Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky -- Month of December 2024

M45, commonly referred to as the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, or Subaru, is an open star cluster that contains over a thousand stars that are loosely bound by gravity, but is visually dominated by only a handful of its brightest members. The Pleiades cluster has been observed since ancient times, so it has no known discoverer. However, Galileo Galilei, the Italian scientist best known for discovering the largest moons of Jupiter and championing a heliocentric model of the Solar System, was the first to observe the Pleiades through a telescope. M45 is located about 445 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus, though this number is not universally agreed upon. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.6 and can be seen with the naked eye. The cluster is best observed during December. [Video and Content Credits: NASA, the Office of Public Outreach – Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and JPL Caltech: Preston Dyches, Christopher Harris, and Lisa Poje, with subject matter guidance provided by JPL’s Bill Dunford and Lyle Tavernier, and the Night Sky Network’s Kat Troche] [Image Credit: Mark Hanson, Astromart Gallery Contributor – See some of his beautiful work at https://www.astromart.com/gallery/user/94 Camera: Canon 10D, Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106]

 

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Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky -- Month of December 2024

Welcome to the night sky report for December 2024 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all visible during the month. Also, the Geminid meteor shower peaks at mid-month. Step outside on a cold December night when the stars shine bright to find the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. They will help you locate a binary star system (Eta Cassiopeiae), a fan-shaped open star cluster M103 (NGC 581), and a variable star (Mu Cephei). Also, throughout the month, you can find Pegasus, the winged stallion, high overhead in the south. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

Starting off with the planets, Venus is hard to miss in the southwest after sunset – it's that dazzling bright "evening star." You’ll find it getting a bit higher in the sky each evening through the month.

Saturn is visible toward the south beginning at nightfall. Look for it to track a bit farther to the west as the weeks go by. Meanwhile, Jupiter reaches opposition on December 7th, meaning it’s at its brightest for the year and visible all night long. You’ll find it rising in the east-northeast as darkness falls, among the stars of the constellation Taurus. Mid-month, around December 14th, watch for Jupiter sitting between the nearly full Moon and Taurus's brightest star, orange-colored Aldebaran.

Next, Mars will also be putting on its own show, doubling its brightness during December as it heads toward its own opposition in January. Early in the month, it rises about four hours after dark, but by New Year’s Eve, it’s rising just about 90 minutes after sunset – always shining with its distinctive reddish hue. And on December 17th, you’ll find the Red Planet super close to the Moon, which will be just two days past its full phase.

The Geminid meteor shower peaks after midnight in the early morning of December 14th, and they’re usually one of the best meteor showers of the year under good conditions. This year, the nearly full Moon will wash out the fainter meteors on the peak night. Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak. If you’re up before dawn that week, it’s worth looking up, just in case you spot a speck of dust from space streaking through the morning sky.

The long, frosty nights of December make for good sky gazing when the stars shine clear and bright. Face east to find Orion the hunter with his shining belt rising over the early winter landscape. The glittering stars of winter rise with Orion and promise many fine stargazing nights to come. As evening falls, you’ll see the mighty hunter Orion rising in the east, with Taurus the bull above it, and the stars of the twins in Gemini to their left. These constellations host some wonderful sights – like the Crab Nebula and Pleiades star cluster in Taurus and the Orion Nebula, which hangs below Orion's belt. If you look to the western sky soon after dark, you can still spot the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle getting quite low on the horizon. But as they depart, three bright stars of winter bring their own prominent triangular shape to mark the season.

Once you spot Orion's distinctive belt of three stars, you’re well on your way to finding the Winter Triangle. Just follow the belt stars to the left and slightly downward – they point right to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Then look upward and to the left of Sirius to spot Procyon and then back up toward Orion to find reddish Betelgeuse at its shoulder. These three bright stars form an equilateral triangle that’s visible throughout the season.

Looking high in the southwest sky on December evenings, you can find a constellation named for one of the more fantastical beasts of ancient mythology. That's Pegasus, the winged horse. In Greek myth, Pegasus rode into adventures with the hero Belaraphon, and later carried the thunderbolts of Zeus himself, who rewarded him by placing him among the stars.

