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Dark Texas Skies has a different lineup for each season to view stunning stellar objects. Regardless what season(s) you choose, you will be dazzled by the different types of unearthly celestial objects, including the constellations.
When planning your cosmic adventure, FIRST choose the best season of objects from below that you desire to observe.
SECOND, check our Moon Phase Calendar (link provided on this page) for the best nights when our bright and beautiful Moon is absent from the night sky during your visit.
Finally, make your lodging reservations to stay at the Marathon Motel & RV Park. At the conclusion of your nighttime comic adventure, you are only a short distance from your lodging, whether in a comfortable room, your RV or tent.
Winter Season
The winter months in the Northern Hemisphere are a cosmic adventurer’s sweet dream! The nights are long and the sky never ceases to amaze during the crystal-clear nights. The Perseus star band of the Milky Way is clearly visible during this season. The southwest town of Marathon, TX experiences warmer winters than other regions in the U.S.A. So, put on your lightweight coats and come out to Dark Texas Skies at night and be a cosmic adventurer!
The Winter constellations are those that are best observed in the night sky from December 21st through March 20th. The Northern Hemisphere seasonal constellations are listed below, including Auriga, Camelopardalis, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Lepus, Monoceros, Orion, Taurus and Triangulum. Also during the winter months, the two asterisms, the Winter Triangle and the Winter Hexagon, as well as the dazzling Zodiacal Light, are all easily observable.
Messier Stellar Objects & More
Whereas there are not as many impressive galaxies to observe during the winter months, many more open star clusters are visible than listed above, such as Messier 35, Messier 36, Messier 37, Messier 38 (Starfish Cluster), Messier 41, Messier 46, Messier 47 and Messier 79.
However, if you desire to see a plethora of galaxies, then the spring and early summer seasons are for you! We can see over 70+ (some smaller, others larger) gorgeous galaxies through our large telescopes and the Oberwerk BT-100XL-ED binoculars.
Spring Season
Springtime provides the best opportunity to see the light of stars from distant galaxies far, far away. There are more galaxies visible during this time than at any other time of the year. But galaxies are not the only savory cosmic treats this season has to offer.
The Spring constellations are those that are best observed in the night sky from March 21st through June 20th. The most prominent Northern Hemisphere spring seasonal constellations are Boötes, Cancer, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Hydra, Leo, Ursa Major, and Virgo. The Big Dipper and Spring Triangle asterisms are also clearly in play during this time.
The Coma Berenices in not a large constellation that we see in the Spring, yet it contains a number of famous and must see deep sky objects. Some of those to observe are the Black Eye Galaxy (M64), Messier 91, Messier 95, Messier 96, Messier 98, Messier 99, Messier 100, Messier 105, the globular cluster Messier 53, and the Needle Galaxy (NGC 4565). The Coma Berenices also contains the northern part of the Virgo supercluster of galaxies.
And how could anyone forget about M49, the brightest galaxy in the Virgo Cluster? Moreover, the globular star cluster M3 in the constellation Canes Venatici is one of the largest and brightest globular clusters in the nighttime sky.
Oh yeah, the astronomical Spring season is great. However, things heat up in the summer and it’s a blast. The illustrious constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius are awe-inspiring and their associated deep sky stellar objects. But wait, there is much more! Two of the brightest and stunning star bands of the Milky Way rise and appear to rotate counter-clockwise above our heads during the night. This is what good dreams are made of.
Summer Season
In late June, we see the Spring constellations as Cancer and Leo sink further into the western abyss with Boötes following not too far behind. But with the fading away of those Spring constellations brings the promise of the rising of other exciting constellations and the beautiful, luminous Carina-Sagittarius star bands of the Milky Way!
The Summer constellations are those that are best observed in the night sky from June 21st through September 20th. The interesting Northern Hemisphere seasonal constellations are Aquila, Corona Borealis, Cygnus, Delphinus, Draco, Hercules, Lepus, Libra, Lyra, Sagitta, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Vulpecular and the Coathanger. The circumpolar constellations, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Draco are easily visible. During this season, the two asterisms, the Summer Triangle, Northern Cross and the Teapot (in Sagittarius) asterisms are also easily observable.
