Here's this month's 'Night Sky' newsletter from Cosmic Pursuits for September 2020!

 

1. It's another great month for planets! Jupiter and Saturn dim slightly but remain big and bright in a telescope. Mars quickly grows and brightens on the way to opposition next month. And distant Neptune makes its closest approach to Earth for 2020. Here's what's going on in the Night Sky This Month.

 

2. A look at one of the most photogenic deep-sky sights for this time of year: the North America Nebula (along with a few snapshots with a very old camera lens).

 

3. It's been more than 30 years since supernova 1987A, the last naked-eye supernova, detonated in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Astronomers have been studying the shock waves created by this immense explosion ever since, but they've not had any luck finding the tiny and dense remnant of the star. Until now.

 

4. Sad news: Ken Fulton, author of The Light-Hearted Astronomer, has passed away.

 

5. Not to speak badly of the Red Planet as it approaches a spectacular opposition next month. But there's a strong case to be made that Mars is the most over-hyped planet in the solar system?

 

6. Which planet to explore instead? How about one that may have life, or at least the elements for life, not on its surface but in its clouds?

 

7. Want to take a picture like the one at the top of this email? This short video sums up the basics of how to shoot a beautiful nightscape image (there's still another good month of Milky Way left).

 

8. Podcast suggestion: Brian Greene explains how contemplation of the universe helps you find wonder in the face of existential dread (as good a reason as any to take up astronomy).

 

9. I came across this work by chance, but is it ever beautiful: meticulously captured monochrome images by Eric Chesak shows the complexity of nebulae like few have rendered them before.

 

10. And finally a little astronomy music: This one by Enya is favorite of many stargazers. It always sounds better when looking through a telescope. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for reading! Please share this email with anyone who may be interested. If you're not already a subscriber to Cosmic Pursuits, you can sign up here.

 

Clear Skies!

 

Brian Ventrudo

Publisher