Pegasus is one of the largest of the 88 constellations. Its most prominent feature and the key to finding it in the sky is the asterism, or pattern of stars, called the Great Square. These four stars of roughly equal brightness form the central part of the horse's body.

Pegasus is a useful constellation for stargazers, as it's a good starting place for finding your way to other features in the night sky. The constellation itself contains a number of dazzling deep-sky objects, including globular cluster M15, and the tangled galaxies of Stephan's Quintet.

Face north to find the Big Dipper scraping the northern horizon. The constellation of Cassiopeia the queen swings high on the other side of Polaris, the North Star. The queen’s star pattern forms a clear “W” shape in the sky. Snuggled in the W pattern is Eta Cassiopeiae, a binary with a pale yellow Sun-sized star and a less massive orange companion.

Also tucked within the W pattern is the open star cluster M103 (NGC 581). Binoculars or a small telescope show a fan-shaped group of about 170 stars, with a red giant star near the center.

To the east of Cassiopeia lies the fainter constellation of Cepheus, the king. His dim shape looks like the outline of a house. Along the base of the house lies Mu Cephei, a red giant also known as the Garnet Star for its deep red color. It’s also a variable star, changing in brightness over hundreds to thousands of days.

To one side of the house’s base sits NGC 6946, a ragged spiral galaxy that appears as a ghostly patch of light in modest telescopes. NGC 6946 is known as the Fireworks Galaxy because of the frequency of supernovas occurring within it -- ten within the past century. By comparison, the larger Milky Way averages just two per century.

To the west of Cassiopeia we find the sprawling pattern of Perseus, the Greek hero and slayer of Medusa, whose head he carries. Among Perseus stars lies the open star cluster M34. Small telescopes or binoculars show a concentrated scatter of about 100 stars.

Face north again to locate the Big Dipper and find galaxy M82. In binoculars and small telescopes, the galaxy appears as a thin rod of light. M82, seen edge-on, experienced a tremendous burst of star formation after an encounter with another galaxy.

The night sky is always a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.

The following Deep Sky Objects (DSOs) are found in constellations that are observable during the month. Some of the objects listed here can be viewed with binoculars or a small telescope, but the majority will require a moderate to large aperture telescope (7 inches to 12 inches in diameter) with appropriate filters and a dark sky, especially for many of the nebulae. The following is adapted from my personal viewing list: "The Guy Pirro 888 Best and Brightest Deep Sky Objects in the Northern Skies." All the objects in this list can be viewed from the northern hemisphere up to around the mid-Northern Latitudes (40 degrees N).

 

Constellation: Auriga (AUR)

IC 405                          Emission/Reflect Neb C31 Flaming Star Nebula

IC 410                          Emission Nebula         P277 Tadpole Nebula

IC 417                          HII Ionized Nebula       P314 Spider Nebula

IC 2149                        Planetary Nebula        P126

NGC 1664                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H59-8

NGC 1778                    Open Cluster               P68

NGC 1798                    Open Cluster                           P253

NGC 1857                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H33-7

NGC 1883                    Open Cluster               P211

NGC 1893                    Open Cluster               P69, embedded in IC410 Tadpole Nebula

NGC 1907                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H39-7

NGC 1912                    Open Cluster               M38 Starfish Cluster

NGC 1931                    Emission/Reflect Neb Herschel 400 H261-1 Fly Nebula

NGC 1960                    Open Cluster               M36 Pinwheel Cluster

NGC 2099                    Open Cluster               M37 Salt and Pepper Cluster

NGC 2126                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H68-8

NGC 2192                    Open Cluster               P212

NGC 2281                    Open Cluster                           Herschel 400 H71-8 Broken Heart Cluster

 

Constellation: Camelopardalis (CAM)

