Asterisms are a recognizable pattern or grouping of stars in the night sky that is not one of the officiallly recognized constellations. Constellations are baiscally official neighborhoods used by astronomers and amateur astronomers to divide the sky into areas. Asterisms are the unofficial, easy to spot landmarks either within or between them.
Father Lucian Kemble is a famous amateur astronomer who is known for finding many asterisms in our night sky. Kemble 2 is one of his disovered.
I have findercharts and a short article over at Eadsy Astronomy. Please hit subscribe on the YouTube channel and please join our community over at Eadsy Astronomy where I post an article for each video I post on YouTube. It is really helpful and appreciated.
There is a distinct magic to looking at archival survey data. For most people, a wide-field professional survey like the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) is a collection of pretty pictures or an overwhelming dataset of numbers. But for an observer, it’s a treasure map.
Just recently, a fascinating new paper was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics detailing the discovery of a brand-new ultra-faint dwarf (UFD) galaxy orbiting our massive neighbor, M31. The name? Andromeda XXXVI.
What makes this discovery incredibly special—and why I wanted to share it with you all today—is how it was found. It wasn't flagged by an advanced machine-learning algorithm or an automated data-mining pipeline. It was found through old-school, systematic visual inspection of public images by an amateur astronomer, Giuseppe Donatiello.
Many often think of the night sky as a silent, visual masterpiece. We hunt for the subtle gradients of planetary nebulae or the faint photons of distant galaxy groups to observe and/or image them. But a recent breakthrough out of Texas Tech University reminds us that astronomical data holds dimensions we can experience with more than just our eyes.
Researchers have taken the explosive data from Nova V612 Scuti (also known as ASASSN-17hx) and translated it into a continuous audio track. For the first time, we can literally hear the evolution of a stellar detonation.
Please head over to Eadsy Astronomy LINK to read my article and to get a link to the Texas Tech YouTube video.
I am including the LINK to the newsletter for this week over at EadsyAstronomy. I haven't made videos and I may not. I had oral surgery on Thursday and have talked too much over the weekend and need to let my mouth heal. Anyway, please had over for the weekly newsletter!
If you’ve ever pointed a large-aperture telescope toward the dense star fields of Sagittarius in June, July or August, you know the region is absolutely packed with planetary nebulae masquerading as faint, bluish-green disks. But there is one target in particular that just received a massive scientific update, and it completely changes how we look at it through the eyepiece: NGC 6563.
Discovered way back in 1826 by James Dunlop, this planetary nebula (often designated PN G358.5-07.3) is well known to deep-sky observers for its distinct, slightly asymmetrical, egg-like shape. But a brand-new study published in June 2026 by a team of international astronomers has peeled back the layers of this celestial egg using high-resolution 3D morphokinematic modeling.
The results? This isn't just a simple bubble of gas—it’s a dynamic, time-delayed playground of ancient stellar jets.
The full article is availble over at Eadsy Astronomy. Please head over and take a look and join our community there.
An extraordinary piece of cosmological history just zoomed through our backyard, and astronomers used the world’s premier space observatory to read its chemical diary.
According to a groundbreaking study published today in Nature, researchers turned NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope toward 3I/ATLAS—the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected—as it began its departure from the Sun in December 2025. What they found doesn't just rewrite our understanding of alien planetary systems; it takes us on a time-traveling journey back to the universe's "cosmic noon."
For the full article head on over to Eadsy Astronomy. Please join our community there.
Lots going on this week with the Moon moving from First Quarter to almost full by the end of the week. I share plenty of craters to look at; I've updated the Double Star lists and these will be your prime objects this week. I share info on the Planets and Mighty Jupiter and tiny Mercury begin their dance out of the night sky this week. Come learn more!
Sketch and image of IC 443 a Supernova Remnant in Gemini. If you have followed me you know I love supernova and supernova remnants. I often am found returning to SNR's to observe, sketch and image. Anyway, two of these SNR's, both in Gemini and both in our line of site, IC 443 or Sharples 248 (Sh2-248) and SNR G189.6+3.3 are now proven not to be just in our line of sight, but they are actually related! Come leaarn more!
Again, please know I have a full article including a link to the NASA release on this over at my website Eadsy Astronomy. Please join the community there and read the full post/article on this amazing discovery/confirmation.
When we look through the eyepiece at a planetary nebula and its faint, fading white dwarf, we tend to think of stellar death as a peaceful, uniform shedding of a star's outer layers. The star grows old, it sighs its gas into space, and leaves behind a quiet core.
