In Episode SH062 of Star Hopping… we’ll examine the Camelopardalis region, and locate three targets for the Big Guns, meaning they are challenge objects. We’ll find the massive spiral galaxy IC 342, the Gamma Cassiopeia Nebula, otherwise catalogued as IC 59 and 63, and lastly we’ll hunt down the elusive Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635. Intro Read More ... …

In Episode SH061 of Star Hopping… we’ll examine the Cepheus region, and find some “deeper” deep sky objects: IC 1396, the famous “Elephant’s Trunk” nebula, the open cluster Messier 52, and The Blue Snowball Nebula, also catalogued as NGC 7662. Intro So after all the excitement of the Summer with the August Solar Eclipse, we’re Read More ... The pos…

In Episode SH060 of Star Hopping… Star Hopping Returns! In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll present our documentary of the Great American Eclipse, from our perspective from our selected viewing site, the summit of Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in the state of Georgia. Intro So now that the eclipse and all its drama is Read More ... The post …

In Episode SH059 of Star Hopping… Dave makes some big announcements you shouldn’t miss, and then he takes us through a Full Dress Rehearsal to prepare and test his solar photography equipment, for next month’s big Solar Eclipse! Intro So I have a couple of announcements to make that I want to share with you Read More ... The post SH059 – Big Announ…

In Episode SH058 of Star Hopping… we’ll examine the Cygnus region, and we’ll locate three great deep sky objects; two nebulae and one globular cluster. We’ll start out locating the Gamma Cygni Nebula: a huge 3 degree wide emission nebula surrounding the bright star Sadr. Close by we’ll also find NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula. Read More ... The post…

In Episode SH057 of Star Hopping… we’ll continue a series of episodes dedicated to help you to plan for and photograph the Great North American Solar Eclipse in August 2017! Intro So this week we’re doing Part 2 of our series about the Great North American Solar Eclipse, coming up on Monday, August 21st. If you didn’t Read More ... The post SH057 –…

In Episode SH056 of Star Hopping… we’ll check out the Draco Region, and show you how to locate the Missing messier Object: M102, the Splinter Galaxy, NGC 5907, and the famous but tiny Cat Eye Nebula, NGC 6543. Intro Well in last week’s episode, we checked out three new comets visiting our solar system, and Read More ... The post SH056 – Find M102, …

In Episode SH055 of Star Hopping… we’ll be checking out the trio of Comets that are visiting our Solar System. Comets Johnson and Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak are evening targets, in and around the constellation of Hercules. And in the pre-dawn hours, we have yet another Comet Lovejoy, Australian amateur Terry Lovejoy’s 6th discovery. Intro So over the …

In Episode SH054 of Star Hopping… we’ll begin a series of episodes dedicated to help you to plan for and view the Great North American Solar Eclipse in August 2017! Intro So this week we’re starting a series of Extra episodes to get you excited and informed about the Great North American Solar Eclipse, coming Read More ... The post SH054 – The Grea…

In Episode SH053 of Star Hopping… we’re going to continue on our Basic Astrophotography series, and show you how to perform Basic Image Processing: the procedure to extract a beautiful color astrophoto from your raw frames you captured through your telescope. Intro So I’m in that situation again where I just need to wait a Read More ... The post SH…

In Episode SH052 of Star Hopping… we’ll check out the Hydra region, and locate three very different types of deep sky objects. The first we’ll check out is NGC 3521, a large angled spiral galaxy, then we’ll find NGC 3115, better known as the Spindle Galaxy, an edge-on lenticular galaxy in Sextans, and finally the Read More ... The post SH052 – Find…

In Episode SH051 of Star Hopping… we’ll once again visit the Realm of the Galaxies. We’ll check out three new galaxies we haven’t seen before: Messier 85, a lenticular galaxy, Messier 88, a massive spiral galaxy, and the lost Messier galaxy, M91. This last one also has the distinction of being the faintest galaxy on Read More ... The post SH051 – F…