IC 342                          Galaxy                         C5 Hidden Galaxy

IC 356                          Galaxy                         P127

IC 361                          Open Cluster               P213

IC 3568                        Planetary Nebula        P128 Lemon Slice Nebula

NGC 1501                    Planetary Nebula        Herschel 400 H53-4 Camel’s Eye Nebula

NGC 1502                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H47-7, endpoint of Kemble’s Cascade

NGC 1569                    Galaxy                         P136

NGC 1961                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H747-3

NGC 2146                    Galaxy                         P130 Dusty Hand Galaxy

NGC 2336                    Galaxy                         P70

NGC 2403                    Galaxy                         C7, Herschel 400 H44-5

NGC 2655                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H288-1

NGC 2715                    Galaxy                         P265

 

Constellation: Cancer (CNC)

NGC 2632                    Open Cluster               M44 Beehive Cluster, Praesepe

NGC 2682                    Open Cluster               M67 King Cobra Cluster

NGC 2775                    Galaxy                         C48, Herschel 400 H2-1

 

Constellation: Canis Major (CMA)

IC 2163                        Galaxy                         P133, colliding with NGC 2207

IC 2165                        Planetary Nebula        P216

NGC 2204                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H13-7

NGC 2207                    Galaxy                         P134, colliding with IC 2163

NGC 2217                    Galaxy                         P72 Snake Eye Galaxy

NGC 2243                    Open Cluster               P132

NGC 2280                    Galaxy                         P371

NGC 2287                    Open Cluster               M41 Little Beehive Cluster

NGC 2293                    Galaxy                         P23, paired with NGC 2292

NGC 2325                    Galaxy                         P155

NGC 2345                    Open Cluster               P73

NGC 2354                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H16-7

NGC 2359                    HII Ionized Nebula       P20 Thor’s Helmet Nebula

NGC 2360                    Open Cluster               C58, Herschel 400 H12-7 Caroline’s Cluster

NGC 2362                    Open Cluster               C64, Herschel 400 H17-7 Tau Canis Majoris Cluster

NGC 2367                    Open Cluster               P74

NGC 2374                    Open Cluster               P75

NGC 2380                    Galaxy                         P131

NGC 2383                    Open Cluster               P135

NGC 2384                    Open Cluster               P76

 

Constellation: Eridanus (ERI)

IC 2118                        Reflection Nebula       P112 Witch Head Nebula

NGC 1084                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H64-1

NGC 1187                    Galaxy                         P293

NGC 1232                    Galaxy                         P28 Eye of God Galaxy

NGC 1300                    Galaxy                         P81

NGC 1332                    Galaxy                         P82

NGC 1395                    Galaxy                         P228

NGC 1400                    Galaxy                         P367

NGC 1407                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H107-1

NGC 1535                    Planetary Nebula        Herschel 400 H26-4 Cleopatra’s Eye Nebula

NGC 1600                    Galaxy                         P299

NGC 1637                    Galaxy                         P286

NGC 1700                    Galaxy                         P305

 

Constellation: Gemini (GEM)

IC 443                                      Supernova Remnant   P249 Jellyfish Nebula

IC 444                          Reflection Nebula       P306

IC 2157                        Open Cluster               P156

NGC 2129                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H26-8

NGC 2158                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H17-6

NGC 2168                    Open Cluster               M35 Shoe Buckle Cluster

NGC 2266                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H21-6

NGC 2304                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H2-6

NGC 2331                    Open Cluster               P157

NGC 2355                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H6-6

NGC 2371                    Planetary Nebula        Herschel 400 H316-2 Double Bubble Nebula (South)

NGC 2372                    Planetary Nebula        Herschel 400 H317-2 Double Bubble Nebula (North)

NGC 2392                    Planetary Nebula        C39, Herschel 400 H45-4 Eskimo Nebula

NGC 2395                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H11-8

NGC 2420                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H1-6

 

Constellation: Lepus (LEP)

IC 418                          Planetary Nebula        P90 Spirograph Nebula

NGC 1904                    Globular Cluster          M79

NGC 1964                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H21-4

NGC 2196                    Galaxy                         P327

 

Constellation: Lynx (LYN)