But what if I told you that a star’s final death throes are actually a violent, chaotic boxing match where the star literally kicks itself across the galaxy—and breaks up its own family in the process?
A fascinating new study just presented at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society by Caltech’s Jim Fuller changes everything we know about how Sun-like stars die. It turns out, white dwarfs get a definitive kick at birth. Let’s break down the physics of why the universe is full of lonely, drifting stellar remnant.
I've written an article on this over at Eadsy Astronomy and invite you to read it there. It has a lot more details. Please subscribe on YouTube and join our community over at Eadsy Astronomy.
Jupiter/Mercury and Pollux with the Moon in the Middle evening of June 16th
Venus, Waxing Crescent Moon and The Beehive or Messier 44 Together evening of June 17th
Double Stars for June 14th to the 20th 2026
I've left the double stars alone for this week and will do a complete update next week on them. Enjoy!
Comets:
220P/McNaught
Comet 10P/Tempel 2
Comet 88P/Howell A Challenge
Deep Sky Objects
Eye Candy in Bootes
Eye Candy Hercules
Eye Candy in Draco
Challegning objects
As always please subscribe at YouTube, it does help and if you have thanks. Also for the full newsletter head over to Eadsy Astronomy and join our community there.
I am just heading out to Utah's West Desert to set up for multiple nights of observing. I'm doing a live stream event today, and will do several over the next couple of days and show my observing site, how I set up, what I take and how I get ready to car camp. I'll discuss what I've observed the next day and what the plan is for the day.
So if your interested to see these live, head over to Eadsy Astronomy and join up. Membership ranges from free to contributing at the $3 or $5 a month level, but you do need to be a member of the community to see the live event. So even if you can't get out to a dark site, hopefully I can share some of what it is like out there. Look for some uploads from here on the YouTube Channel and over on Eadsy Astronomy. Exciting and very hard work coming up!
The conjunction between Venus and Jupiter on the night of June 9, 2026, was an incredibly close "cosmic kiss", where the two brightest planets in the night sky appeared less than 1.6° apart—just a single pinkie finger's width held at arm's length.
As always, more images and a quick write up over at Eadsy Astronomy. Please hit subscribe on YouTube, it does help and please join the community over at Eadsy Astronomy. You can join as a free member or if you find value in all the material, become a contributing member at the $3.00 or $5.00 level. As always, thanks for reading and viewing.
6/09/2026
To look through a telescope at a globular cluster is to gaze into a bustling stellar metropolis. Unlike the loose, sprawling configurations of open clusters, globular clusters are tightly bound, spherical swarms containing anywhere from tens of thousands to over a million stars, all packed into a region just a few dozen to a couple hundred light-years across. They are among the oldest, most spectacular structures in the universe, serving as living fossils from the dawn of galactic creation.
Come learn what they are, how the formed and why there are so many in the summer sky. You can also read the full article over at Eadsy Astronomy. Please hit subscribe on YouTube and if you have, thank you, it really helps. Also please join our community over at Eadsy Astronomy. You can have a free membership and that shows me that you find value in what we do here. You can also if you want to help offset some of the costs of apps and other materials used to create this content become a contributing mebmers at the $3 or $5 monthly amount. Thanks to Andy Witt for supporting us!
As we begin transitioning from spring to summer, the familiar shape of the Summer Triangle takes center stage high overhead. But if you turn your attention just a bit to the south and west of Aquila, you’ll find one of the most massive, rewarding, and historically rich patches of the warm-season sky: Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.
For the visual observer, Ophiuchus is an absolute goldmine. It sits right on the doorstep of the galactic core. For an observer to sweep through this sprawling constellation with a telescope is like opening a treasure chest of the deep sky. It is famously home to a massive concentration of globular clusters—dense, ancient swarms of hundreds of thousands of stars that look absolutely magnificent when you throw some aperture and magnification at them. Whether you are using a modest backyard reflector or pulling in faint stellar details with a large-aperture light bucket, these targets offer incredible "discovery moments" at the eyepiece.
But Ophiuchus isn't just about those ghostly, glittering snowball clusters. This region is also packed with fantastic, high-contrast double stars that feature beautiful color splits, as well as subtle, challenging dark nebulae that twist their way through the rich Milky Way star fields, demanding steady skies and averted vision. In addition there are some very interesting planetary nebula sparkled among this constellations jewels. Whether your imaging or visually observing, there is something for everyone in this marvelous constellation.
