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About Me: I’m an astronomer specializing in journalism, education, and outreach. After earning my Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University, I spent 22 years at Sky & Telescope magazine, including 8 as Editor in Chief... learn more»

Mars (arrowed) gleams with a distinctly ochre hue and outshines all the bright stars with which it shares the sky these evenings. The Red Planet was closest, shining brightest and appearing biggest in telescopes, in late January. Made with Stellarium.

What you see when you examine Mars in a telescope depends on when you look. Damian Peach captured these views of the planet's opposite hemispheres through Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. On January 4, 2010 (left), Mars showed its most distinctive dark marking, Syrtis Major, shaped somewhat like Africa. Two weeks earlier, on December 16, 2009 (right), the vast and largely featureless Amazonis desert faced Earth. South is up in both images. Courtesy Damian Peach.

An armada of robotic spacecraft have visited Mars since the 1960s, and several are operating there now, giving us unprecedented close-ups of the planet's surface. This view of Victoria Crater was snapped by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.

NASA's Opportunity rover rolled to the rim of Victoria Crater and captured this shot of the Cape Verde promontory. The dramatic cliff of layered rocks is about 50 meters (165 feet) away from the rover and about 6 meters (20 feet) tall. Courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell.

by Rick Fienberg

One of the biggest stories in 21st-century astronomy is the discovery of hundreds of planets around other stars. Thanks to NASA's Kepler planet-hunting satellite, it's only a matter of time (probably less than 3 years) before astronomers find an Earth-like world orbiting a Sun-like star. But you don't have to wait. If you own a telescope, you can look out into space and scrutinize an Earth-like planet every clear evening this season. It's called Mars.

Mars is only about half the diameter and a tenth the mass of Earth, and it has no oceans — though it may have had them in the remote past. Still, in a telescope, it shows numerous features reminiscent of our home planet, including polar ice caps, dark surface markings, bright clouds, and blowing dust. But observing Mars is practical only once every 2 years or so, when it and Earth are relatively close together on the same side of the Sun. The rest of the time, Mars is so far away that it appears as little more than a featureless dot.

That "every 2 years or so" has come around again, so Mars is now ideally placed for telescopic enjoyment. It was closest to Earth — about 61 million miles away — on January 27th. Two days later it was at opposition, directly opposite the Sun in our sky. That night it rose at sunset, got highest in the sky at midnight, and set at sunrise. It's easy to see why Mars is called the Red Planet. Go outside on any clear evening and look to the east. There you'll spot a rust-red "star" shining more brightly than any other point in that part of the sky. That, unmistakably, is Mars.

NASA's planet hunter is named for Johannes Kepler, who, in 1609, revealed that planets orbit the Sun in ellipses, not circles. Kepler made this landmark discovery by studying the orbit of Mars, which turns out to be one of the most eccentric, or "out of round," planetary orbits in the solar system. If we happen to catch up to Mars when it's in the part of its orbit closest to the Sun, the Red Planet appears especially bright and big in our telescopes. But this time we've caught up to Mars when it's in the part of its orbit farthest from the Sun, so the planet's disk is at best a disappointingly small 14 arcseconds across. Four oppositions from now, in July 2018, Mars will be much more impressive, spanning 24 arcseconds. (For comparison, Jupiter's disk ranges from about 33 to 50 arcseconds in angular diameter.)

Mars's surface features, clouds, and ice caps are best seen in telescopes of aperture 4 inches or larger. I find that inexperienced observers don't see much of anything on Mars in telescopes smaller than 8 inches and at magnifications less than about 200x. Discerning detail on the disk requires patience and diligence, because unlike Jupiter's main cloud belts and Saturn's rings, Mars's bright and dark markings are remarkably subtle.

o matter what your level of experience, what you see on Mars depends strongly on when you look. Virtually all of the most contrasty surface features are concentrated in one hemisphere; the other side of the planet is largely blank. Whenever Mars is in the evening sky, as it is now, astronomy magazines publish tables indicating which longitudes are visible at which times. You can then look up the numbers on a Mars map to determine which part of the planet is facing Earth during your observations. Sky & Telescope has a particularly nice utility on its website to make this task easier. S&T's Mars Profiler shows you a map of the side of Mars facing Earth for any date and time, and you can set it to display the map in whatever orientation suits your optics, for example, south up or mirror-reversed. I always have S&T's Mars Profiler open on my laptop when I'm observing the Red Planet. By knowing exactly what to look for and being able to name what I see, I find I can tease out subtle details that I'd otherwise miss.

