The Sky in June

Meteor Shower

The Circumpolar Constellations

By Francine Jackson
We normally spend a lot of time enjoying the seasonal constellations, the ones that our ancestors depended on as indicators of changes here on Earth, but we often forget that there is a set of star patterns that are always there, waiting for us when we turn around to the north. These are the circumpolar constellations, the ones that, although their positions do change with time, they seem to travel in a circle centered at the sky’s north pole, and are always visible from our northern latitudes.

Observing Projects for June

A Selection of Double Stars in Corona Borealis

: By Glenn Chaple
It’s time to come out of hibernation! After two months of intense cold weather here in the Northeast, mild temperatures are returning. Celebrate spring with a visit to one of the season’s loveliest constellations, Corona Borealis. The Northern Crown is home to a splendid collection of double stars. Here are ten of the most noteworthy.

Spring Double Stars: The Three Leaps of the Gazelle

: By Nan D'Antuono
The Great Bear Ursa Major is high in the north these Spring evenings. Along his southwestern border, shared with the constellations Lynx, Leo Minor, and Leo lie the three distinctive pairs of third magnitude stars known from ancient times by many names, one of the best known of which is the charming name "The Three Leaps of the Gazelle." Three of the six leap stars are wonderful doubles, and there are many more awaiting discovery in Ursa Major.

Summer Double Stars

: By Nan D'Antuono
The same hazy summer skies that provide excellent views of the planets also bring many double stars within reach of the small-scope user, some of which are close pairs. Here are just a few of these stars, waiting to be observed before the Square of Pegasus rises to announce that fall is but three months away.

Some Bright Summer Double Stars

: By Glenn Chaple
In this modern era of the huge galaxy-gulping Dobsonian reflector, double stars have become the neglected children of the cosmos. That’s too bad, because few heavenly objects have the visual appeal of double stars.

Some Bright Spring Double Stars

: By Glenn Chaple
To most deep sky enthusiasts, spring means “galaxies.” Hundreds of these island universes – many in the Coma-Virgo cluster – are within the reach of backyard scopes. Often forgotten are the beautiful double stars that also inhabit the spring skies. Here are ten of the best:
A Selection of Double Stars in Boötes

A Selection of Double Stars in Boötes

: By Glenn Chaple
During the warm summer evenings, the constellation Boötes is perched high in the sky after sunset. The Herdsman is a rich hunting ground for double stars.

A Selection of Double Stars in Scorpius

: By Glenn Chaple
Our summer double star adventure takes us to the southern skies and the constellation Scorpius. The region north and west of, and including, Antares contains a remarkable array of showpiece double and multiple stars.

A Selection of Double Stars in Draco

: By Glenn Chaple
A hazy summer evening may prevent you from observing nebulae and galaxies, but it could afford ideal seeing conditions for high power targets like double stars.
The Heart of our Milky Way Galaxy

The Heart of our Milky Way Galaxy

: By Craig Cortis
Now we come to the very best that summertime observing has to offer us: the areas around the actual center of our home Galaxy, the Milky Way.
A Better Galaxy Guide: Late Spring

A Better Galaxy Guide: Late Spring

: By Craig Cortis
Those of you who enjoyed my first installment on this subject will find this second part to be even better. Three constellations are covered on the accompanying list of recommended objects and two—Virgo and Coma Berenices-feature the grandest, richest assortment of galaxies bright enough to be seen in small-to-medium aperture instruments.

β Cygni (Albireo)

: By Glenn Chaple
I’m a big fan of “off-the-beaten-path” sky objects. One of my favorites is the little-known double star Struve 817 - the 817th double star catalogued by the German-born Russian astronomer F. G. W. Struve during a survey conducted between 1824 and 1827.
Mizar, The First Double Star

Mizar, The First Double Star

: By Glenn Chaple
The middle star in the handle of the Big Dipper, Mizar is the easiest double star for the novice to locate. It boasts historical importance as the first double star discovered.

44 Boötis

: By Glenn Chaple
44 Boötis, whose 210-year orbit is highly inclined to our line-of-sight, has opened up. Its magnitude 5.3 and 6.2 component stars are separated by 2.2 arc-seconds.

Messier 6 and Messier 7

: By Glenn Chaple
The song “Love and Marriage,” contains a line that goes, “you can’t have one without the other.” The words aptly describe the open clusters M6 and M7 in Scorpius. This cosmic “horse and carriage” lies in the southern sky above the Scorpion’s stinger.

Chaple’s Arc

: By Glenn Chaple
Forgive me for the apparent ego trip, but this month I’m going to introduce you to an amazing little asterism called “Chaple’s Arc.” I stumbled upon the Arc in the mid-1970s while looking for the double star h1470.

Cygnus X-1: A Black Hole You Can Find!

: By Craig Cortis
Unusual celestial objects having bizarre or extreme astrophysical properties often make highly desirable observing targets for amateur astronomers wishing to find things outside the scope of the usual, customary star party “menu”. So how do you find something that even the Hubble Space Telescope can’t image in visible light? The answer is surprisingly simple and is my topic for this month.

M40: The “Unknown” Messier Object

: By Glenn Chaple
Arguably the oddest member of the Catalog, M40 isn’t a cluster, nebula, or galaxy. It’s a double star! We might well label M40 “Messier’s Mistake.”

It’s Full of Stars!

: By Dave Huestis
This month Dave Huestis examines the 5th largest constellation in the sky - Hercules. While there are many mythological stories about this giant, one of the most beautiful objects in the heavens resides within its borders. It's full of stars!