Please head over to Eadsy Astronomy if you would like to review the program. It includes 3 videos of each level and where to locate them. Also, I include STScI images or my sketches of these objects as part of the guide. You do need to be a member of the community to view the program, whether that is a free membershp or a contributing member. Please subscribe on the YouTube channel and consider becoming a member or a contributing member if you find this information useful. It really does help. Clear skies to you!
For those of us who love the deep sky and observing or imaging it, many of us who have been in the hobby for a long time know the name Robert Burnham Jr. His name is spoken with a unique mix of profound reverence and deep tragedy. He was a self-taught, semi-professional astronomer who single-handedly created the most influential observing compendium of the 20th century: Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Perhaps no other work impacted the amateur community in the mid to late 20th century then his three volume work. Come learn more about this incredible man, writer, astronomer and his tragic ending.
Please head over to Eadsy Astronomy for a more indepth look into Robert Burnham's life and legacy.
There are some great things going on this week up in the sky. There is a possibility and that is the keyword, possibility of an Aurora hitting tonight. We have the Venus and Jupiter conjunction and the Moon is in its waning crescent phase heading from Last Quarter to Full Moon next Sunday night into Monday morning. That make this week a great week for Deep Sky Observing and in the Deep Sky Section we also have some great eye candy recommendations and I feel, some very VERY challenging objects for both imagers and visual observers.
Finally, we have a surprise from Comet 220P/McNaught that is shocking by undergoing a massive outburst right now (see image above). Come on and take a look, and join our YouTube Channel and join our community at Eadsy Astromomy. Remember over at Eadsy Astronomy you can get the full newsletter and a Google Doc copy or PDF copy if you wish.
Lunar Highlights
Planetary Highlights (Venus and Jupiter Conjunction this week!)
For centuries, astronomy was strictly a science of position and motion. Astronomers charted where the stars were, how the planets moved, and when comets would return. The great philosopher Auguste Comte even famously wrote in 1835 that humanity would never learn the chemical composition of a star.
He was proven completely wrong just a few decades later by an extraordinary Italian Jesuit priest working from an observatory built on top of a church roof in Rome. His name was Father Angelo Secchi, and his revolutionary work with the spectroscope fundamentally shifted astronomy away from merely mapping the heavens and birthed the modern science of astrophysics. Come watch and learn more about him in this video and then head over to Eadsy Astronomy for the article I wrote about him. It also has attached a 1950 Popular Astronomy article on him and his spectra work for fun!
In our night sky are many things called asterisms. The Big Dipper is perhaps the best asterism. It is a handle with the dipper but in reality it is part of the constellation Ursa Major.
Well, when this object or asterism is viewable, called Collinder 399 or CR 399 you know its time to let go of the winter blues and to hand up your winter coat. This is an asterism that looks like an upside down coathanger! It's in the constellation of Vulpecca, The Fox and is great in 10x50 binoculars.
Come learn more about this wonderful asterism and also about a variable star that you can view naked eye (just with your own eyes) or with 10x50 Bincoluars. This star stays up all year if you're above 32 degrees N latitude and it changes brightness every 5 days! So go view it and measure it. If you have a telescope, it has a nice surprise if you bring good magnification to it!
For tonight or the next several nights as we head into the weekend, there are two things in this video I share. Please realize I am sharing easy items here and things that even if you only have your eyes or a set of binoculars you cna enjoy. The purpose of Looking Up Tonight is just that, to get you looking up!
The evening planetary alignment continues with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in an alomost diagonal line in the evening sky. Mercury and Venus are in the gibbous stage currently. Juipter contineus to get lower each night so take the time now to view it in 10x50 binoculars or in your telescope before it moves to its conjunction with the Sun and then transfers to the early morning sky for the rest of this year.
Up in the Great Dipper, an asterism in Ursa Major the Great Bear constellation is the middle star in the handle. It is called Mizar. Next to it is a visual double, that means they are not gravationally bound to each other but because of their position in relation to us, they look like a double pair.
See if with your own eyes you can spot both of them. I can do it in my suburbia home so give it a try. Then 10x50 binoculars will split them easy. Then take a look in a telescope and bring high magnification and see what you see. Also, there is fainter star that makes up a triangle with Mizar and Alcor and learn in the video the history of that star.
Keep looking up and clear skies!
I have a nice short article over at Eadsy Astronomy on this:
Sunspot AR 4455 is a very unstable sunspot and has an Anti-Hale to it. "Anti-Hale" means the sunspot has a reversed-polarity magnetic field, which makes it unstable and explosive so it has released 3 CME's starting on June 2nd through yesterday and could release more today.