NGC 2419                    Globular Cluster          C25, Herschel 400 H218-1 Intergalactic Wanderer

NGC 2549                    Galaxy                         P252

NGC 2683                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H200-1 UFO Galaxy

NGC 2782                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H167-1

 

Constellation: Monoceros (MON)

IC 447                          HII Ionized Nebula       P125 Dreyer’s Nebula

IC 448                          HII Ionized Nebula       P172

IC 2177                        HII Ionized Nebula       P52 Seagull Nebula includes Star SAO 152320 at center

NGC 2149                    Reflection Nebula       P303

NGC 2170                    Reflection Nebula       P296

NGC 2182                    Reflection Nebula       P262

NGC 2185                    Reflection Nebula       Herschel 400 H20-4

NGC 2215                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H20-7

NGC 2232                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H25-8

NGC 2236                    Open Cluster               P163

NGC 2237                    HII Ionized Nebula       C49 Rosette Nebula, includes NGC 2238 and NGC 2246

NGC 2239                    Open Cluster               P254, embedded in NGC 2237 Rosette Nebula

NGC 2244                    Open Cluster               C50, Herschel 400 H2-7, embedded in NGC 2237

NGC 2245                    Reflection Nebula       P255

NGC 2250                    Open Cluster               P164

NGC 2251                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H3-8

NGC 2252                    Open Cluster               P91

NGC 2254                    Open Cluster               P165

NGC 2259                    Open Cluster               P231

NGC 2261                    Reflection Nebula       C46 Hubble’s Variable Nebula

NGC 2262                    Open Cluster               P232

NGC 2264                    Open Cluster               H 400 H27-5 Cone Nebula, H5-8 Christmas Tree Cluster

NGC 2269                    Open Cluster               P166

NGC 2282                    HII Ionized Nebula       P269

NGC 2286                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H31-8

NGC 2299                    Open Cluster               P167

NGC 2301                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H27-6

NGC 2309                    Open Cluster               P233

NGC 2311                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H60-8

NGC 2323                    Open Cluster               M50 Heart Shaped Cluster

NGC 2324                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H38-7

NGC 2335                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H32-8, overlaps IC 2177 Seagull Nebula

NGC 2343                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H33-8, overlaps IC 2177 Seagull Nebula

NGC 2346                    Planetary Nebula        P283 Butterfly Nebula

NGC 2353                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H34-8

NGC 2368                    Open Cluster               P235

NGC 2506                    Open Cluster               C54, Herschel 400 H37-6

 

Constellation: Orion (ORI)

IC 431                          Reflection Nebula       P361

IC 432                          Reflection Nebula       P362

IC 434                          HII Ionized/Dark Neb  P92, includes Barnard 33 Horsehead Nebula

IC 435                          Reflection Nebula       P368

IC 2162                        Emission Nebula         P358

NGC 1662                    Open Cluster               P39

NGC 1788                    Reflection Nebula       Herschel 400 H32-5

NGC 1976                    HII Ionized Nebula       M42 Great Orion Nebula, includes Trapezium Cluster

NGC 1977                    Reflection Nebula      P40 Running Man Nebula, includes NGC 1975

NGC 1980                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H31-5 Lost Jewel of Orion Cluster

NGC 1981                    Open Cluster               P41

NGC 1982                    HII Ionized Nebula       M43 DeMairan Nebula

NGC 1999                    Reflection/Dark Neb   Herschel 400 H33-4 Cosmic Keyhole Nebula

NGC 2022                    Planetary Nebula        Herschel 400 H34-4

NGC 2023                    Emission/Reflect Neb P93

NGC 2024                    Emission Nebula         Herschel 400 H28-5 Flame Nebula

NGC 2064                    Reflection Nebula       P356

NGC 2067                    Reflection Nebula       P357

NGC 2068                    Reflection Nebula       M78

NGC 2071                    Reflection Nebula       P42

NGC 2112                    Open Cluster               P170

NGC 2141                    Open Cluster               P171

NGC 2169                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H24-8 The 37 Cluster

