Before 2018 comes to a close, the last comet of the year will make its nearest approach to Earth.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen, one of the three comets discovered in 1948 by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen, will be as bright as a third (3rd) or fourth (4th) magnitude star—which means it will be visible enough to be seen with the naked eye, especially in completely dark skies. read more
This wonderful year 2018 is about to end soon as nights becoming longer and colder further. With the upcoming holidays, there will be more time to spend chilling out and have bonding moments with family and friends. Wondering what’s going to be up at the sky for the final month of 2018? The following is a list of astronomical events for December 2018. All dates and times were given in UAE Local Time.
Let’s give up a warm welcome to November. Winter season is indeed imminent. Expect cooler nights ahead. Wondering what’s going to be up at the sky for the new month? The following is a list of astronomical events for November 2018. All dates and times were given in UAE Local Time.
NGC281 known as the Pacman Nebula taken from Al Sadeem Observatory October 12, 2018 using Vixen ED115S telescope and ZWO1600MC-cool CMOS camera mounted on Skywatcher EQ6. 2.5 hours total exposure time, stacked and post-processed in Pixinsight. (Image Credit: Al Sadeem Astronomy)
NGC281, also known as the Pacman Nebula is an emission nebula located about 9200-9500 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cassiopeia (the queen). It is also called IC 11 or Sh2-184 using the IC and Sharpless sky catalogues respectively. Specifically, it is a bright HII region,spans about 96 light-years in diameter (a region in space where interstellar atomic hydrogen is ionized signifying active star formation) within the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm. read more
NGC6960 known as the Western Veil Nebula taken from Al Sadeem Observatory last July 21, 2018 using Vixen ED115S telescope and ZWO1600MC-cool CMOS camera mounted on Skywatcher EQ6. 2 hours total exposure time, stacked and post-processed in Pixinsight. (Image Credit: Al Sadeem Astronomy)
NGC6960, known as the Western Veil Nebula, is a diffuse nebula located about 1470 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus (the swan). It has multiple other designations such as the Witch’s Broom Nebula, Filamentary Nebula, Finger of God Nebula, Lacework Nebula (based on its shape resemblance) or Caldwell 34. It is a western portion of the Veil Nebula or the Cygnus Loop placed at the right wing of the swan. read more
NGC7380 known as the Wizard Nebula taken from Al Sadeem Observatory last September 22, 2018 using Vixen ED115S telescope and ZWO1600MC-cool CMOS camera mounted on Skywatcher EQ6. Stacked and post-processed in Pixinsight. (Image Credit: Al Sadeem Astronomy)
NGC 7380, known as the Wizard Nebula, is an emission nebula located about 7200 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cepheus (the king). It was discovered by William Herschel’s sister Caroline, in 1787. In fact, it is a open star cluster associated with nebulosity in which the orientation of the stars, stellar dust and gas created a shape resembling to a fictional medieval sorcerer. read more
IC5146 known as the Cocoon Nebula taken from Al Sadeem Observatory last October 4-5, 2018 using GSO RC 8 inch telescope and ZWO1600MC-cool CMOS camera mounted on Skywatcher EQ6. 2.5 hour total exposure time guided. Stacked and post-processed in Pixinsight. read more
IC405 known as the Flaming Star Nebula taken from Al Sadeem Observatory last September 29, 2018 using Vixen ED115S telescope and ZWO1600MC-cool CMOS camera mounted on Skywatcher EQ6. Stacked and post-processed in Pixinsight. (Image Credit: Al Sadeem Astronomy) read more
NGC7023 (Iris Nebula) taken last August 26, 2018 from Al Sadeem Astronomy Observatory using GSO RC 8-inch telescope and ZWO1600MC-Cool CMOS camera; processed in Pixinsight (Image Credit: Aldrin B. Gabuya/Al Sadeem Astronomy)
Caldwell 4 (more commonly known as Iris Nebula) is a bright reflection nebula situated about 1300 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cepheus. It was discovered by the English astronomer William Herschel on October 18, 1794. read more
Summer of 2018 is officially over. Though it remains generally hot during the day, weather conditions across the UAE in night time is starting to gradually cool down. Wondering what’s going to be up in the sky for the coming month? The following is a list of astronomical events for October 2018. All dates and times were given in UAE Local Time. read more