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Virtual Planetarium
Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel guide us through October's night-sky highlights.
Interview: Tim Peake
The UK's first ESA astronaut discusses life in space, and getting humans to Mars.
Binocular and deep-sky tours
Download this month's binocular and deep-sky tour charts. The charts are printed in black on white so they can be viewed under red light at your telescope.
Record your observations of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and the Sun with our handy printable forms.
If you observe the Sun, remember NEVER to look at it with your naked eye; either project it through your telescope or use a solar filter on your telescope's front lens.
The Golden Ring, by Shuchang Dong (China). Winner, Our Sun (and overall winner).
Ali, Tibet, China, 21 June 2020. Equipment: Fujifilm XT-4 camera, ND1000 filter.
The Sun Sharing its Crown with a Comet, Vincent Bouchama (France). Rinner up, Our Sun. El Cuy Department, Río Negro, Argentina, 14 December 2020. Equipment: William Optics ZenithStar 61II APO telescope, Williams Optics Flat 61 lens at f/5.9, Vixen GPD SkySensor 2000PC mount, Canon EOS 760D camera.
Curtain of Hydrogen, by Alan Friedman (USA). Highly commended, Our Sun. Buffalo, New York, USA, 17 June 2020. Equipment: Astro-Physics 92 mm f/4.8 Stowaway refractor telescope, Baader FFC, 90 mm Coronado Solarmax Ha filter, Astro-Physics 1200 mount, Grasshopper 2MP monochrome streaming camera.
Polar Lights Dance, by Dmitrii Rybalka (Russia). Winner, Aurorae. Approach to the Kara Strait, Russia, 30 November 2020. Equipment: Sony ILCE-7M3 camera, 28 mm f/2.8 lens.
Proper Welcome for the Moon, by Thomas Kast (Finland). Runnerp up, Aurorae. Kolari, Lapland, Finland, 14 September 2020. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, 15 mm f/2.8 lens.
Goðafoss Flow, by Larryn Rae (New Zealand). Highly commended, Aurorae. Goðafoss, Northeastern Region, Iceland, 6 February 2020. Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 24 mm f/2.5 lens.
The Milky Ring, by Zhong Wu (China). Winner, Galaxies. Sichuan and Qinghai, China; Lake Pukaki, New Zealand, January–February 2020 and August 2020–January 2021. Equipment: Nikon D810a camera, 40 mm f/1.4 lens.
The Nebulae of the Triangulum Galaxy, by Russell Croman (USA). Runner up, Galaxies. Mayhill, New Mexico, USA, 6 December 2020–11 February 2021. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106 EDX4 530 mm telescope at f/5 and PlaneWave 14" CDK 2543 mm telescope at f/7.2, Chroma filters, Software Bisque Paramount MX and Paramount ME-II mounts.
A Smiley in Space, by Nicolas Rolland (France) and Martin Pugh (Australia). Highly commended, Galaxies. Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile, 19-21 November, 4–11 and 13–18 December 2020. Equipment: Planewave CDK 17" telescope at f/6.8, Astrodon filters, Software Bisque Paramount ME mount, SBIG STXL-11002 camera.
Beyond the Limb, by Nicolas Lefaudeux (France). Winner, Our Moon. Forges-les-Bains, Île-de-France, France, 19 June 2020. Equipment: Celestron C11 2800 mm telescope at f/10, iOptron iEQ30 mount, Basler ACA2500-14GC camera
Lunar Halo, by Göran Strand (Sweden). Runner up, Our Moon. Östersund, Jämtland County, Sweden, 25 January 2021. Equipment: Nikon Z6 II camera, 14 mm f/5.6 lens, ISO 200, 6 x 15-second exposures.
Iridum To Imbrium, by Stefan Buda (Australia). Highly commended, Our Moon. St Kilda East, Victoria, Australia, 30 July 2020. Equipment: Self-built Dall-Kirkham 405 mm telescope at f/16, self-built Alt-Azimuth fork mount, Astrodon RGB filters, ZWO ASI120MM camera.
Luna Dunes, by Jeffrey Lovelace (USA). Winner, Skyscapes. Death Valley National Park, California, USA, 25 February 2020. Equipment: Sony ILCE-7RM4 camera.
Moon Over Mount Etna South-East Crater, by Dario Giannobile (Italy). Runner up, Skyscapes. Milo, Sicily, Italy, 25 February 2021. Equipment: Canon EOS 6D camera, Sigma 150–600 mm lens at 347 mm f/5.6.
