Northern Berkshire Astronomical Society

Whatever your experience, you belong under our skies.

A Closer Look

Every object in the sky has a story that goes beyond its coordinates.

This series takes one object at a time β€” a planet, a nebula, a galaxy, a cluster β€” and looks at it whole: what it is physically, how it was discovered, what we’ve learned about it since, and what you’ll actually see when you point your scope at it. The science and the experience together.

Explore Series:

Messier 15: The Pegasus Cluster

MESSIER: 15
NGC: 7078
OTHER: Pease 1

NGC 7243: The Lizard's Cluster

CALDWELL: 16
NGC: 7243

The Saturn Nebula

CALDWELL: 55
NGC: 7009

61 Cygni: The Star That Taught Us the Universe Has Depth

STARS: 61 Cygni

The Veil Nebula: One Explosion, Told in Pieces

CALDWELL: 33, 34
NGC: 6960, 6992, 6995, 6974, 6979
OTHER: Sh 2-103, LBN 191, IC 1340

NGC 6819: Four Years of Uninterrupted Starlight

NGC: 6819

Messier 54: The Globular Cluster That Isn't Ours

MESSIER: 54
NGC: 6715
OTHER: Sgr dSph

The Tulip Nebula and Cygnus X-1

STARS: Cygnus X-1
OTHER: Sh 2-101

Gliese 710: The Closest Stellar Approach β€” Ever?

STARS: Gliese 710

NGC 6946: The Fireworks Galaxy

CALDWELL: 12
NGC: 6946

Messier 20: Three Nebulae in One

MESSIER: 20

NGC 6520 & Barnard 86: A Cluster and Its Shadow

NGC: 6520
OTHER: Barnard 86

Barnard's Star: The Fastest Star in the Sky

STARS: Barnard's Star

Messier 57: Ghostly Smoke Ring

MESSIER: 57

Messier 92: The "Other" Hercules Cluster

MESSIER: 92

Messier 101: Extragalactic Pinwheel

MESSIER: 101

Arcturus: Guardian of the Bear

STARS: Arcturus

T Coronae Borealis: The Blaze Star Prepares to Erupt

STARS: T CrB