NGC 2174                    HII Ionized Nebula       P43 Monkey Head Nebula

NGC 2175                    Open Cluster               P369, overlaps NGC 2174 Monkey Head Nebula

NGC 2180                    Open Cluster               P321

NGC 2186                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H25-7

NGC 2194                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H5-6

 

Constellation: Perseus (PER)

IC 348                          Open Cluster               P95

IC 351                          Planetary Nebula        P351

IC 2003                        Planetary Nebula        P237

IC 2067                        Reflection Nebula       P326

NGC 650/NGC 651      Planetary Nebula        M76, Herschel 400 H193-1 Little Dumbell Nebula

NGC 744                      Open Cluster               P96

NGC 869                      Open Cluster               C14a, Herschel 400 H33-6 Double Cluster (West)

NGC 884                      Open Cluster               C14b, Herschel 400 H34-6 Double Cluster (East)

NGC 957                      Open Cluster               P97

NGC 1023                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H156-1 Perseus Lenticular Galaxy

NGC 1039                    Open Cluster               M34 Spiral Cluster

NGC 1058                    Galaxy                         P107

NGC 1161                    Galaxy                         P261

NGC 1220                    Open Cluster               P238

NGC 1245                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H25-6

NGC 1275                    Galaxy                         C24 Perseus A Seyfert Galaxy

NGC 1333                    Reflection Nebula       P330

NGC 1342                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H88-8 Stingray Cluster

NGC 1444                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H80-8

NGC 1491                    HII Ionized Nebula       P60 Fossil Footprint Nebula

NGC 1496                    Open Cluster               P174

NGC 1499                    Emission Nebula         P44 California Nebula

NGC 1513                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H60-7

NGC 1528                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H61-7

NGC 1545                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H85-8

NGC 1579                    Emission/Reflect Neb P333 Northern Trifid Nebula

NGC 1582                    Open Cluster               P45

NGC 1605                    Open Cluster               P239, pair of Open Clusters (overlapping binary pair)

NGC 1624                    Open Cluster               P240

 

Constellation: Taurus (TAU)

Messier 45                  Open Cluster               M45, Collinder 42, Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Subaru

Caldwell 41                 Open Cluster               C41, Collinder 50, Hyades

IC 349                          Reflection Nebula       P339 Barnard’s Merope Nebula

NGC 1514                    Planetary Nebula        P120 Crystal Ball Nebula

NGC 1554                    Reflection Nebula       P200 Von Struve’s Lost Nebula

NGC 1555                    Reflection Nebula       P201 Hind’s Variable Nebula

NGC 1647                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H8-8

NGC 1746                    Asterism                      P55, includes NGC 1750 and NGC 1758

NGC 1750                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H43-8, overlaps NGC 1746

NGC 1807                    Asterism                      P65

NGC 1817                    Open Cluster               Herschel 400 H4-7

NGC 1952                    Supernova Remnant   M1 Crab Nebula

 

Constellation: Ursa Major (UMA)

Messier 40                  Double Star                 M40, Winnecke 4 (not a binary pair)

IC 2574                        Galaxy                         P121 Coddington’s Dwarf Galaxy

NGC 2681                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H242-1

NGC 2685                    Galaxy                         P57 Helix Galaxy

NGC 2742                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H249-1

NGC 2768                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H250-1

NGC 2787                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H216-1

NGC 2805                    Galaxy                         P338

NGC 2841                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H205-1

NGC 2950                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H68-4

NGC 2976                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H285-1

NGC 2985                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H78-1

NGC 3031                    Galaxy                         M81 Bode’s Galaxy

NGC 3034                    Galaxy                         M82, Herschel 400 H79-4 Cigar Galaxy

NGC 3077                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H286-1

NGC 3079                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H47-5

NGC 3184                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H168-1 Little Pinwheel Galaxy

NGC 3198                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H199-1

NGC 3310                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H60-4

NGC 3319                    Galaxy                         P244

NGC 3348                    Galaxy                         P282

NGC 3359                    Galaxy                         P202

NGC 3556                    Galaxy                         M108, Herschel 400 H46-5 Surfboard Galaxy