Other than the seasonal cosmic delights listed above, the Summer nighttime sky is full of other notable objects, such as the Pelican Nebula, North America Nebula, Veil Nebula, Crescent Nebula, Soap Bubble Nebula, and Tulip Nebula.
With the start of the Fall astronomical season in the Northern Hemisphere, the last days of summer are upon us, and that means the nights will become longer, darker and earlier until the Winter Solstice in December. Because the dark sky season begins, there are a numerous exciting new annual sights such as the huge Andromeda Galaxy and the bright and beautiful star Sirius. Come to a Dark Texas Skies’ star party during astronomical Fall and you will be richly rewarded.
Fall Season
Summer is gone, and so has those seasonal celestial objects along with the warmer temperatures! We experience longer and more pleasant cooler nights, so it’s time to embrace an exciting new season. The Fall season brings the Perseus star band of the Milky Way into view. It stretches across the sky from the constellation Cassiopeia through Perseus and Auriga to Gemini and Monoceros.
The Fall constellations are those that are best observed in the night sky from September 21st through December 20th. The most prominent Northern Hemisphere seasonal constellations are Aquarius, Andromeda, Aries, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Perseus, Pegasus, Pisces, and the Triangulum. While the Autumn stars may not be as bright or spectacular as those found in Winter, Spring, or Summer, the Fall constellations are easier to recognize than any other season.
With the passing of the Fall season, the Great Orion Constellation rises in the more cool and still air of the Winter months. This constellation boasts the largest and brightest nebula seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the Orion Nebula, which measures about 24 light-years across! This nebula is one of the most scrutinized and photographed stellar objects in the night sky. You will not want to miss it!!
By now, you may have come to realize that it is far too difficult to decide to visit Dark Texas Skies in Marathon, TX during just one season. Don’t be confronted with such a difficult choice, but choose instead several seasons. Bring the entire family and enjoy a peaceful and relaxing time under the stars. If you have binoculars, they will enhance your dark sky viewing.
Dark Texas Skies
Marathon Motel & RV Park
701 West US-90 Highway
Marathon, Texas 79842
© 2022 - 2024 · Dark Texas Skies™
Because we observe the planets across different seasons, the ones that we will be viewing are listed below with their respective dates. So, plan accordingly.
Also, there are three Super Moons that occur in 2024, August 19, September 18, and October 17.
Saturn will be visible during the summer months through February 11, and the mornings from March 17 to September 7, 2024.
Saturn will be in opposition to the Sun on September 8. Its alignment with other planets during the early morning hours will occur on April 20, June 7, and August 28. We will begin to observe Saturn during the star parties in December.
The triple conjunction of Saturn, Mars, and the Moon occurs on April 6 before sunrise.
We view Jupiter during the nights of January 1 to mid-April. Evening viewing will be optimal again from December 7 to December 31.
One of the most spectacular conjunctions will occur on August 14, 2024 when the Mars-Jupiter Conjunction happens shortly after midnight.
This is another “off” year for Mars, as for much of 2024 the planet will appear relatively dim in the early morning sky. By October 31 and during late night hours, the planet will be readily seen in the NE sky. Mid-December and onward will be the best time to view the planet.
Look for Mercury low in the western sky from March 10 to March 31, and July 8 to July 29. This is a very difficult planet to spot because of its proximity to the Sun.
Always a brilliant planet. We can see Venus between October 5 through December 31 during the evening.
On March 22, 2024, the Venus-Saturn Conjunction occurs in the pre-dawn hours.
Geminids
November 28, 2024 to December 20, 2024
The strongest meteor shower of the year. However in 2024, the peak falls on the nights of December 13-14.
Ursids
December 22, 2024
This meteor shower peaks just before Christmas and the rate of the meteors is much less than the Geminids, usually only 5-10 per hour. They peak on the night of December 21st – 22nd.
Quadrantids
January 3-4, 2024
This may be the strongest meteor shower of the entire year. The average hourly rate is 25 per hour.