In Episode SH050 of Star Hopping… we’re taking some time out and doing some celebrating of our 50th episode of Star Hopping! We’re going to look back at the last 16 months, do some shoutouts to our loyal subscribers, and then take a look into the future and outline some positive changes coming to Star Read More ... The post SH050 – 50th Episode Cel…

In Episode SH049 of Star Hopping… we’ll examine the Canes Venatici region, where we’ll show you how to locate three impressive galaxies: Messier 94, NGC 5033, and the huge Whale Galaxy, NGC 4631. Intro Oh we’re so close to our big episode 50 coming in two weeks. I can’t believe that we’ve completed that many episodes Read More ... The post SH049 – …

In Episode SH048 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’re going to continue on our Basic Astrophotography series, and show you how to capture motion in the night sky, through the interesting and fun process of Time Lapse Astrophotography. Intro Well in this episode I am finally covering a topic that I have had Read More ... The post SH0…

In Episode SH047 of Star Hopping… We’ll examine the Leo region, and show you how to find three famous galaxies found in the central part of that regal constellation: Messier 105 with its two close NGC galactic neighbors, and the pair of galaxies less than a degree apart: M95, and M96. Intro Welcome to the Read More ... The post SH047 – Find M95, M9…

In Episode SH046 of Star Hopping… We’ll examine the Ursa Major region, and show you how to find three more exceptional deep sky targets: The huge spiral galaxy NGC 2403, The Surfboard Galaxy; Messier 108, and the famous Owl Nebula; Messier 97. Intro Well as the holidays draw even closer, we have some great deep Read More ... The post SH046 – Find N…

In Episode SH045 of Star Hopping… We’ll examine the Canis Minor region, and show you how to find three great deep sky targets: the Seagull Nebula (IC 2177), the Medusa Nebula (Abell 21), and the lost Messier Open Star Cluster, M48. As mentioned in the episode, the holiday season is upon us! See our “Telescopes Read More ... The post SH045 – Find th…

In Episode SH044 of Star Hopping… We’ll examine the Orion region, and show you how to find three great nebulae: the Running Man Nebula in Orion (NGC 1977), the Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118), and Hubble’s Variable Nebula (NGC 2261). Intro Well once again it is Thanksgiving in the US, and I am in the Florida Read More ... The post SH044 – Find the Runn…

In Episode SH043 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Gemini region, and show you how to find three great nebulae: the Monkeyhead Nebula in Orion (NGC 2174), the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443), and the Eskimo Planetary Nebula (NGC 2392). Intro The area of sky between the club of Orion and the foot of Gemini Read More ... The post SH043 – Find the Monkeyhe…

In Episode SH042 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Auriga region, and show you how to find M36, M38 and the amazing Flaming Star Nebula, which contains a runaway star. Find out this nebula’s mystery by watching the episode! Intro Well this week we’re covering a couple bright open clusters that we haven’t hit before on Read More ... The post SH042 …

In Episode SH041 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Sculptor region, and show you how to find three incredible needle galaxies. We’ll locate NGC 247 in the neighboring constellation of Cetus, NGC 7793, a violent galaxy with a hidden mystery, and the huge half degree long NGC 55. This last galaxy is larger than Read More ... The post SH041 – Find NG…

In Episode SH040 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Andromeda region, and show you how to find Messier 76, the Little Dumbbell Nebula, the huge open cluster NGC 752, and the familiar shaped PacMan Nebula. Intro Well, we’re back to our spaceship set after returning from KPO’s European Astronomy Tour. It was a fantastic Read More ... The post SH040 –…

In Episode SH039 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Perseus region, and show you how to find the Heart & Soul Nebula, the open cluster Messier 34, and the amazing needle galaxy NGC 891. Please note – this is the last Star Hopping episode for the summer. Starting next week we will begin our Read More ... The post SH039 – Find The Heart and Soul Nebu…