We no longer have to content ourselves with distant views of Mars from earthbound telescopes, or even from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. The world's spacefaring nations have made the Red Planet a prime target for on-site exploration, mainly because of the slim chance that life may have once gotten a toehold there. There are currently three spacecraft orbiting Mars and mapping its surface in unprecedented detail: NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Space Agency's Mars Express. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can browse the extensive image archives from these (and earlier) missions and explore Mars from a perspective just a few hundred miles above its surface.

And if that's not close enough for you, you can virtually descend to the ground itself thanks to the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which have been ambling across the dusty surface and taking pictures for 6 full years now — much longer than anyone expected when the plucky robots were launched on 3-month missions. Someday, probably much farther in the future than space buffs would like, humans will stand on the Red Planet themselves and look back at Earth, the Blue Planet.

While exploring Mars in the eyepiece, it's fun to think of all the spacecraft working there to reveal the secrets of the planet's past and paving the way for human exploration in the future. But it's even more fun, I think, to see Mars with your own eyes, from millions of miles away, and to get to know it not just as a light in the sky, but as another world with places you can name and identify on a map. Enjoy the view now, while you can, because in another few months Mars will recede into the distance, not to strut its stuff again until 2012.

About Me: Professional Astronomy Writer, President-Warren Rupp Observatory, Executive Secretary-Astronomical League, Universe Today Staff Writer, NASA Night Sky Network Coordinator, NASA SpacePlace Editor.. learn more»

by Tammy Plotner

One of the most amazing facets of having a knowledge of astronomy and possession of a telescope is its unique ability to draw humankind towards it. Like a campfire on a frosty Fall evening, a candle lit in a powerless room or a story offered to a quiet and hungry mind, there’s an allure to the stars. It may be as simple as reciting a verse of poetry learned as a child, or as complex as an evening’s viewing session, but there are tools within our reach to make a difference in others perceive the Universe around them.

Love of the night sky, an interest in astronomy, learning to use a telescope... None of these things can be forced. It is a lesson that all amateur astronomers learn quickly. No matter how passionate we may be about what we see and what we do, there is no guarantee that our spouses, friends or family will share the same enthusiasm. I’ve noticed that astronomy tends to begin as a personal voyage – an intimate learning experience. We go through aperture fever, optical perfection and even succumb to as much technological advancement as we’re able to absorb. After some time there may come the need to find other like-minded individuals – or you may find yourself drifting in the vast Sargasso Sea where your interest wanes and your equipment gathers dust. But, there can be another stage to the journey. It might be a group of observing friends, an astronomy club or it just might involve something a little bit deeper... a way of recapturing that child-like wonder you first felt when you looked through a telescope and understood what you were seeing.

“Star light, star bright... First star I see tonight...”

Over the years Celestron equipment has proved itself to be the most valuable asset an outreach astronomer could ask for. In a world where funding is scarce, Celestron provides high quality optics at down-to-Earth prices. In situations where equipment gets used, and used well, Celestron provides rugged durability which invites you to take it anywhere at any time. And, most important of all, Celestron equipment performs.

“I wish I may... I wish I might...”

One of the more recent additions to the Celestron family is the Celestron SkyScout Scope 90. Through the generosity of Oceanside Telescope (OPT), a tireless group of astronomy outreach workers had the opportunity to introduce this very remarkable piece of equipment (along with the SkyScout Expansion Pack and Speakers) to the hungry public during the 2009 International Year of Astronomy with outstanding results. Instead of a technically intimidating telescope that strikes fear into the hearts of visiting parents with active children, before them stands a rather simplistic scope... one that talks.