The third CME was faster than the other two and has overtaken them, resulting in what is called a "Cannibal CME." From SpaceWeather.com we read:
Yesterday, sunspot 4455 exploded several times and hurled multiple CMEs into space. One of the CMEs was so fast, it caught a slower CME and swallowed it. This NOAA model shows what happened . . . The combined Cannibal CME is expected to reach Earth during the late hours of June 4th or June 5th. This is good news for sky watchers because Cannibal CMEs are very good at producing geomagnetic storms and auroras. Remember the great geomagnetic storm of May 2024? That was caused in part by a Cannibal CME. Tonight's storm will not be as intense as May 2024, but it could be good if NOAA's model is correct.
I have a full article over at Eadsy Astronom at this LINK and I really encouage you to go there and take a look at it. Pleae hit subscribe on our YouTube channel and follow us there and if you enjoy the content here and at Eadsy Astronomy, please consider becoming a member there for free or if you really find value, become a contributing member at the $3 or $5 level. The money goes to offsetting costs for apps and other materials to bring this content to you and is deeply appreciated.
Hercules is one of those summer constellations that I feel is often overlooked. Most think of Messier 13, the Great Globular (for those in the northern hemipshere) and perhaps Messier 92 the Other Globluar in Hercules. Most though are not aware of the rich amount of deep sky objects located in this famous constellation.
You have several wonderful and challenging planetary nebula. Double stars are also included in the mighy hero of classical myth. Most think of spring as being galaxy season, and it is but within the borders of Alcides (his boyhood name) lie many wonderful and very challenging galaxies including Abell and Arps!
Hercules is perfectly placed in June for observing, so it is a wonderful time to begin your summer time journey making this mighty strongman a summer time companion over the next couple of months!
I'll share some of my images and sketches after the screen shots of the objects and there is attached a colored PDF that includes a place for your observing notes! Thank you for being a contributing member to the site! It is deeply appreciated!
This is again divided up into 3 catagories. The first level is a good introductory tour of some of the eye candy of Hercules and also some challenging targets. The second level is challenging. The third level, well, you better have some very dark and transparent skies and large apeture! I also include a video for each level showing where the object is located using LiveSky (online SkySafari) and discuss difficulty and provide some tips.
For the full program here is the LINK. Remember you need to be a contributing member to gain full access to the program over there. Membership starts at $3.00 a month or $5.00 a month. Please consider becoming a contributing member. The membership just goes to offset time and apps and materials purchased to bring this to you. Thank you so much!
At this LINK you can get the objects and the observing list.
Yes, at around 9pm to 9:30 pm tonight, MDT, so adjust for your time zone, Mercury the Messanger the planet nearest to our Sun will meet up with Messier 35 in the early evening sky!
I am sharing my observing program for the constellation of Virgo. It is for all contributing members as a thank you for supporting our community! It also may be purchased for $5.00. Thanks for supporting the site as all money goes to offset the cost of apps and other items used to bring this material to you!
Welcome to the "North Galactic Pole." While the constellation of Coma Berenices may appear faint to the naked eye, it serves as a window out of our own Milky Way galaxy and into the deep universe beyond. This roadmap is designed to guide you through the "Tresses of Berenice," a region of sky uniquely rich in extragalactic wonders.
Because this constellation sits far from the obscuring dust of our own galactic plane, it offers an unobstructed view of two massive cosmic structures: the Melotte 111 open cluster and the northern reaches of the Virgo-Coma Supercluster.
This program is organized into four levels of increasing difficulty:
Beginner: Bright Messier objects and naked-eye star clusters perfect for any equipment.
Intermediate: Deep-sky targets that reveal structural details like bars and dust lanes in mid-sized telescopes.
Advanced: Elusive objects including "metal-poor" globulars and galaxies with faint tidal streams.
Challenging: The extreme frontier, focusing on the dense "swarm" of the Abell 1656 cluster and ultra-diffuse dark matter galaxies.
Whether you are using binoculars to scan the queen's hair; a large-aperture telescope or imaging to dive millions of light-years into the Coma Cluster, this roadmap will help you check off the finest jewels this constellation has to offer.
This list is in two (three for members) parts. The first part shows what the objects and their magnitude (estimated). The next part gives you an observing log. The third part (for contrirbuting members only) shows you the objects by RA and Dec so you can hunt them in similar parts of the sky and contains my notes on the observations of these objects.
