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!)