While there are a great many telescopes that perform these same functions and even go well beyond, the Celestron SkyScout Scope 90 shines brighter than any other star in the night sky. Why? Because it requires the viewer to interact with it. Without “GoTo” capabilities, the user must learn the functions of the telescope and mount... soon becoming comfortable with the equipment itself. The SkyScout unit can be left in a simple mode. With its intuitive “iPod like” features, budding astronomers of all ages use their own minds as to where and what to aim at. Because it doesn’t provide unrealistic video clips to go with each object, the user soon learns to appreciate both the audio and scrolling lessons – using their mind and eyes to describe to others what they see. Left alone with natural curiosity, they venture well beyond what a physical tutor can do for them. Why? Because they can aim and whatever they want.. Whatever they see... And...

“Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Will astronomy outreach with electronic gadgetry take the place of a living, breathing person? Not hardly. Equipment like the Celestron SkyScout and SkyScout Scope 90 will provide an educational outlet for some of those quiet individuals who are afraid to ask to look at a certain point of light in the sky for fear it might not be an “intelligent choice”. For them, locating, identifying and learning with their own two hands and eyes becomes an experience to be savored... a rare treat unlike most “show and tell” astronomy sessions. They make the decisions. They are in control. They are starlight. They are golden.

And somewhere in the shadows we stand. We aren’t lost. We aren’t forgotten. We are not alone. In this moment we are given something we all too frequently miss... the chance to watch the spark ignite in someone else’s eyes.

“Star light... Star bright...”

About Me: I started out to be a professional astronomer at Arizona State University in 1977. I found they were all just mathematicians who were applying that math to the astronomy. learn more»

by Steve Coe

Perseus, the Hero, is my kind of constellation.  By that I mean that it has lots of different types of deep sky objects to observe.  I get tired by having to chase nothing buy galaxies or nothing but open clusters.  I need variety and Perseus can provide that, so let’s take a look.

Messier 76 is a small planetary nebula.  Remember planetary nebulae are the remnants of stars about the size of our sun.  These stars puff off the outer layers of gas and then light them up so we see a variety of glowing shapes among the stars.  Using the 6" f/8 refractor and a 22mm eyepiece shows M 76 as pretty bright, small and elongated 1.5X1 in a position angle of 45 degrees, this means to the NE.  At first glance it looked like a fuzzy double star.  Raising the power with an 8.8mm eyepiece shows a dark lane between two sections of nebulosity.  The western portion is brighter.  There is a star in the west section and it is seen for short "blinks" but never held steady.  

Moving up in aperture to an 11 inch SCT shows the dark lane down the middle of M 76 as easy.  The overall shape is much like a small box, it is elongated 2X1.  Averted vision brings out a very faint outer shell of nebulosity; this is most obvious above the main bright section.  A nebula filter shows this object with more contrast, but does not bring out any new detail.

NGC 869 and NGC 884 form the famous Double Cluster.  There is no other place in the sky where two open clusters that are bright and easily resolved are so close to each other.  Using an ED 80 rich field refractor is perfect for this type of cluster.  At 35X I see each cluster as very bright, large, rich and moderately compressed.  Each cluster is very well detached from the Milky Way background.  The ED 80 can resolve 100 stars in both clusters at 60X.  There is an obvious orange star between the two clusters.  

Even from within the light pollution of Phoenix, Arizona an eight inch SCT with a 35mm Ultima eyepiece will display both clusters.  From a backyard observatory, each cluster has about 50 stars resolved and there is a nice triple star that is in the shape of an equilateral triangle involved.

Messier 34 is a very nice open cluster.  Using the ED80 with a 14mm eyepiece at a site far from the lights of Phoenix shows it as bright and large, with 18 stars resolved.  This cluster is well detached from the Milky Way.  There is a pretty wide dark lane to the south of the cluster.

M 34 in the 6" refractor is bright, large, somewhat compressed and rich.  I counted 38 stars involved, of magnitudes 8 and fainter.  There are a dozen pretty bright members in curved chains and many faint members.  This cluster is well detached from the Milky Way.

Moving up to the 11 inch scope and a 22mm eyepiece shows off two nice pairs of stars including one almost dead center, they are a matched 10th magnitude double, both white.  There is a beautiful chain of stars on the SW side of the cluster that ends in a medium orange star.  I counted 44 stars in this showpiece cluster.

