NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
The warmer months have arrived, bringing an impressive array of targets with them
Summer has almost returned, bringing with it warmer nights. While the cold evenings of winter provide dark skies and longer observing sessions, May and June still have a lot to offer in the way of vibrant nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. The constellation of Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs) is joined by Virgo (the Virgin), Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair) and parts of Centaurus (the Centaur), while globular cluster Omega Centauri glows at magnitude +3.9 and makes its appearance from the east to set in the west. NGC 3628, the Hamburger Galaxy, is a spiral that contains multiple layers of dust. Nebulae are soon to be rich pickings the further we move into summer, with the Owl Nebula (Messier 97) and NGC 4361 being easy targets this month.