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Constellation
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 This weekend we move on to the constellation
Cygnus the Swan.Cygnus
is one of the dominant constellations in northern summers. It's alpha star
Deneb is part of The
Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb.
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Deep
Sky Report
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The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Cygnus. To find Cygnus, face
east after dark and look up. Cygnus is two constellations to the east of Hercules which we covered a couple of weeks ago. We've hopped over Lyra, which we'll visit
shortly. Cygnus has a cross-like shape... or swan-like... if you're creative.
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 Let's start things off with one of the most beautiful double stars in the heavens,
Albireo (mag3.0). This a such a neat star to look at. They color contrast is beautiful. This is also a fairly easy pair to split. Located in the "beak" of the Swan, it's also quite easy to find. Check it out if you get a chance.
I took this shot in March of 2003 using a
10" f/4.5 reflector on a Losmandy
G-11 mount.
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 Next up is
Open Star Cluster, M29(mag6.75)
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 Next up is another
Open Star Cluster, M39(mag4.75)
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 Next up is
Planetary Nebula, NGC6826(mag10). Also known as The Blinking Nebula.
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 Next up is
Diffuse Nebula, NGC6888. Also known as the Crescent Nebula due to its visual appearance, this is a beautiful object. You'll definitely want to try out some nebula filters on this one.
This awesome shot was taken by Robert
Gendler. Robert you may recall is a former Utah Skies Astrophotographer
of the Month.
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 Next, lets visit a three part object,
NGC6960, NGC6992, NGC6995. Also known as The Veil
Nebula, this is one of my favorite deep sky objects. Virtually invisible without a nebula filter, this object is simply spectacular when viewed using an OIII filter.
Checkout this absolutely stunning shot by Jerry
Lodriguss. The Veil spans several degrees of sky. Many telescopes will not be able to view the entire object... even at lowest power.
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 Next up is
Bright Nebula, NGC6992. Also known as The Veil Nebula. This
incredible shot was taken by former Astrophotographer
of the Month, Al Kelly.
Al is one of my favorite astrophotographers. He always seems to be pushing
the envelope. This shot was taken with a Starlight Express MX916 and a 17.5" f4.5 Newtonian.
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 Continuing, we come to another beautiful object,
NGC7000, The North American Nebula. This is one really big
object... spanning over 2° this object doesn't even fit in the low
power view of many telescopes. To view the whole thing, you'll either need
binoculars or a rich field refractor..
Checkout this awesome shot by Russ Dickman.
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 Let's wrap things up with this weeks
Utah Skies Challenge Object, a beautiful Cluster loaded with Nebulosity,
IC5146(mag7.25). Also known as the Cocoon Nebula, this is one cool
object to observe. It's easily visible and shows some nice detail. Nebula
filters help, but aren't required.
Checkout this awesome shot by Mark de Regt. Click here to view more of
Mark's Astronomical
Images. Mark is also a former Utah Skies Astrophotographer
of the Month.
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