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Virtual Planetarium
Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal April's night-sky highlights.
Interview: Luciano Rezzolla
Astrophysicist Luciano Rezzolla discusses the mind-blowing properties of gravity and his quest to understand black holes,
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.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
Tim Jackson, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, 24 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, William Optics Zenithstar 73 III APO refractor, Skywatcher EQ5 Pro mount
Jellyfish Nebula
Neil Wilson, Terrington St Clement Norfolk, 21 January 2023
Equipment: Altair Astro Hypercam 26C camera, Celestron 9.25” EdgeHD Aplanatic Schmidt reflector, Sky-Watcher AZ EQ6 Mount
The afternoon Sun
Rob Lyons, Vancouver, Canada, 14 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI 533MM Pro camera, Daystar Solar Scout SS60-DS H-alpha solar telescope, Sky-Watcher Solar Quest mount
Six planets (plus the Moon) in one night
Daniel Zoliro, Oklahoma, USA, 19 August 2022
Equipment: ZWO ASI174MM camera, Celestron C9.25 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The Triangulum galaxy
Nigel Arnold, York, UK, 16-20 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO 2600MC OSC camera, Altair Astro 130 EDT-F refractor, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount
The Heart Nebula
Rachael and Jonathan Wood, Auckley, South Yorkshire, 4 to 18 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI294 MM Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 AZGT mount
NGC 2359, Thor’s Helmet
Stephanie McNaughton, Red Rock, Arizona, USA, 21 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Celestron 8in Rowe-Ackermann Astrograph, Vixen Sphinx SXP mount
The Moon
Sonia Turkington, North Reddish, Greater Manchester, 25 January 2023
Equipment: Google Pixel 6 smartphone, Sky-Watcher Skyliner 250PX 10-inch Dobsonian
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
Aidan Guerra, Lake Berryessa, California, USA, 21 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI533MC-P camera, Stellarvue SV70T Triplet Refractor, Celestron AVX mount
The Pleiades and Mars Andrew Hardy, Cambridgeshire, UK, 17 January 2023 Equipment: Canon EOS 77D DSLR camera, Canon EF 70-300mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer tracker
NGC 1365, the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy
Dan Crowson, remotely via the El Sauce Observatory, Chile
Equipment: FLI ProLine PL16803 camera, ASA 1000 one-metre Ritchey Chretien reflector, ASA Alt-Az Direct Drive mount
Mars
Debbie Townsend, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, 17 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI224MC camera, Celestron NexStar 8SE Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector and mount
Rosette Nebula
Gary Levers, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, 19-20 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM camera, William Optics Zenithstar 73 III APO refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 mount
Sunspot, Active Region 3190
Julian Whitfield, Bristol, 19 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI174mm camera, Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 AZ3 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount
International Space Station
Konstantinos Beis, Brinkworth, Wiltshire, 23 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI462MC camera, Sky-Watcher 200p Dobsonian
The Pleiades
Mike Read, 24 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600mc camera, William Optics RedCat 51 V2 Petzval refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount
The Flaming Star Nebula
Peter Briggs, Cranborne Chase International Dark Sky Reserve, 20-12 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MM Pro camera, William Optics Zenithstar 73 III APO refractor, EQ5 Pro mount
The Moon
Szucsányi Béla, Polgár, Hungary, 5 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI178MM camera, Sky-Watcher N 200/1000 PDS Explorer BD Newtonian reflector, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro belt-modified mount
The Horsehead Nebula
Vicki Pink, Southampton, Hampshire, 16-20 January 2023
Equipment: Altair Hypercam 269C PRO TEC camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
Eye On The Sky
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1433 in Horologium
James Webb Space Telescope, 16 February 2023
Variable starV 372 Orionis
Hubble Space Telescope, 27 January 2023
Mercury transit. ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter, 3 January 2023
Mercury transit. ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter, 3 January 2023
Mercury transit. ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter, 3 January 2023
Bear’s face on Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 12 December 2022
Galaxy clusters collide
Chandra X-ray Observatory, High Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission, Low-Frequency Array, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Very Large Array, 30 January 2023
Globular cluster NGC 6355
Hubble Space Telescope, 6 January 2023
The Tarantula Nebula
Hubble Space Telescope, 3 February 2023
Spiral galaxy LEDA 2046648
James Webb Space Telescope, 31 January 2023
The Moon with ISS structure in foreground
Nikon D5 DSLR, 50-500mm lens, 12 January 2024
Pandora’s Cluster in Sculptor
James Webb Space Telescope, 15 February 2023
Three merging galaxies
Hubble Space Telescope
17 February 2023
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.
