The Milky Way, that ribbon of light that’s part of a spiral arm of our own galaxy, is still well on show during late September and early October. This means that a lot of deep-sky objects either embedded in it or near to it are also on display.
High up in the sky from mid-northern latitudes, the constellations of Cepheus (the King) and Cassiopeia (the Queen) can be found sweeping around the north celestial pole throughout the course of the night.
The pair of royal star patterns are full of star clusters and nebulae easily available to even the most modest of amateur telescopes. Within this region of sky there are some challenges for those with telescopes with even larger apertures. The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396), for example, has a star cluster associated with the nebula which is relatively easy to see, but it’s the surrounding gas and dust that’s much more challenging to detect. Whatever you choose to look at, you can enjoy the delights of the early autumn skies.