NGC 1245 is an open cluster; in the 6" f/8 it is faint, pretty large, pretty rich and compressed.  15 stars are resolved and there is a fuzzy background with direct vision.  Averted vision shows another 20 stars at the limit of the 6 inch.   The larger aperture of the 11 inch allowed me to count 55 members at 125X.  It also shows lovely looping chains of stars throughout the cluster.  Going to 200X brings out several delicate pairs that are only seen at higher power.

NGC 1499 is the California Nebula, a glowing gas cloud that does indeed display the shape of that western state.  It is however, a pretty low surface brightness object and therefore needs to be observed from a dark location for best results.  In the ED 80 with a nebular filter it is pretty faint, very large and very elongated (3X1).  This pretty faint glow is better with averted vision.

Trying the 6" on this object shows it somewhat better, but now it is larger than the field of view of the 35mm eyepiece.  Using a nebular filter shows it as faint, extremely large, and elongated in PA 15.  This nebula is a low surface brightness glow across the entire field.

NGC 1528 is an open cluster that has been a favorite of mine for many years.  Using the ED80 and a 14mm eyepiece it is bright, large and well detached.  There are 19 stars that are easily resolved.  Averted vision really makes this cluster sparkle with another 20 or so stars against a fuzzy background.

With the 11 inch scope and a 22mm eyepiece I counted 62 stars resolved in NGC 1528 and saw several dark lanes that cut through this cluster and partition it into unequal sections.  There are several chains of bright and pretty bright stars in this cluster.

About Me: I’m an astronomer specializing in journalism, education, and outreach. After earning my Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University, I spent 22 years at Sky & Telescope magazine, including 8 as Editor in Chief... learn more»

by Rick Fienberg

Throughout 2009 stargazers the world over are celebrating the International Year of Astronomy, which marks 400 years since the great Italian scientist Galileo Galilei first turned a telescope to the sky. Galileo's discoveries launched a revolution in our understanding of the cosmos, one that's still going strong four centuries later.

While it's true that Galileo first glimpsed the Moon and stars with his little refractor in late 1609, he didn't make the discovery for which he is arguably most famous until January 1610. That was when, as he wrote in his book Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger), "Jupiter presented itself to me."

Viewing Jupiter at a magnification of 30×, Galileo was amazed to see it form a straight line with three stars, two on one side of the planet and one on the other. Night after night, the stars' positions right or left of Jupiter changed, and eventually he noticed a fourth star in the lineup too. Was Jupiter zigzagging against the starry background from one night to the next? That didn't make sense. Galileo soon realized that the planet's shifting companions aren't stars — they're moons!

On this manuscript page Galileo recounts the observations that led to his realization that Jupiter is circled by four moons at different distances from the planet

It's hard to overstate the significance of this early telescopic finding. In 1610, nearly everyone thought that Earth was the center of all heavenly motion. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus had proposed 67 years earlier that the planets — including Earth — orbit the Sun, but most scientists thought this was ridiculous. After all, they reasoned, if Earth were whipping around the Sun, it would lose the Moon! Yet here was Galileo showing that a planet could orbit something — it didn't matter whether it was the Sun or the Earth — and hang onto its moons.

Galileo's discovery of what we now call Jupiter's Galilean satellites didn't prove that Earth goes around the Sun, but it definitely made the idea less outlandish. And sure enough, within a matter of decades, Copernicus's heliocentric, or Sun-centered, solar system achieved widespread acceptance — especially after the great English scientist Isaac Newton identified gravity as the force that keeps moons orbiting planets and planets orbiting the Sun. (Incidentally, Galileo's German contemporary, Johannes Kepler, figured out in 1609 that celestial orbits are ellipses, not circles. The International Year of Astronomy appropriately commemorates Kepler's contributions to science as well as Galileo's.)

Author Rick Fienberg captured this image of Jupiter and its four Galilean satellites on the evening of October 10th from his observatory in New Hampshire. From left to right, the moons are Callisto, Europa, Io, and (to the right of Jupiter) Ganymede.