People are surprised to learn that there are 3,743 known comets that pass through our solar system and orbit our Sun. Many of them can only be observed from the Southern Hemisphere or in the early morning hours in the Northern Hemisphere. Those listed below are the most prominent ones. For those of you who are especially interested in comets, have a look at the links below. The first two documents detail every comet that enters into our solar system during the current year. The Wikipedia article gives general information about comets.
C/2001 S3 (PanSTARRS)
The comet’s perihelion occurs on February 14, 2024 (mag 10), and its closest approach to Earth is on March 14, 2024, with a magnitude of 10. A large binocular or a small telescope will be required to see the comet in the Northern Hemisphere.
Lyrids
April 15th, 2023 – April 29th, 2023
The Lyrids are a medium strength shower. The meteor shower will peak during April 21-22, 2024.
Eta Aquariids
April 15th, 2023 – May 27th, 2023
The Eta Aquariids is a strong shower in the southern tropics. However in the Northern Hemisphere, they usually only produce 10-30 per hour just before dawn. The meteors will be most prominent on May 5-6.
People are surprised to learn that there are 3,743 known comets that pass through our solar system and orbit our Sun. Many of them can only be observed from the Southern Hemisphere or in the early morning hours in the Northern Hemisphere. Those listed below are the most prominent ones. For those of you who are especially interested in comets, have a look at the links below. The first two documents detail every comet that enters into our solar system during the current year. The Wikipedia article gives general information about comets.
C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS
At the end of March at a magnitude of about 8.3, this comet will cross the Coathanger Cluster.
12P/Pons-Brooks
This comet is more than the twice the size of Mount Everest and will begin to appear in the early evenings during March 2024. The comet will skirt the twilight after sunset later in the month of March.
This comet may also be visible during the 2024 solar total eclipse! Its perihelion occurs on April 24 and will be at its brightest on April 21, 2024. June 2nd marks when the comet will be at perigee, its closest approach to Earth.
Discovered in the year of 1812, this comet completes one orbit around the Sun every 71.2 years.
Alpha Capricornids
July 7th to August 15th, 2024
This meteor shower is not very strong and rarely produces in excess of five meteors per hour. It peaks on July 30-31, 2022.
Perseids
July 14th to September 1st, 2024
Most popular meteor shower. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13. In a dark sky, one may see 50-75 meteors per hour.
People are surprised to learn that there are 3,743 known comets that pass through our solar system and orbit our Sun. Many of them can only be observed from the Southern Hemisphere or in the early morning hours in the Northern Hemisphere. Those listed below are the most prominent ones. For those of you who are especially interested in comets, have a look at the links below. The first two documents detail every comet that enters into our solar system during the current year. The Wikipedia article gives general information about comets.
13P/Olbers
The comet’s perihelion will occur on June 30, 2024 with its closest approach to Earth on July 20, 2024 at a magnitude of 7.6. In both June and July, the comet might become visible with small binoculars in the Northern Hemisphere.
Orionids
September 26th to November 22nd, 2024
This meteor shower is a medium strength and produces about 10-20 meteors per hour. It will peak on the nights of October 20-21.
Northern Taurids
October 13th to December 2nd, 2024
This meteor shower may produce a notable increase in the fireball activity this year. They will peak on the November 11-12 night.
Leonids
November 3rd to December 2nd, 2024
This meteor shower may produce a lot of meteors or only about 15 per hour. They are often bright meteors with a high percentage of persistent trains. The morning of maximum meteors is expected to be on November 18.
November 19th to December 24th, 2024
This meteor shower is generally the strongest meteor shower of the year. Be sure to circle the dates of December 13 and 14 on your calendars. These are the dates that the bright Geminids will appear.
Ursids
December 13th to December 24th, 2024
This meteor shower peaks just before Christmas and the number of meteors are much less than the Geminids. Usually there are about 25 meteors per hour and they peak on the night of December 21-22.
People are surprised to learn that there are 3,743 known comets that pass through our solar system and orbit our Sun. Many of them can only be observed from the Southern Hemisphere or in the early morning hours in the Northern Hemisphere. Those listed below are the most prominent ones. For those of you who are especially interested in comets, have a look at the links below. The first two documents detail every comet that enters into our solar system during the current year. The Wikipedia article gives general information about comets.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
The comet’s perihelion will occur on September 27, 2024, at a magnitude of 0.2. Its closest approach to Earth will occur on October 12, 2024 at a magnitude of 0.9. It will only be visible in the Northern Hemisphere after its perihelion.
