Deep sky challenge
Glittering star clusters, a dead star’s corpse and a beautiful double star
Many sky-watchers think the summer sky is just too bright to allow for observation of faint and fuzzy deep-sky objects, but if you stay up late enough the sky is just dark enough to let you see some lovely sights through a telescope. Around one or two in the morning – providing the sky you’re under isn’t too marred by the glow of light pollution – a telescope will give you very pleasing views of some of astronomy’s most famous objects.
Although the broad, frothy band of the Milky Way dominates the sky, running right through the centre of Cygnus (the Swan) or the Northern Cross, embedded in it are subtly coloured nebulae, regions where stars are born. Elsewhere you can see the ghostly remains of dying or dead stars, while even a small telescope will give you a beautiful view of some of the loveliest and most popular double stars in the whole sky.