As it did to Galileo four centuries ago, Jupiter is presenting itself to us right now. Just go outside after dark, look low in the south if you live in the Northern Hemisphere or high in the north if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, and there it is: the brightest point of light in the sky these evenings. If you know the constellations in this part of the starry dome, you'll recognize that Jupiter shines in Capricornus, the Sea Goat. The planet is truly dazzling — much brighter than any star.

If you own any telescope at all, I think I can safely say it's more powerful than Galileo's. It surely has a bigger and better main lens or mirror, and it offers higher magnifications than 30×. This means you can easily see Jupiter's moons for yourself. In fact, you may be able to see them in ordinary binoculars.

As Galileo himself noticed, the moons orbit so fast that you can see their positions change appreciably over just a few hours. Io, the innermost of the Galilean satellites, orbits Jupiter in 1.8 days — that's a pretty short month! Then come Europa (3.6 days), Ganymede (7.2 days), and Callisto (16.7 days). Since they shift positions continuously, how can you tell which is which in the eyepiece? My favorite way is to call up Sky & Telescope's Jupiter's Moons applet. Any of the popular desktop-planetarium programs will identify the moons for you too.

The Cassini spacecraft captured this stunning view of Jupiter, with the Great Red Spot at lower right, as it flew by at a distance of 48 million miles on October 8, 2000, en route to Saturn. Courtesy NASA, JPL, and the University of Arizona.

Sometimes you'll see a moon's inky black shadow drift across Jupiter's cloud tops, and sometimes you'll see a previously hidden moon pop out from behind the planet's disk or shadow. Planetarium software and the Jupiter's Moon applet can alert you to such events. I've been using telescopes for more than 40 years, and I still find myself watching Jupiter's moon-dance every chance I get.

In a modern backyard telescope, you can get a better view of Jupiter itself than Galileo ever did. He never mentioned the planet's cloud bands, which are visible in even a 2-inch-diameter telescope as dark and light stripes. And you can see the Great Red Spot, a gigantic cyclone that's been raging in the planet's southern hemisphere for several centuries. Keep in mind, though, that you can see the spot only when it's on the Earth-facing side of the planet, which is true for only a few hours at a time since Jupiter spins once every 9.8 hours. (Sky & Telescope has another applet you can use to find out when the Red Spot is crossing the center of Jupiter's disk.) And the spot's really not so great — it's a subtle reddish-brown oval, hardly worthy of its name. But it's still worth looking for.

So get outside this season and spend some quality time with Jupiter. Think of it as your Galileo moment!

About Me: Professional Astronomy Writer, President-Warren Rupp Observatory, Executive Secretary-Astronomical League, Universe Today Staff Writer, NASA Night Sky Network Coordinator, NASA SpacePlace Editor.. learn more»

by Tammy Plotner

There are times when even the smallest decision can change everything about you and alter the course of others for life. You might not know it when it happens - because it may seem as insignificant as what to order for dinner, what Christmas present to choose, or what radio station you listened to that morning. But sometimes the Cosmos has a grand scheme waiting for you if you're willing to listen. In this case, it's the story of a Celestron telescope - one that's endured through decades of use and three generations of star gazers.

It all began in the mid-1980's with a “Cometron” telescope, bought to view Halley's Comet. Those were the halcyon days before the Internet. Learning the night sky was a slow and painful process because no ready open sources were available for instructions and few places (besides the local library) available for learning. I was hard on a telescope because I didn't know any better. Nearly a decade of use later, there wasn't much left of that old refractor but fond memories. I was ready for bigger and better things. No more attaching the optical tube to a vise for a mount, no more squinty little eyepieces. I wanted the big time. It was Christmas 1994 and I had no idea then what kind of role that a Celestron FirstScope would end up playing in my life...

And no clue just how "big" it was going to get.

The Celestron 114 Newtonian reflector and its well-manufactured equatorial mount opened my eyes. Comet Hale-Bopp, solar eclipse chasing, sunspots, variable stars, double stars, galaxies, lunar transient phenomena, star clusters, nebula... The night sky became my companion and the FirstScope my teacher. Together we learned to read complicated star charts, use setting circles, judge magnitudes and sky conditions, take notes and do astronomical sketching. Many nights and days were spent observing - be it with my old dog - or with my nearly grown sons. It was a world we traveled in alone - never knowing there were others that enjoyed the same hobby. Aperture fever soon enough had me in its grip and what better way to cure a fever than with a big Celestron Starhopper?