If all goes well, this comet has the potential of outshining most of the brightest stars in the night sky.
333P/LINEAR
The comet’s perihelion occurs on November 29, 2024 (mag 9.8), and its closest approach to Earth on December 9, 2024, with a magnitude of 10. The comet might become visible in November through large binoculars or a small telescope. The comet has a retrograde orbit and an orbital period of 8.7 years.
The Caroline’s Rose Nebula is located near the constellation Cassiopeia in the rich star fields of the Milky Way. It is about 8,000 light-years from Earth. The Nebula itself is estimated to be over 50 light-years across with the more brighter and massive stars to have rapidly exhausted their hydrogen fuel in their cores.
The Beehive Cluster is an open cluster in the constellation Cancer and is also known as Messier 44. The cluster is one of the nearest open cluster to Earth, about 600 light-years away. It was among the first objects that Galileo studied with his telescope.
These two stars appear in the constellation of Gemini, and Pollux is the brightest star of the two. Pollux is about 34 light-years from Earth. Both stars are larger than the Sun. Castor is about 52 light-years away from Earth. The annual intense Geminid meteor shower (December 10-13) appears to emanate from the constellation Gemini.
Procyon is one of the bright stars that forms one of the three vertices of the Winter Triangle, along with Betelgeuse and Sirius. It is the 8th brightest star in the nighttime sky and the major star in the constellation Canis Minor. The star is approximately 11.46 light-years from Earth.
The Mizar and Alcor system forms a naked eye double in the handle of the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major. These double stars are sometimes referred to as “the horse and the rider.” All the stars in the system except for Alcor B are in the prime of their evolutionary lives and fusing hydrogen in their cores. Alcor’s little companion is a red dwarf star like Proxima Centauri.
The somewhat isolated Black Eye Galaxy is a spiral galaxy. It is located in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices, about 18 million light-years away from Earth. What makes this galaxy relatively unique is that the interstellar medium consists of two counter-rotating disks that are approximately equal in mass.
We see something at Dark Texas Skies that is more rare to observe than the Aura Borealis–the Zodiacal Light. In fact, it is so rare that most people have never heard of it. Sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust causes this phenomenon. One can see it once astronomical twilight occurs after the sunset and before sunrise.
The Zodiacal Light is a faint, diffuse, and roughly triangular white glow that straddles the ecliptic line. It is so bright at times that it wipes out the starlight in its path.
NGC 5195 is also known as M51B. It is a dwarf galaxy that is strongly interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A). The pair of galaxies are the most noted interacting galaxy pairs in astronomy Both galaxies are about 25 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant in the constellation Taurus, about 6,500 light-years from Earth. It is the first astronomical object recognized as being connected to a supernova explosion. Historical records revealed that a new star bright enough to be seen in the daytime for numerous days by astronomers in 1054 A.D.
Coma Berenices is one of the 88 modern constellations, but only contains three major stars. It is located between the constellations of Leo and Boötes. It is the home of eight deep sky Messier objects. The constellation was named in honor of Ptolemy’s consort, Berenice II
Bode’s Galaxy is also known as Messier 81. It is a grand design spiral galaxy. It is about 12 million light-years from Earth, with a diameter of 90,000 light years. Like M82 its “neighboring” galaxy, it resides in the constellation Ursa Major.
The galaxy’s name is named after its discoverer, Johann Elert Bode on December 31, 1774. It is the largest galaxy in the M81 Group, a group of 34 in the constellation Ursa Major.
The Cigar Galaxy is also known as Messier 82. It is the closest starburst galaxy to Earth, about 12 million light-years away. It resides in the constellation Ursa Major. In 2005, the Hubble Space Telescope revealed 197 young massive clusters at its starburst core.
The Pinwheel Galaxy is striking, large face-on spiral galaxy with a diameter of 170,000 light-years, nearly twice the diameter of our galaxy. Over a trillion stars call this home. The galaxy’s spiral arms are sprinkled with large regions of star-forming nebulas. The galaxy is located between 21 and 25 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major near the handle of the Big Dipper.
