Page 86 - All About Space 68 - 2017 UK

STARGAZER

Deep sky challenge

Targets

of late

summer

The skies are getting darker
for longer now, so looking
for those faint distant
objects is a little easier

The skies of late summer are filled with deep-sky
wonders to keep you and your telescope engaged for
hours. The Milky Way is still well on view, and so are
the many objects buried within and around it. We
have open star clusters, nebulae and globular star
clusters in abundance, some are quite easy to spot
while others can be more challenging and a little
harder to see.
The globular star cluster Messier 15 in Pegasus,
for example, is easy to spot through almost any size
of telescope, but the Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) in
the constellation of Cygnus, can be very difficult in
smaller-aperture telescopes. A lot of fun can be had
though, in chasing down some of these faint, fuzzy
objects and seeing just how well you do. If you can't
see an object, try another night, as atmospheric
conditions can vary and make all the difference.

Messier 15
North America Nebula (NGC 7000)

86