10,000 black holes are missing, but we’ve finally found 1

View larger. | This star in the Omega Centauri globular cluster is the first astronomers have found to orbit a stellar-mass black hole. Astronomers think there should be 10,000 black holes of that size in this star cluster, but they’ve never found one … until now. Image via ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Häberle (MPIA).

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10,000 black holes are missing from this star cluster

Astronomers know of three different categories of black holes. There are the supermassive black holes, which are the beasts that lurk at the centers of galaxies. There are stellar-mass black holes, which form after huge stars die. And then there are intermediate-mass black holes that fill the gap between those two.

Astronomers think the Omega Centauri globular cluster – a huge collection of 10 million stars that orbits our Milky Way galaxy – should be home to some 10,000 stellar-mass black holes. But they’d never found any stellar-mass black holes in the cluster … until now.

On July 13, 2026, ESA said observations with the Hubble and Webb space telescopes have revealed evidence for a stellar-mass black hole in the massive star cluster. The data from these two telescopes allowed astronomers to track a star orbiting a companion for more than 20 years in the cluster. And the star’s invisible dance partner is so heavy that astronomers concluded it must be a black hole. They’ve named the newly found black hole oMEGACat BH-2.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 13, 2026.

Finding a stellar-mass black hole

Astronomers had searched for stellar-mass black holes in the globular cluster before. Their previous methods of detection included looking for emissions from material falling into the black hole and something called the radial velocity method. This method looks at how fast stars are moving toward or away from us. It can reveal the presence of nearby objects. But these methods never turned up a black hole in Omega Centauri.

Enter astrometry. This is a method where astronomers measure precise locations and movements of stars over time. More than 20 years of data allowed astronomers to get a collection of the precise movements and wiggles of stars in Omega Centauri. And one star revealed it not only had a companion, but the companion was more massive than any star.

Astronomers calculated the companion was too heavy to be something like a neutron star (the dense core of a dead star). But at the same time, it was a bit lighter than they were expecting for a black hole. Co-author Anil Seth of the University of Utah said:

While we already knew that the star was 0.78 solar masses, we can now calculate the black hole’s mass, which is 4.46 solar masses and therefore too heavy to be a neutron star. However, its mass is actually much lower than would be expected in a metal-poor environment like Omega Centauri. This is surprising and exciting. We now know that a metal-poor star should be able to form a black hole like this, and we need to figure out how that happens.

More insights into the black hole

The astronomers learned that the visible star orbits the black hole – oMEGACat BH-2 – once every 94 years. That’s the longest-known period for a star and its black hole.

But the star and black hole don’t appear to be original dance partners. The astronomers said the binary pair likely found each other in the crowded environment of the cluster.

And they won’t remain together forever. Calculations show the star and black hole will stay a pair for less than a billion years before other stars in the cluster tear them apart. It’s not easy being on a packed dance floor.

Insight into gravitational waves

This black hole and its stellar companion could give astronomers insight into gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. They’re triggered by explosive events in the universe, such as exploding stars or black hole mergers. And the formation of black holes and their influence on companions, like oMEGACat BH-2 and its star, could provide insight into the physics of these events. Seth said:

It’s important to understand black hole populations in globular clusters, because there’s uncertainty about their physics and formation. More specifically, understanding the process of forming black holes and then dynamically forming binaries is vital, because it affects our ability to interpret and understand gravitational wave events. Environments like Omega Centauri are the primary places where we think binaries are merging and creating these waves.

Not the only black hole in Omega Centauri

While this is the first detection of a stellar-mass black hole in Omega Centauri, astronomers believe they’ve already identified an intermediate-mass black hole in the cluster. In 2024, a team of astronomers detected seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri. In fact, they’re moving so fast they should escape the cluster. So their existence and speed suggests a massive object – an intermediate black hole – is pulling on them. Read more about the intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri here.

This video from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy shows the 7 fast stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri that should not be there. They provide evidence for a long-predicted intermediate-mass black hole. And now astronomers said they’ve also detected a stellar-mass black hole in Omega Centauri, which is 17,700 light-years away.

Bottom line: Astronomers think the Omega Centauri globular cluster should be home to 10,000 black holes of a stellar-mass size. But they’ve never found one … until now.

Source: A Long Period Stellar-mass Black Hole Binary in Omega Centauri

Via ESA

The post 10,000 black holes are missing, but we’ve finally found 1 first appeared on EarthSky.

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View larger. | This star in the Omega Centauri globular cluster is the first astronomers have found to orbit a stellar-mass black hole. Astronomers think there should be 10,000 black holes of that size in this star cluster, but they’ve never found one … until now. Image via ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Häberle (MPIA).

