun’s proximity, the thickening crescent remains accessible not long after sunset. However, as the Moon steadily puts more sky between itself and the Sun, it sets ever later into the twilight. Increasingly taking charge of theevening sky, it becomes more obvious against a darkening backdrop as its phase advances towards first quar ..read more

  Messier 106 is a superb spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. Image: David Wills. Sniff out the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), the home of the magnificent Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) in the far northern sky, and you’ll find more galaxies than you can shake a stick at. Prominent Messier 106 (NGC 4258) is a superb spiral galaxy that holds its own in the company of the likes of the Sunflower Galaxy (M63) and M94. It’s bright enough to be found through a pair of binoculars and it looks like a galaxy through even a small telescope.    M106 lies in the north-western corner of Canes Venatici ..read more

Messier 95 is a very photogenic barred-spiral galaxy. Image: Patrick Gilliland. Early spring heralds the rise of the galaxies, when over the next three months or so the prime-time night sky is overflowing with a veritable treasure trove of bright and beautiful targets. Leo, the Lion, lies at the vanguard of this spring onslaught, offering as it does five Messier-designated galaxies and a handful of others that would wear the mantle comfortably. Messier 95 and 96 are a very special pairing of photogenic spiral galaxies lying under a degree apart at the centre of Leo, about nine degrees east of ..read more

The Celestron RASA 8 is a dedicated astrograph. Celestron’s RASA 8 is a pure astrograph, a photographic telescope that can only focus light onto a camera chip – there is no eyepiece. I’ve spent the past year imaging with the RASA 8 that belongs to Dr Paul Kummer, a retired computer physicist from the University of Manchester, who co-owns a set-up with me at our remote imaging observatory at Les Granges Astronomy Holidays in southern France. Throughout that time, I’ve come to know the RASA 8 very well. At first glance, the RASA 8 resembles a Schmidt– Cassegrain telescope, but the primary mirror ..read more

The Moon passes just under a degree south of the Pleiades open cluster (M45) in Taurus on the evening of 16 February. AN graphic by Greg Smye-Rumsby. There’s a fine astro-photo opportunity on the night of 16/17 February when a first-quarter Moon passes under a degree south of Messier 45, the marvellous Pleiades open cluster in Taurus. As twilight fades, from about 6pm GMT, Taurus’ most westerly extremities, which includes the Pleiades, are very well-placed due south some 60° high. At this time the first-quarter Moon lies around 1.7° to the south-west of Alcyone (eta Tau, magnitude +2.8). Betwe ..read more