By the time telescope size had increased, so the world of communications had expanded. The Internet had entered my life in the form of a WebTV unit. The boys had long ago discovered girls and a new dog replaced an old one. When my Mother told me she heard about some people meeting with telescopes on the radio, I finally knew I wasn't alone. It was the first time the Celestron 114 was about to travel away from my rural backyard - and the beginning of its many journeys around the world. The event was my first public outreach and my introduction to Warren Rupp Observatory. From there, I knew there wasn't any more going ”back home”.

Even though I had met some members of the astronomy club at their outreach event, I was shy my first night at the Observatory - afraid to put that little telescope alongside such fine, big company. Who was I but an older woman with no professional experience next to these guys? An hour after dark later, I knew who I was. I was a woman with a star chart in her head and a little telescope that could mop up the skies. One that would eventually change the history of the Observatory just as surely as volunteering at the Observatory changed me...

And everything old became new again.

Did we travel? Oh, yes. The Celestron FirstScope has been all over the continental United States. We've quested in the south for Omega Centauri and chased eclipses from border to border. It's been unceremoniously stuffed in the trunk of many sports cars to be hauled across state lines on vacations and off to public outreach events. It's been shipped across the world and battered in the belly of an airplane. For months at a time, the FirstScope would often stay fully assembled so it could be quickly set outside the garage for daily solar, lunar and planetary viewing. It watched my sons grow as we exchanged confidences and solved problems under the comfortable cloak of darkness. It saw the birth of my grandchildren and their first views of the stars. It was my workhorse, my friend, my mentor... my telescope.

As time went on, I grew to trust Celestron's durable quality. It isn't just Celestron Life - it's Celestron for life. Like creating new recipes in the kitchen, Celestron came out with many designs that ended up part of my personal telescope fleet. While there were tasty treats that might have only appealed to a few and lasted for awhile, there were many winner dinners which have also endured the test of time to become family favorites. Yet, no matter how many times I might upgrade, trade or replace a Celestron telescope, I never had the heart to let go of the enduring FirstScope. Somehow, it felt like there was a reason I had to keep it around.

The years passed and my hobby in astronomy soon turned into a career. Although I am not a professional astronomer, I realized a need many years ago to open friendly, natural communications about astronomy and how to use a telescope. Although I learned the "hard” way, I knew I couldn't keep what I had learned to myself. Sharing the sky and the passion for what I do became my primary goal. The Celestron 114 followed me to what I thought was to be a permanent home at Warren Rupp Observatory as an historic piece - but it had other plans. Every time I looked at it, it would all but walk around on its three black legs and cry to be used again at more than just public nights.

And it didn't have long to wait...

Once in awhile you meet up with karma and you'll know it when it comes to call. Our Observatory outreach had encouraged a new member, and he and his grandson have a passion which matches perfectly with everything the Celestron 114 FirstScope stands for. Many months ago, I told him to take the scope home with him and learn... it deserved to be used again. Although he was a little bit afraid of it, he took my advice and he and his grandson embarked upon a celestial journey that's only beginning for them. Into their hands has come a case of Celestron eyepieces and filters. And, like long ago, that same old solar filter and a new canine companion to complete the circle.

So what has become of Celestron FirstScope service and Warren Rupp Observatory? Just as surely as the Earth orbits the Sun, what goes around comes around. OPT Telescopes heard about our outreach efforts and understood that in order for us to keep our educational programs free to the public that we'd need donations... and donate they did. Not only do the many Celestron telescopes of our members serve the public, but OPT provided us with a fleet of Celestron FirstScope Telescopes and Celestron FirstScope Accessory Kits to serve the thousands of children we educate about the night sky each year. Because sometimes...

Everything old comes to new again.