Millions come to EarthSky for night sky news and trusted science. Your donation keeps us free and accessible for all.

10,000 black holes are missing from this star cluster

Astronomers know of three different categories of black holes. There are the supermassive black holes, which are the beasts that lurk at the centers of galaxies. There are stellar-mass black holes, which form after huge stars die. And then there are intermediate-mass black holes that fill the gap between those two.

Astronomers think the Omega Centauri globular cluster – a huge collection of 10 million stars that orbits our Milky Way galaxy – should be home to some 10,000 stellar-mass black holes. But they’d never found any stellar-mass black holes in the cluster … until now.

On July 13, 2026, ESA said observations with the Hubble and Webb space telescopes have revealed evidence for a stellar-mass black hole in the massive star cluster. The data from these two telescopes allowed astronomers to track a star orbiting a companion for more than 20 years in the cluster. And the star’s invisible dance partner is so heavy that astronomers concluded it must be a black hole. They’ve named the newly found black hole oMEGACat BH-2.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 13, 2026.

Finding a stellar-mass black hole

Astronomers had searched for stellar-mass black holes in the globular cluster before. Their previous methods of detection included looking for emissions from material falling into the black hole and something called the radial velocity method. This method looks at how fast stars are moving toward or away from us. It can reveal the presence of nearby objects. But these methods never turned up a black hole in Omega Centauri.

Enter astrometry. This is a method where astronomers measure precise locations and movements of stars over time. More than 20 years of data allowed astronomers to get a collection of the precise movements and wiggles of stars in Omega Centauri. And one star revealed it not only had a companion, but the companion was more massive than any star.

Astronomers calculated the companion was too heavy to be something like a neutron star (the dense core of a dead star). But at the same time, it was a bit lighter than they were expecting for a black hole. Co-author Anil Seth of the University of Utah said:

While we already knew that the star was 0.78 solar masses, we can now calculate the black hole’s mass, which is 4.46 solar masses and therefore too heavy to be a neutron star. However, its mass is actually much lower than would be expected in a metal-poor environment like Omega Centauri. This is surprising and exciting. We now know that a metal-poor star should be able to form a black hole like this, and we need to figure out how that happens.

More insights into the black hole

The astronomers learned that the visible star orbits the black hole – oMEGACat BH-2 – once every 94 years. That’s the longest-known period for a star and its black hole.

But the star and black hole don’t appear to be original dance partners. The astronomers said the binary pair likely found each other in the crowded environment of the cluster.

And they won’t remain together forever. Calculations show the star and black hole will stay a pair for less than a billion years before other stars in the cluster tear them apart. It’s not easy being on a packed dance floor.

Insight into gravitational waves

This black hole and its stellar companion could give astronomers insight into gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. They’re triggered by explosive events in the universe, such as exploding stars or black hole mergers. And the formation of black holes and their influence on companions, like oMEGACat BH-2 and its star, could provide insight into the physics of these events. Seth said:

It’s important to understand black hole populations in globular clusters, because there’s uncertainty about their physics and formation. More specifically, understanding the process of forming black holes and then dynamically forming binaries is vital, because it affects our ability to interpret and understand gravitational wave events. Environments like Omega Centauri are the primary places where we think binaries are merging and creating these waves.

Not the only black hole in Omega Centauri

While this is the first detection of a stellar-mass black hole in Omega Centauri, astronomers believe they’ve already identified an intermediate-mass black hole in the cluster. In 2024, a team of astronomers detected seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri. In fact, they’re moving so fast they should escape the cluster. So their existence and speed suggests a massive object – an intermediate black hole – is pulling on them. Read more about the intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri here.

This video from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy shows the 7 fast stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri that should not be there. They provide evidence for a long-predicted intermediate-mass black hole. And now astronomers said they’ve also detected a stellar-mass black hole in Omega Centauri, which is 17,700 light-years away.

Bottom line: Astronomers think the Omega Centauri globular cluster should be home to 10,000 black holes of a stellar-mass size. But they’ve never found one … until now.

Source: A Long Period Stellar-mass Black Hole Binary in Omega Centauri

Via ESA

The post 10,000 black holes are missing, but we’ve finally found 1 first appeared on EarthSky.

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Infectious microbes on Mars could become even more deadly

View larger. | An astronaut examines rocks on Mars in this artist’s concept. A new thesis has explored how some earthly pathogenic – disease-causing – microbes on Mars could survive … and the effects they could have on future human astronauts. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.

• Mars is a harsh and deadly place. But could any earthly microbes survive there?
• A new thesis shows how disease-causing earthly microbes could not only survive, but thrive.
• The infectious microbes could potentially become more deadly after adapting to the environment. That’s not good news for future astronauts.

Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger.