Rigel is a brilliant blue-white multiple star system. At times, it is the brightest star in the constellation Orion, and competes with the red supergiant star Betelgeuse in brightness. Rigel is about 870 light-years from our Sun and is about 47,000 times as luminous.
One of the most iconic open clusters in the night sky is the Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters.” They are a captivating collection of massive, hot blue stars and readily visible with the naked eye in the constellation Taurus. Although about 14 stars can be observed with the eye, the Pleiades is home to some 2200 stars. The Cluster lies 440 light-years beyond Earth.
If one is native to Japan, then they know that the Subaru Corporation logo’s stars are drawn from the Pleiades, for they call it “Subaru.”
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is estimated to be 24 light-years across and has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun. Its distance is about 1,344 light-years from Earth.
It is located in the Orion Constellation and seen as the middle patch of light (that looks like a star) in Orion’s sword. The Nebula contains an open cluster, known as the Trapezium Cluster due to the asterism. Two of these can be resolved into their component binary systems, giving a total of six stars.
Omega Centauri is a globular cluster in constellation Centaurus. It is located at a distance of 17,090 light-years from Earth. It is estimated to contain approximately 10 million stars, making it the most massive-known globular cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy. The stars in the Omega Centauri’s core are so tightly packed that it is estimated to average only 0.1 light-year away from each other. This behemoth has a diameter of 230 light-years, which is about 10 times more massive than a typical globular cluster.
The Trifid Nebula’s name means “three-lobe” and also known as Messier 20. The eerie structural feature of a three wing-like bands of thick dust is the reason for its name. The unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula, a reflection nebula and a dark nebula contributes to its uniqueness. It is located in the constellation Sagittarius about 9,000 light-years away from Earth.
The Omega Nebula, also known as the Swan Nebula and Messier 17, is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It features some of the richest star fields of our galaxy, the Milky Way. It is between 5,000 and 6,000 light-years from Earth and it spans some 15 light-years in diameter. The open cluster NGC 6618 lies embedded in its nebulosity and causes the nebula’s gases to shine due to radiation from these hot stars.
The Leo Triplet constitutes of a small group of galaxies in the constellation Leo, located about 35 million light-years from Earth. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66 and NGC 3628 (the “Hamburger Galaxy”). They exhibit strong gravi-tational interactions with each other.
The Virgo Supercluster is a massive concentration of galaxies that are located in the constellation of Virgo. Over 700 galaxies exist, including the string of galaxies known as Markarian’s Chain at the center of the field. The Cluster sits about 65 million light-years away from Earth.
The Scorpius Globular Cluster, also known as Messier 4, is a huge, loosely concentrated spherical collection of stars and measure 75 light-years across. It is about 5,500 light-years away and is the closest globular cluster to Earth.
Photographs by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 located white dwarf stars in the Cluster. One has been found to be a binary star with a pulsar companion and a planet orbiting it with a mass of 2.5 times that of Jupiter.
M4 is located in the constellation of Scorpius as depicted in the picture to the right. It was the first globular cluster in which individual stars were resolved in a telescope.
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy. It is located in the Canes Venatici Constellation, which is near the Big Dipper’s outer handle’s star, Eta Ursae Majoris. It appears face-on and on a dark night, the star bands are easily seen as well as the dark areas between them through a telescope. The Whirlpool Galaxy is about 25-31 million light-years from Earth. The dwarf galaxy NGC 5195 interacts with M51. Because of the gravitational interaction between these two galaxies, NGC 5195 is highly distorted.
The Lagoon Nebula, also known as Messier 8, is a giant interstellar cloud, located in the constellation Sagittarius. It’s region is filled with intense winds from hot stars and churning funnels of gas. These activities are embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust. The Nebula’s distance from Earth is between 4,100-6,000 light-years. It appears pink in color time-exposures but is gray to the eye observing it through binoculars or a telescope.
The Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57, was formed during its last stage of a star’s evolution before becoming a white dwarf star. This Messier object is a planetary nebula, which is located in the Lyra Constellation and south of the bright star Vega. It appears as a small, ghostly smoke ring through a telescope. The Ring Nebula is about 2,500 light-years from Earth.
Messier 13 is the crown jewel of the globular clusters in the Northern Hemisphere. The globular cluster that is about 145 light-years in diameter and located in the constellation Hercules. It contains anywhere between 200,000 and a million stars. They appear like a ball of diamonds on black velvet. M13 is visible all night from May through July and part of the night in August and September.
Aldebaran is a red giant star in the constellation of Taurus. Its name derives from the Arabic term meaning “the follower” because it seems to follow the Pleiades. The star is about 65 light-years from Earth and is the 14th brightest star in the night sky. Aldebaran’s radius is about 44 times the Sun’s, so it is over 400 times as luminous.
Arcturus is a red giant star in the constellation of Boötes. Its name derives from the Greek term that means “keeper or guardian of the bear,” which refers to its position adjacent to the tail of the constellation Ursa Major (“the greater bear”). The star is about 37 light-years from Earth and is the 4th brightest star in the night sky. Arcturus helps to form the Summer Triangle asterism along with the stars Spica and Denebola (or Regulus).
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name derives from a Greek word that means “glowing” or “scorching.” It is about twice as massive as our Sun and is 25 times as luminous as the Sun. Its distance is about 8.6 light-years from Earth. It was important for early navigation in the Pacific Ocean.
Sirius is known as the “Dog Star” as the major star in the constellation Canis Major. The “Dog star” humorously forms the left eye in Sirius Satellite Radio’s logo.
Polaris is currently the North Hemisphere’s Pole star and is often referred to as the “North Star.” It belongs to the constellation Ursa Minor and is about 434 light-years from our Sun. Although it appears as a single point of light, Polaris belongs to a triple star system.
After the Andromeda Galaxy, the Sculptor Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky. It’s location is in the constellation Sculptor and located about 13 million light-years from Earth.
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus. It is well-known as the “Loneliest Star” because it’s the only bright star in a wide stretch of night sky. The star is about 25 light-years from Earth and is the 18th brightest star in the night sky.
The Helix Nebula is also known as The Eye of God Nebula. It is located about 650 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. It is classified as a planetary nebula. The Helix’s main ring is about two light-years across. Its gases spread out to at least four light-years. At its core is a white dwarf star, about the size of Earth.
The familiar shape of the nebula is driven by stellar winds from the hot stars in its core. The nebula is also known as the Running Dog Nebula. It is located about 7,500 light-years from Earth and is located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia.
The Tadpoles Nebula is a faint and dust emission nebula that stretches more than 100 light-years across. The nebula derives its name from tadpole figures that consist of denser, cooler gas and dust. The tadpoles are about 10 light-years long.
The Flaming Star Nebula is located in the constellation Auriga, about 1,500 light-years from Earth. This glowing emission and reflection nebula is about 5 light-years across that is illuminated by the star AE Aurigae, the bright blue star that dominates the nebula. The rippling dust and gas lanes of red and blue colors is what give the Nebula its name. The colors are present in different regions and are created by different processes. The object looks like a cosmic bonfire out in the depths of space.
The Dumbbell Nebula may be the finest planetary nebula in the night sky and was the first planetary nebula discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. Only the Helix Nebula in the constellation Aquarius is brighter. The nebula is located in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light-years from Earth.
Messier 92 is located about 27,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. The globular cluster is a sphere of stars that orbits the Milky Way and is one of the brightest globular clusters in our galaxy. It literally looks like a star explosion. An estimation of 330,000 stars are packed into a 109 light-year radius.
The star cluster Messier 15 is one of the densest globular cluster known. This glittering cluster contains over 100,000 stars. It is located in the constellation Pegasus about 33,600 light-years from Earth.
According to NASA, “M15 was the first globular cluster known to host a planetary nebula (the gaseous shell of a dying star).”
Iota Cancri is a double star in the constellation Cancer. The star system is about 300 light-years from Earth. The brighter star, Iota Cancri A, is a yellow star. The fainter of the two stars, Iota Cancri B, is a white sequence dwarf.
