The Northern Hemisphere

Myriad targets are on offer for astronomers with the right equipment

The constellations of Lyra, Aquila, Hercules, Sagittarius, Scorpius and Ophiuchus are in easy reach this month. Fans of tight-knit globular star clusters should turn their attention to the constellations of Ophiuchus and Hercules, where they will be rewarded with sights of the extremely stellarrich Messier 10, Messier 12, Messier 13, Messier 14 and Messier 92.

Meanwhile, astrophotographers will get great enjoyment from the binary star system Rho Ophiuchi in Ophiuchus, which is surrounded with a red emission nebula and very impressive light and dark dust lanes. Cygnus is another goldmine, with the Veil Nebula, Fireworks Galaxy and the Crescent Nebula being excellent choices for observation in particular.