Autumn

Abstract

As warm September days pass and cool October nights arrive, the heavens change again in their never-ending cycle. The beauties of summer—Cygnus, Hercules, Sagittarius— are still on view but are descending into the west. If you want to catch the Summer Milky way, now’s the time. It will be gone all too soon. Of course, there are many fascinating objects on the rise in the east, too. That’s a big attraction for observers at this time of year. You get the best of both worlds. Point your scope west and you can still visit the multitudinous clusters and nebulae of the Milky Way. Head east and, just as in the spring, you’ll be looking out of our home spiral into the galactic wilderness beyond.Many of the galaxies of fall, like Andromeda’s M31 and company, Pegasus’ NGC 7331, and Cetus’ brilliant M77, are easily seen by city scopes. Much more spectacular than these galaxies, however, are autumn’s fantastic globular star clusters.