About Me: I started out to be a professional astronomer at Arizona State University in 1977. I found they were all just mathematicians who were applying that math to the astronomy. learn more»

by Steve Coe

Hercules

Greetings star gazers; I have been provided the honor of writing about what I have seen in my Celestron equipment over the years. In this way I will hope that you have the time to chase after some of these deep sky objects and compare what you see to my observation. It is my sincere hope that you will find at least a few of these goodies worth your time at the eyepiece.

If you do not have a telescope with electronic setting circles then you will need to star hop to these objects. To determine the position in the sky I can highly recommend the Night Sky Observer’s Guide. There are also two ways to get free information about these objects with your computer. The planetarium program HNSky contains virtually all these objects and much data about them. My astronomy club (Saguaro Astronomy Club in Phoenix, Az.) has a freeware database of these objects as well. The SAC website is www.saguaroastro.org. There are many other sources, but these will get you started.

So, let’s get out the scope and observe in Hercules, the Hero.

NGC 6058 is a planetary nebula. Using an 11 inch SCT with a 14mm eyepiece I saw it as pretty faint, pretty small, elongated 1.8X1 and showing a stellar nucleus. Averted vision makes it somewhat larger. The disk always has a grey sheen, never any color. On a night of better seeing I used an 8mm eyepiece and there was some “blinking effect”. This means that the central star was held steady when I looked directly at it and the disk was not very prominent. Then, when I looked slightly away from the planetary the disk showed much better contrast and the central star was lost in the brighter disk. So, the central star blinks on and off as you look at the nebula and then away from it.

NGC 6106 is a galaxy, using a 6 inch f/8 refractor with an 8 mm eyepiece it was faint, small, elongated 1.8X1 and a little brighter in the middle.   

M 13 is one of the best globular clusters in the sky. Using the 6" f/8 refractor with a 6 mm eyepiece it is very bright, large, rich, and extremely compressed in the middle. There were 28 stars counted in the NW quadrant of the cluster, so I resolved well over 100 stars across the face of this famous globular. In an 11 inch SCT this globular is spectacular. With the increase in aperture over 200 stars are resolved and the cluster is amazingly rich in star points with an 8mm eyepiece on a sharp night. A dark feature called the “propeller” is a three-bladed set of dark lanes that do indeed appear like an aircraft propeller. It is offset from the core of M 13 and averted vision does help me to see it with more contrast.

NGC 6207 is a galaxy near M 13. Using the 11 inch SCT with an 8 mm eyepiece it is pretty large, pretty faint, elongated 2.5X1 and shows a bright middle with a stellar nucleus about equal to a 12th magnitude star.

NGC 6210 is the best planetary nebula in Hercules. Using the 11 inch SCT at 200X shows a beautiful little disk, bright, small, elongated 1.5X1 and the central star is seen about 60% of the time. The disk is a light green color that is only prominent on great nights. Raising the power to 320X makes the color fade to grey. In the 6" f/8 refractor and an 8 mm eyepiece it is pretty faint, small and little elongated. The central star is visible about 40% of the time with direct vision and 100% with averted vision.

NGC 6229 is a small globular cluster. I have observed it twice with the 11 inch SCT and never resolved it into stars. It is always pretty bright, pretty large and much brighter in the middle. The globular will show several levels of brightness but no stars resolved.

M 92 is another globular cluster in Hercules, with M 13 getting most of the “press” in this constellation; M 92 is the silent partner. Too bad, because with the 11 inch SCT and a 14mm eyepiece it is very bright, large, much brighter middle and shows over 150 stars resolved. This is a very nice globular on a pretty good night. Raising the power to 320X brings out several chains of about 5 stars curving out from the bright core to form the legs of a "silvery scarab". Don’t miss the jewelry show in Hercules.

If you are looking for a challenge, then the little planetary IC 4593 can provide one. Using the 6” f/8 refractor with an 8 mm eyepiece shows it as pretty small, pretty faint and very little elongated. The very light green dot is all there is and more power will not bring out any detail. However, it is fascinating to me to consider two things while viewing this type of object. First, how few people on Earth have ever seen it. Then spend some time realizing that tiny disk is the end of the life of a star like our Sun. We do live in an amazing Universe.

View the observing sheet (PDF).