Van Gogh's Sketchpad, by Jin Yang (China). Highly commended, Skyscapes.
Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China, 3 January 2021. Equipment: Canon 6D2 camera, Sigma 546 mm f/8 lens
Family Photo of the Solar System, by Zhipu Wang, aged 15 (China). Winner, Young Astronomer. Yongtai, Fujian, China, 14 August 2020–21 January 2021. Equipment: Celestron C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, UV/IR cut filter, Celestron AVX mount, ZWO ASI-224-MC camera
Nebula, by Hassaana Begam, aged 13, Aathilah Maryam.H, aged 14 (India). Runner up, Young Astronomer. Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India, 2 January 2020. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Equinox ED120 double refractor telescope at f/19, Astrodon filters, NEQ-6 Pro mount, QSI 660 WSG-8 camera.
Neptune and Triton, by Julian Shapiro, aged 13 (USA). Highly commended, Young Astronomer. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, 28 November 2020. Equipment: Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope at f/10, Celestron AVX mount, ZWO ASI-224MC camera, 120 x 1-second exposures
Satellite Cluster around 47 Tucan, by Alice Fock Hang, aged 11 (Reunion). Highly commended, Young Astronomer. Les Makes, Reunion, France, 5 March 2020. Equipment: Takahashi Epsilon 210 telescope at f/2.9, Astro-Physics mount, Nikon D610 camera.
Starry Beach in Space, by Davy van der Hoeven, aged 13 (Netherlands). Highly commended, Young Astronomer. Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, South Holland, Netherlands, 7 November 2020. Equipment: WO Spacecat51 telescope at f/4.9, SkyWatcher NEQ6 mount, QSI 583WS camera.
Falcon 9 Soars Past the Moon, by Paul Eckhardt (USA). Winner, Best Newcomer. Titusville, Florida, USA, 4 February 2021. Equipment: Sony ILCE-6500 camera, 210 mm f/8 lens.
Another Cloudy Day on Jupiter, by Sergio Díaz Ruiz (Spain). Joint winner, Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation. Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/UVIS (26–27 June 2019), FQ889, F631N, F502N, F395N, F467M, F658N, F275W, F343N channels, NASA/ESA HST Space Telescope, OPAL program (PI: Simon, GO13937)
Celestial Fracture, by Leonardo Di Maggio (UK). Joint winner, Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation. Cassini Wide Angle Camera (September 2004–October 2007), visible light channel, NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Readers' Gallery
The Crescent Nebula
Andy Weller, Sandy, Bedfordshire, 16/17 July 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Celestron C11 XLT Schmidt-Cassegrain, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The Sun at perihelion/aphelion
Andrei Dumitriu, Bucharest, Romania, 2 January and 5 July 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI178MC camera, Orion ED80 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher Star Discovery mount
The Cave Nebula
Bill Batchelor, Coquitlam, BC, Canada, July and August 2020
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, William Optics FLT98 apo, Celestron AVX mount
Plane transiting mineral Moon
Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Kolkata, India, 21 July 2021
Equipment: Nikon D5600 DSLR, Sigma 150–600mm lens
The North America Nebula
Carl Gough, Littlehampton, 8 May–2 June 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM camera, Orion 8-inch Ritchey-Chrétien, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount
The Moon
José Manuel Pérez Redondo, Catalonia, Spiain, 16 July 2021
Equipment: QHY5 camera, Borg 76mm apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount
The Western Veil Nebula
Rob Johnson, Liverpool, 16–19 July 2021
Equipment: Atik 383L CCD camera, Teleskop Service 12-inch f5 Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount
The Rosette Nebula
Richard Whitehead, Vermont and New Mexico, January and April 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro camera, Celestron 11-inch Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt astrograph,
Celestron CGX mount
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
Callum Wingrove, London, 14 July 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, SharpStar 94EDPH apo refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro
Early Perseid passing close to Jupiter
Steve Brown, Stokesley, North Yorkshire, 3 August 2021
Equipment: Canon 250D DSLR, Canon 50mm lens, Camlink TP-2800 tripod
Lunar V and X
Matt Wellard, Oakley, Hampshire, 16 July 2021
Equipment: iPhone 8 Plus, Meade ETX 105 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Saturn and Jupiter over London
Aidan Thomas Hay, Chelsea, London, 2 August 2021
Equipment: Samsung S20 smart phone
The Milky Way in the night sky over Maine, USA, by
Prashant Naik, 10 June 2021.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae
Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, November 2020–February 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI ASI6200MC camera, SharpStar 15028HNT astrograph, Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro mount
Pickering’s Triangle