NGC 3587                    Planetary Nebula        M97 Owl Nebula

NGC 3610                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H270-1

NGC 3613                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H271-1, paired with NGC 3619

NGC 3619                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H244-1, paired with NGC 3613

NGC 3631                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H226-1

NGC 3665                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H219-1

NGC 3675                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H194-1

NGC 3718                    Galaxy                         P275, paired with NGC 3729

NGC 3726                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H730-2

NGC 3729                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H222-1, paired with NGC 3718

NGC 3813                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H94-1

NGC 3877                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H201-1

NGC 3893                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H738-2

NGC 3898                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H228-1

NGC 3938                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H203-1

NGC 3941                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H173-1

NGC 3945                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H251-1

NGC 3949                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H202-1

NGC 3953                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H45-5

NGC 3982                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H62-4

NGC 3992                    Galaxy                         M109, Herschel 400 H61-4 Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy

NGC 3998                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H229-1

NGC 4026                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H223-1

NGC 4036                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H253-1, paired with NGC 4041

NGC 4041                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H252-1, paired with NGC 4036

NGC 4051                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H56-4

NGC 4062                    Galaxy                         P332

NGC 4085                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H224-1, paired with NGC 4088

NGC 4088                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H206-1, paired with NGC 4085

NGC 4096                    Galaxy                         P268

NGC 4100                    Galaxy                         P347

NGC 4102                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H225-1

NGC 4605                    Galaxy                         P111

NGC 5322                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H256-1

NGC 5448                    Galaxy                         P129

NGC 5457                    Galaxy                         M101 Pinwheel Galaxy, paired with NGC 5474

NGC 5473                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H231-1

NGC 5474                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H214-1, paired with M101 (NGC 5457)

NGC 5585                    Galaxy                         P289

NGC 5631                    Galaxy                         Herschel 400 H236-1

 

For more information:

Northern Latitudes:

https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/tonights-sky

https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm

https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatching/home/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/skyreport

http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/skywatch.html

https://griffithobservatory.org/explore/observing-the-sky/sky-report/

http://www.beckstromobservatory.com/whats-up-in-tonights-sky-2/

https://www.fairbanksmuseum.org/planetarium/eye-on-the-night-sky

http://dudleyobservatory.org/tonights-sky/

https://cse.umn.edu/mifa/starwatch

http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/learn/astro/nightsky/maps

https://tonightssky.com/MainPage.php

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/

https://stardate.org/nightsky

https://www.adventuresci.org/starcharts

https://www.astromart.com/news/search?category_id=3&q=kiss+the+sky&from=&to

 

Equatorial Latitudes:

https://heavens-above.com/SkyChart2.aspx

https://in-the-sky.org/data/constellations_map.php

https://ytliu0.github.io/starCharts/chartGCRS.html

 

Southern Latitudes:

https://www.scitech.org.au/explore/the-sky-tonight/

https://www.stardome.org.nz/star-charts--sky-spotter

 

This is my personal deep sky observing list. I use it to line up my DSO targets on any particular night:

https://www.astromart.com/reviews/advanced/show/my-celestial-jewel-box-the-guy-pirro-888-best-and-brightest-deep-sky-objects-in-the-northern-skies

 

Daily Moon Observing Guide:

https://moon.nasa.gov/moon-observation/daily-moon-guide/?intent=011

 

Find Astronomy Clubs, Events, and Star Parties in Your Area:

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

 

Watch Satellites Pass Over Your Location:

https://james.darpinian.com/satellites/

 

Astromart News Archives:

https://www.astromart.com/news/search?category_id=3&q=.

 

Check out some of my favorite Words of Wisdom:

https://astromart.com/news/show/words-of-wisdom-my-favorite-quotable-quotes

https://astromart.com/news/show/words-of-wisdom-my-favorite-proverbs-from-around-the-world

 

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Then click here and buy the Astromart crew a cup of coffee (and maybe even some donuts):

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