The Northern Hemisphere
The skies offer myriad targets for astronomers this month
Cassiopeia (the Queen) and Cepheus (the King) lie in the dusty path of the Milky Way, offering not just a rich star field, but impressive deep-sky objects too. The Owl Cluster (NGC 457) is particularly easy to pick out with decent binoculars, its 75 to 100 bright stars forming the shape of an owl with spread wings, while the bright double star Phi Cassiopeiae forms the celestial bird’s eyes. Double star Alpha Cassiopeiae is easy to split, resolving a bright, yellow primary and faint, blue secondary and providing delightful views. Use the constellations of Pegasus, Aquarius and Pisces and you’ll be able to locate Cetus (the Sea Monster), which contains the remarkable variable star Mira as well as a wide selection of galaxies.