In Episode SH038 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Cepheus region, and show you how to find three challenge objects – IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula, NGC 7023 – the mysterious Iris Nebula, and the very active Fireworks Galaxy, NGC 6946. Intro So tonight we’re going to investigate another constellation well up in the Read More ... The post SH038 – Find…

In Episode SH037 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Cassiopeia region, and show you how to find the nice open cluster Messier 103, the unique open cluster NGC 457, also known as the E.T. Cluster, and the gorgeous dense open cluster, NGC 7789, also known as Caroline’s Rose Cluster. Intro As we continue to Read More ... The post SH037 – Find Messier …

In Episode SH036 of Star Hopping… We’ll look at the Sagitta, Delphinus, and Equuleus region, and show you how to find the loose globular cluster Messier 71, the nearly naked eye globular Messier 2, and the top-tier globular cluster, Messier 15. Intro Well, we’ll continue on with three easy targets for smaller telescopes this week, Read More ... The…

In Episode SH035 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Sagittarius region. We’ll use our star hopping methods to find the the pretty open cluster Messier 25, the globular cluster Messier 28, and the somewhat difficult to locate globular cluster, Messier 55. This is the point where we have wrapped around the celestial sphere with Read More ... The…

In Episode SH034 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Cygnus region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the The Coathanger (Brocchi’s Cluster), The Veil Nebula (NGC 6960), and the North American Nebula (NGC 7000). Intro Well as June approaches, we are seeing the bright Summer Triangle appearing well above our eastern Read More ... Th…

In Episode SH033 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Scutum region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find three top-notch deep sky objects. We’ll find the Wild Duck Cluster (Messier 11), the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16), and the Swan Nebula (Messier 17). Intro Well looking forward to the end of this month Read More ... The post SH033 – Fi…

In Episode SH032 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Scorpius region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the bright open clusters Messier 6 (The Butterfly Cluster), Messier 7 (Ptolemy’s Cluster), and the irregularly shaped globular cluster Messier 62. Intro So over the next couple of weeks in the late evening, we’ll Read More ... Th…

In Episode SH031 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Ophiuchus region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the bright globular clusters Messier 10, Messier 12, and Messier 4, just across the border in Scorpius. Intro Well looking forward to the end of this month of May, we are starting to see Read More ... The post SH031 – Find M10, …

In Episode SH030 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the rich Centaurus region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the bright face-on barred Spiral galaxy, Messier 83, the peculiar galaxy NGC 5128, and the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky, Omega Centauri. Intro Well we are back to locating some Read More ... The post SH…

In Episode SH029 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll discuss the process of using an AutoGuider to do Astrophotography, and do an unboxing of the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider. Here are some links to the astrophotography products we discussed in the episode. The Orion StarShoot AutoGuider (Orion Telescope Center) GuideScope (Orion Tel…

In Episode SH028 of Star Hopping… We’ll show you how to find a new visitor to our solar system, Comet LINEAR. Then we’ll find the planets Mars and Saturn, close by the comet in the early morning sky. Intro So this week we’re going to jump forward a bit in time as there is a Read More ... The post SH028 – Find Comet LINEAR 252P appeared first on Sta…

In Episode SH027 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll discuss the different types of Nebulae that you can find in your telescope, and explain the differences between them. Intro So tonight we’re going to discuss the Different Types of Nebulae that you might encounter during your observing sessions. Deep Sky Objects are Read More ...…

In Episode SH026 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll continue our Basic Astrophotography series. In this episode we’ll talk about all the equipment, setup, and procedures to perform prime focus astrophotography: the effort of connecting your DSLR camera to the main focus of your telescope. Here are some links to the astrophotograph…

In Episode SH025 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Hercules & Serpens region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, M13, the globular cluster M92 also in Hercules, and the globular cluster M5 in Serpens. Info Well, I have gotten a bit ahead of myself with Read More ... The post SH025 – Find M13…