Alioth is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major. The star is the 33rd brightest star in the night sky. It is the star in the tail of the bear closest to its body, and thus the star in the handle of the Big Dipper (or Big Plough/Wagon) closest to the bowl. Its distance is approximately 82.6 light-years from Earth.
The Hyades star cluster is the nearest open cluster to Earth. It is located about 153 light-years away from our Sun. Its distance is measured by parallax shift. The cluster is a spherical grouping of hundreds of stars in the constellation Taurus.
Although the red giant star Aldebaran help to guide viewers to the Hyades star cluster, the red giant is not part of the Hyades Cluster.
Spica is a close double star, and it constitutes the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. The binary star system orbit so closely that they distort each other into egg shape objects. Their distance is approximately 250 light-years from Earth.
Denebola is the second brightest star in the constellation Leo, after Regulus. It is about 36 light-years from the Sun, and has about 75% more mass than the Sun. The star forms the Lion’s tail.
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and the 21st brightest star in the night sky. It looks like one star to the unaided eye, but it’s really four stars. It is a quadruple star system composed of four star that are organized into two pairs. It is about 79 light-years from Earth.
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and the 19th brightest star in the night sky. It is mostly known for being one of the three Summer Triangle stars. It is about 3,230 light-years from Earth. Due to the Earth’s precession, future generations will see Deneb as the Pole Star from around the year 9800 AD.
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. It is about 25 light-years away from the Sun, and one of the most luminous stars in the Sun’s neighborhood. It is the 5th brightest star in the nigh sky, and the 2nd brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus.
Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the 12th brightest star in the night sky. It is mostly known for being one of the three Summer Triangle stars. It is about 16.8 light-years from Earth, making it one of our nearest stellar neighbors.
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and 15th brightest star in the night sky. The slow irregular star begins the tail portion of Scorpius. It is a massive red super giant star. If placed where our Sun is, its massive size would extend to somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Its distance from our Sun is approximately 550 light-years. Antares is part of a binary star system.
Alnitak is a triple star system. It is the 5th brightest star in the constellation Orion and the 31st brightest star in the sky. Its distance is approximately 1,260 light-years from Earth. Alnitak is the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, one of the best known nighttime asterisms.
Capella is the sixth brightest star in the night sky. It is the major star in the constellation Auriga. While Capella appears as a single star to the unaided eye, it actually is a group of four stars, consisting of two large binary stars, and two fainter binary dwarfs. The star is more than 40 light-years away from Earth and known as the “Goat Star.”
The dwarf elliptical galaxy Messier 110 is one of two satellite galaxies that orbits the Andromeda Galaxy that is located in the constellation Andromeda. It is about 2.6 million light-years away from Earth. This dwarf elliptical galaxy has approximately 10 billion stars. A large telescope is needed to resolve any detain beyond a spot of light.
The dwarf galaxy Messier 32 is one of two satellite galaxies that orbits the Andromeda Galaxy. It is about 2.6 million light-years from Earth. It is believed that this galaxy contains a supermassive black hole with countless stars from its compact core to its less dense outskirts. A large telescope is needed to resolve any detain beyond a spot of light.
The Andromeda Galaxy is located in the Andromeda Constellation. The galaxy is also known as Messier 31. Andromeda is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Both our galaxy and Andromeda contain about the same amount of stars, approximately estimated as 1 trillion!
In the dark night sky, one can see a smudge of distant light that is larger than a full moon. The two much smaller galaxies, Messier 32 and Messier 110 orbit the Andromeda Galaxy.
The Perseus Double Cluster consists of the open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884. The two clusters are separated from one another by a few hundred light-years. The clusters are about 7,500 light-years in the Perseus star band of the Milky Way Galaxy. The two clusters together consists of about 8,000 stars and reside in the northern part of the constellation Perseus. Both breathtaking pair of clusters contain supergiant stars.
Betelgeuse is the 10th brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in constellation Orion, located at the eastern shoulder of the hunter. Its name is derived from Arabic words meaning “the giant’s shoulder.” It is about 642.5 light-years away from Earth. This red super giant star is the largest one in the Milky Way.