Daniel Zoliro, Chouteau, Oklahoma, 17–22 June 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI183MM Pro camera, Astro-Tech AT115EDT refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
Mineral Moon
Neil Corke, Moraira, Spain, 22 July 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM camera, Williams Optics FLT132 apo refractor, Paramount MX mount
Solar prominence
Daniel Zoliro, Chouteau, Oklahoma, 11 June 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, Astro-Tech AT115EDT apo refractor, DayStar Quark Chromosphere, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
The North America Nebula
Rachael and Jonathan Wood, Doncaster, 15 June 2021
Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar ED80 refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount
Eye On The Sky
X-ray ‘light echoes’ around the black hole at V404 Cygni
CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY/PAN-STARRS/NEIL GEHRELS SWIFT OBSERVATORY, 5 AUGUST 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Wisc-Madison/S. Heinz et al.; Optical/IR: Pan-STARRS
NASA’s Solar Orbiter passes within 7,995km of Venus
SOLAR ORBITER, 7-9 AUGUST 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: ESA/NASA/NRL/SoloHI/Phillip Hess
NASA’s Solar Orbiter passes within 7,995km of Venus
SOLAR ORBITER, 7-9 AUGUST 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: ESA/NASA/NRL/SoloHI/Phillip Hess
NASA’s Solar Orbiter passes within 7,995km of Venus
SOLAR ORBITER, 7-9 AUGUST 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: ESA/NASA/NRL/SoloHI/Phillip Hess
Ram pressure stripping in barred spiral galaxy NGC 4921
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE/ALMA, 29 July 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO), NASA/ESA/Hubble/K. Cook (LLNL), L. Shatz
360-degree view of the side of Mount Sharp, Mars
Curiosity Mars rover, 17 August 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
32 rock samples taken by the Curiosity rover to date
Curiosity Mars rover, 17 August 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Tracers of massive star formation in the Milky Way’s disk
VLA/Effelsberg Telescope, 22 July 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: Brunthaler et al., Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF
Ingenuity helicopter spots Perseverance from the air
Perseverance Mars rover, 4 August 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sand waves in southern Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 20 August 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Aurora australis as seen by the International Space Station
ISS, 13 August 2021
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA
This month's deep-sky tour plan file can be imported into the Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer using Argonaut software, a free utility available from Wildcard Innovations.Using Argo Navis with this month's deep-sky tour plan file, you can:
• display essential information from the Argo Navis database for each object
• slew your telescope to each object in the plan - requires a compatible mount.
• push your telescope to each object in the plan using the coordinates provided on the Argo Navis display.
To import this month's deep-sky tour plan file into Argo Navis using Argonaut software:
Download and save the file to your hard drive.
Run the Argonaut utility program and transfer the plan into your Argo Navis DTC.
This month's Deep-Sky Tour plan file is produced by Deep-Sky Planner 8 (see knightware.biz/dsp).
Deep-Sky Planner 8 astronomy software for Windows provides the tools you need to make your time at the telescope more efficient and enjoyable.
• sort the objects in the plan according to the best time and order to view each object.
• slew your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount to each object in the plan - requires ASCOM software (free).
• show a sky chart centred on each object in the plan using one of the top planetarium software titles – requires TheSky, Starry Night, Redshift, Cartes du Ciel (free) or Stellarium (free).
• record your observation in the open, non-proprietary observing log.
Details about Deep-Sky Planner and how to purchase can be found here.
Download the Deep-Sky Planner compatible file of this month's deep-sky tour observing plan file so that you can visit each object directly with Deep-Sky Planner. Save the file to your hard drive and double click it to open it in Deep-Sky Planner.
If you are one of the many astronomers who use the ASCOM driver EQMOD to control your ASCOM-compatible Go-To mount, you can use an add-on application called EQTOUR to call up various sets of sky tours like Messier, Caldwell, Globular Clusters and simply click on an object name to slew to it.
Details about the application and how to download it free of charge can be found here.
Download the EQTOUR compatible file of our monthly Deep-sky tour, so that you can visit each object directly from your EQMod control panel. We've also included a PDF document that explains the system and how to get it installed with your telescope setup.
Copy the .lst file from the folder that appears into the same directory as the EQTOUR application file, EQTOUR.exe, and follow the instructions in the link above.