In Episode SH024 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll continue our Basic Astrophotography series. In this episode we’ll talk about all the equipment, setup, and procedures to perform piggybacking astrophotography: the effort of using the telescope’s motion to capture astrophotos with your DSLR camera and lens. Here are some links to…

In Episode SH023 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Bootes & Corvus region, and we’ll use our star hopping methods to find the massive globular cluster Messier 3, the interacting Antennae Galaxies, and the gorgeous edge-on spiral, Messier 104. Intro Well now we’re back after two Extra episodes to be star hopping around the sky Read More ... Th…

In Episode SH022 of Star Hopping… In this Star Hopping “Extra”, we’ll start a new topic series – Basic Astrophotography. In this episode we’ll talk about the three basic methods in which you can capture astronomical images and targets with your DSLR camera, and give specifics about imaging using a fixed tripod. We’ll show you Read More ... The post…

In Episode SH021 of Star Hopping… We’ll be presenting another Star Hopping “Extra”: we’ll discuss the different types of Star Clusters that you can find in your telescope, how they might appear in your eyepiece, and explain the differences between them. Intro So this episode is a Star Hopping Extra – a discussion we can have Read More ... The post …

In Episode SH021 of Star Hopping… We’ll finish up our exploration of the Realm of the Galaxies in the Virgo region, and using our star hopping methods to find Messier 58, Messier 90, The Siamese Twins Galaxies: NGC 4467 & NGC 4568, and the massive elliptical galaxy, Messier 87. Intro So we’re 20 episodes into Read More ... The post SH020 – The Real…

In Episode SH019 of Star Hopping… We’ll continue our exploration of the Realm of the Galaxies in the Virgo region, and using our star hopping methods to find Messier 84, Messier 86, The Eyes Galaxies: NGC 4435 & NGC 4438, and the beautiful spiral, Messier 88. We’ll also do a galaxy hop down Markarian’s Chain. Read More ... The post SH019 – The Real…

In Episode SH018 of Star Hopping… We’ll start our exploration of the Realm of the Galaxies, in the Virgo region. We’ll use our star hopping methods to find Messier 98, Messier 99, and the grand design spiral, Messier 100. Intro Well, the time has finally arrived for us to begin our exploration of the Realm of Read More ... The post SH018 – The Real…

In Episode SH017 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Coma Berenices region, and using our star hopping methods to find the Sunflower Galaxy: Messier 63, the Black Eye Galaxy: Messier 64, and the Needle Galaxy: NGC4565. Intro So we’re continuing with our galaxy review of all the amazing targets currently rising into of the Read More ... The post…

In Episode SH016 of Star Hopping… We’ll use our star hopping techniques to show you how to find the spiral galaxy Messier 106, the grand design face-on spiral Messier 101, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, and finally we are amazed by the famous Whirlpool Galaxy, also catalogued as Messier 51. Intro So we’re back to Read More ... The post SH016 – …

In Episode SH015 of Star Hopping… We’re presenting another Star Hopping “Extra”. This time, we’re presenting all the different types of galaxies, and how they might appear in your telescope. Within each type of galaxy, there are variations that could be confusing if you don’t know the characteristics of each. We’ll set you straight so you Read More…

In Episode SH014 of Star Hopping… We’ll be exploring the Leo region, and using our star hopping methods to find Messier 65, Messier 66, and the galaxy NGC 2903. Intro I’ll be keeping you up a little later this week to around 11:30 PM, to see the constellation of Leo the Lion appearing up over Read More ... The post SH014 – Find M65, M66, and NGC 29…

In Episode SH013 of Star Hopping… This episode of Star Hopping checks out the fainter regions just to the lower right of Orion and Canis Major, the dim constellations of Lepus, Caelum, Horologium, Eridanus, and Fornax. As you will see there are some amazing deep sky objects in the area, but they are a bit difficult to Read More ... The post SH013 –…