Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel talk us through February 2021's night-sky highlights.
Interview: Kellie Gerardi
Aerospace expert and suborbital scientist Kellie Gerardi discusses the secrets of the commercial space industry, how we can democratise access to space, and getting human feet on the Moon and Mars.
Binocular and deep-sky tours
Download this month's binocular and deep-sky tour charts. The charts are printed in black on white so they can be viewed under red light at your telescope.
Record your observations of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and the Sun with our handy printable forms.
If you observe the Sun, remember NEVER to look at it with your naked eye; either project it through your telescope or use a solar filter on your telescope's front lens.
Planetary nebula HFG1 Douglas Struble, Taylor, Michigan, USA, 10 November 2018 and 26 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro camera, Stellarvue SVX102T-R/Explore Scientific 152mm apo triplet refractors, Astro-Physics GTO-Mach 1/Orion Atlas Pro mounts
Tycho crater Steve Fox, Camberley, Surrey, 3 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 120MM mono camera, Celestron EdgeHD 9.25-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain,
Moon, Venus and Spica James Coard, Lisburn, County Antrim, 13 November 2020. Equipment: Sony A7III mirrorless camera, Tamron 28–75mm lens, tripod
The Jellyfish Nebula Chris Bulik, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 15–17 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro camera, Meade 70mm apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
M81 Bode’s Galaxy Martina McGovern, Cambridge, 22 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera, Celestron Edge HD 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
Sh2-112 in Cygnus Herwig Peresson, Vienna, Austria, August 2017─November 2020. Equipment: Atik One 6.0 mono CCD camera, Sky-Watcher Quattro f4 Imaging Newtonian modified by Lacerta, 10 Micron GM1000 HPS mount
Sunspot group AR2781 John Chumack, Dayton, Ohio, USA, 28 November 2020. Equipment: QHY5III290M CMOS camera, Lunt 60mm/500mm H-Alpha Solar telescope, Paramount MyT mount
The Rosette Nebula Martin Bracken, Chelmsford, Essex, 22 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro colour camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED apo triplet refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
IC396 and the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula Martin Bradley, Chesterfield, June–November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600 Pro mono camera, Canon 200mm L lens at F2.8, Skywatcher EQM 35 Pro mount
The Orion and Running Man Nebulae Rupesh Sangoi, Mumbai, India, 14 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera, Sky Rover 70mm quad refractor, Celestron NexStar Evolution mount
M42 The Orion Nebula Steve Komarek, Carlton, Nottingham, 11 and 22 November 2020. Equipment: Atik 490EX camera, Sky-Watcher Quattro-8CF Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
Orion, Horsehead and Flame Nebulae Kasra Karimi, Hertfordshire, 18 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 6200MC Pro camera, TS Optics 76/342 EDPH apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The Pacman Nebula NGC 281 Prabhu, Mleiha, UAE, 18 October and 14 November 2020. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED apo triplet refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 mount
Autumn cove in Slovak Paradise. Tomas Slovinsky, Slovak Paradise National Park, Slovakia, 21 November 2020 Equipment: Canon 6D mod DSLR, Sigma Art 50mm lens
Autumn cove in Slovak Paradise. Tomas Slovinsky, Slovak Paradise National Park, Slovakia, 21 November 2020 Equipment: Canon 6D mod DSLR, Sigma Art 50mm lens
Eye On The Sky
EINSTEIN RING / GAL-CLUS-022058s
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, 14 DECEMBER 2020
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. Jha. Acknowledgement: L. Shatz
CK VULPECULAE
GEMINI NORTH, 24 NOVEMBER 2020
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA. Image processing: Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Jen Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin
REFLECTION NEBULA NGC 2170
CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY, 25 NOVEMBER 2020
Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Acknowledgments: Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin
CENTAUR LD2
GEMINI NORTH, 9 DECEMBER 2020
Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA. Acknowledgments: PI: C.Schambeau (University of Central Florida) Image Processing: Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin
SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO) 25TH ANNIVERSARY
SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO), 2 DECEMBER 2020
CREDIT: SOHO (ESA & NASA)
This month's deep-sky tour plan file can be imported into the Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer using Argonaut software, a free utility available from Wildcard Innovations.Using Argo Navis with this month's deep-sky tour plan file, you can:
• display essential information from the Argo Navis database for each object
• slew your telescope to each object in the plan - requires a compatible mount.
• push your telescope to each object in the plan using the coordinates provided on the Argo Navis display.
To import this month's deep-sky tour plan file into Argo Navis using Argonaut software:
Download and save the file to your hard drive.
Run the Argonaut utility program and transfer the plan into your Argo Navis DTC.
This month's Deep-Sky Tour plan file is produced by Deep-Sky Planner 8 (see knightware.biz/dsp).
Deep-Sky Planner 8 astronomy software for Windows provides the tools you need to make your time at the telescope more efficient and enjoyable.
• sort the objects in the plan according to the best time and order to view each object.
• slew your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount to each object in the plan - requires ASCOM software (free).
• show a sky chart centred on each object in the plan using one of the top planetarium software titles – requires TheSky, Starry Night, Redshift, Cartes du Ciel (free) or Stellarium (free).
• record your observation in the open, non-proprietary observing log.
Details about Deep-Sky Planner and how to purchase can be found here.
Download the Deep-Sky Planner compatible file of this month's deep-sky tour observing plan file so that you can visit each object directly with Deep-Sky Planner. Save the file to your hard drive and double click it to open it in Deep-Sky Planner.
If you are one of the many astronomers who use the ASCOM driver EQMOD to control your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount, you can use an add-on application called EQTOUR to call up various sets of sky tours like Messier, Caldwell, Globular Clusters and simply click on an object name to slew to it.
Details about the application and how to download it free of charge can be found here.
Download the EQTOUR compatible file of our monthly Deep-sky tour, so that you can visit each object directly from your EQMod control panel. We've also included a PDF document that explains the system and how to get it installed with your telescope setup.
Copy the .lst file from the folder that appears into the same directory as the EQTOUR application file, EQTOUR.exe, and follow the instructions in the link above.