IC 4665

: By Glenn Chaple
One reason for IC 4665’s relative anonymity is its large size, allowing it to elude the narrow fields of large-aperture telescopes. Charles Messier and William Herschel missed it, and it wasn’t included in the New General Catalogue. This often-overlooked cluster is definitely a must-see object for binoculars and rich-field telescopes.

NGC 6207

: By Glenn Chaple
Most backyard astronomers are so entranced by the Great Hercules Cluster M13 that they fail to notice a small, faint oval patch of light a half degree to the northeast. This is the 11th magnitude galaxy NGC 6207.

Izar (ε Boötis)

: By Glenn Chaple
A larger telescope and magnifying power of 200X will readily split Izar and reveal a striking color contrast between the golden yellow primary and its bluish companion. The Russian astronomer Wilhelm Struve, who conducted a double star survey in the late 1820s and early 1830s, nick-named it “Pulcherrima” (The Most Beautiful).
β Scorpii

β Scorpii

: By Glenn Chaple
This month, we travel southward to the constellation Scorpius and the showpiece double star beta (β) Scorpii, also known as Graffias. Beta Scorpii is an eye-pleasing pair of magnitude 2.6 and 4.5 stars separated by 13.6 arc-seconds. The magnitudes and separation are quite similar to those of the better-know Mizar; indeed, Graffias rivals Mizar in visual splendor.
The Circumpolar Constellations

The Circumpolar Constellations

: By Francine Jackson
We normally spend a lot of time enjoying the seasonal constellations, the ones that our ancestors depended on as indicators of changes here on Earth, but we often forget that there is a set of star patterns that are always there, waiting for us when we turn around to the north. These are the circumpolar constellations, the ones that, although their positions do change with time, they seem to travel in a circle centered at the sky’s north pole, and are always visible from our northern latitudes.
The Ships of Sheliak

The Ships of Sheliak

: By Jim Hendrickson
Hidden in the rich starfields near the Ring Nebula is an asterism that resembles a pair of ships from Star Wars.

M92: Globular Cluster in Hercules

: By Glenn Chaple
Quick question. How many times (to the nearest thousand) have you viewed the great globular cluster M13 with your telescope? Next question. How many times (nearest thousandth) have you visited Hercules’ other great globular cluster M92? I doubt it would be an exaggeration to say that I’ve seen M92 once for every hundred times I’ve viewed M13.

M56: Globular Cluster in Lyra

: By Glenn Chaple
In July, we looked at M92, a fine globular cluster in Hercules that’s overlooked in favor of the easier-to-find M13. The same misfortune has befallen another globular cluster - M56 in Lyra. M56 is often bypassed by backyard astronomers who favor the planetary nebula M57, conveniently positioned midway between the stars beta (β) and gamma (γ) Lyrae.
Porrima: Binary Star in Virgo

Porrima: Binary Star in Virgo

: By Glenn Chaple
Compiling a list of the finest double stars for backyard telescopes is always a work in progress. The list is forever in flux, because many showpiece double stars are binary systems that periodically close to the point where they can’t be resolved by small-aperture telescopes. Such is the case with Porrima (gamma [γ] Virginis).
Some Treasures of the Summer Milky Way From Perseus to Sagittarius

Some Treasures of the Summer Milky Way From Perseus to Sagittarius

: By Dave Huestis
On July evenings, from a sky not severely limited by light pollution, an observer will notice a milky patch of light well above the eastern horizon and spanning the sky from north to south. This is the light from some of the 400 billion stars of our Milky Way galaxy.
M97: The Owl Nebula

M97: The Owl Nebula

: By Glenn Chaple
Like its neighbor M108, M97 was discovered by Messier’s contemporary Pierre Méchain in 1781. Described as one of the fainter of the Messier objects, M97 can nonetheless be glimpsed with small aperture scopes.
M22: Globular Cluster in Sagittarius

M22: Globular Cluster in Sagittarius

: By Glenn Chaple
What’s the most spectacular globular cluster in the northern sky? Most backyard astronomers would pick the Great Cluster M13 in Hercules. If you wish to view the finest globular cluster visible from the entire New England sky, however, you’ll have to travel south of the celestial equator to the constellation Sagittarius and its showpiece globular cluster M22.
Coathanger Asterism in Vulpecula

Coathanger Asterism in Vulpecula

: By Glenn Chaple
If you slowly scan the southern part of Vulpecula with binoculars or rich-field telescope, you’ll come across a remarkable asterism comprised of 10 stars arranged in the distinct form of a coathanger. Six line up to form the bar, while four others create the hook. It’s quite an eye-opening sight!
M101: Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

M101: Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

: By Glenn Chaple
One of the best examples of a star-hop is the one that takes us from Mizar (the middle star in the Handle of the Big Dipper) to the face-on spiral galaxy M101. It’s a fortuitous situation because, were it isolated, M101 might be one of the more difficult Messier objects to locate.

Resources

Eyes on the Sky

Eyes on the Sky makes it easier for anyone to find objects in the night sky and/or learn how to use astronomy equipment, and educates about smarter lighting practices. Take a look at the weekly videos to learn what YOU can find in the night sky, this week - naked eye, binocular and telescopic objects are always discussed, so anyone can look up and see planets, stars and other deep sky objects.

SkyMaps.com

An astronomy webstore where you can doanload a free sky map each month to explore, learn and enjoy the night sky

Uncle Al's Starwheels

Learn to identify the constellations by printing and building this simple planisphere.