Infectious microbes on Mars

Mars is a harsh and unforgiving place. But, eventually, human astronauts are expected to go there. And when they do, they’ll have companions: pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes that live in and on the human body. Could some of them survive?

Tommaso Zaccaria at Radboud University in the Netherlands has written a new thesis about how some of these organisms could live in the Martian environment … or not.

As the thesis synopsis states:

Evaluating how microorganisms respond and tolerate space conditions is essential to ensure the safe access and exploration of space. This thesis investigates the risks associated with the contamination of other planets with microbes originating from Earth, and how the human immune system responds to infections in space.

Andy Tomaswick wrote about the thesis for Universe Today on June 30, 2026.

The thesis was published on June 22, 2026.

Simulating pathogens on Mars

The first part of the thesis deals with four pathogens – infectious microorganisms – from Earth. For instance, one is the pathogen that causes pneumonia.

The four pathogens were added to a simulated Martian environment in the laboratory. The conditions were harsh: extremely low pressure, dessication (extreme dryness), high ultraviolet radiation and high-concentration brines (highly salty water) that contained the highly toxic substance perchlorate.

Any of these could be deadly on their own. But together, they are ultra-deadly.

The experiments tested the microbes in each of the various conditions noted above. And some of the microbes did indeed survive. Some endured 16 days of desiccation, in fact. But the thesis considered all of the above conditions at the same time, as would be found on Mars itself. In that scenario, the survival of the microbes dropped from 16 days to only one.

There is a caveat, though. The regolith – the Martian version of “soil” composed of bits of rock and dust – might actually help microbes. It could be a place for traces of water to hide. It could also help protect microbes from the deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

On the other hand, the regolith also contains perchlorate. That compound is extremely toxic to most life as we know it.

Shrinking microbes

One of the most interesting aspects of the experiments from the first section was that the microbes shrank in size. They became almost invisible to human immune systems. And in another experiment, the microbes were exposed to a human immune cell called peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

As a result, the cells produced fewer cytokines (small proteins) and reactive oxygen species (highly reactive chemicals formed from oxygen molecules (O2), water and hydrogen peroxide).

The bacteria that survived adapted to the cells. And in doing so, they could potentially become even more pathogenic than they already were. Not good news for any future astronauts.

Tommaso Zaccaria at Radboud University in the Netherlands wrote the new thesis about pathogenic microbes surviving on Mars. Image via LinkedIn.

How regolith affects astronauts

In the second part of the thesis, Zaccaria examines how Mars’ regolith – Martian “soil” – might affect the health of the astronauts. He exposed the cells found in a human’s airway and living mice to mockups of both regolith on Mars and the moon.

The human cells experienced local tissue inflammation and neutrophilia, which is an increase in white blood cell activity due to damaged tissue. There was also increased activity in genes that control mucus production and lung fibroids, both precursors to chronic respiratory disease. Again, not good for astronauts.

The lunar dust was even worse in some ways. It was more damaging than the Martian simulant that was laced with perchlorates.

View larger. | Cultures of Rhodotorula frigidialcoholis yeast (not related to the new study). The yeast stalled its own growth cycle so it could focus on repairing its damaged DNA. Image via Touchette et al./ ResearchGate.

Planetary protection protocols

The third section of the thesis deals with planetary protection protocols, specifically the ones that NASA and other space agencies use for their robotic probes to other planets and moons. In these experiments, microbes were tested to see if they could survive a journey to Jupiter or Saturn.

One type of yeast, Rhodotorula frigidalcoholis, fared particularly well. It actually stalled its own growth cycle so it could focus on repairing its damaged DNA.

The thesis synopsis concludes:

The studies of this thesis have showed how the selected microorganisms can tolerate space conditions, and how genes in the selected yeast are regulated under extreme conditions. As a whole this work provides new microbial survival data and aims to improve the healthy access to space for humans.

Bottom line: A new thesis examines how earthly pathogens on Mars could survive and potentially become even more dangerous for future astronauts.

Source: Life beyond earth: microbial survival and immune health in space

Via Universe Today

Read more: New study says microbes on Mars might be living in the ice

Read more: Are methane-belching microbes on Mars hiding underground?

The post Infectious microbes on Mars could become even more deadly first appeared on EarthSky.

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View larger. | An astronaut examines rocks on Mars in this artist’s concept. A new thesis has explored how some earthly pathogenic – disease-causing – microbes on Mars could survive … and the effects they could have on future human astronauts. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.

• Mars is a harsh and deadly place. But could any earthly microbes survive there?
• A new thesis shows how disease-causing earthly microbes could not only survive, but thrive.
• The infectious microbes could potentially become more deadly after adapting to the environment. That’s not good news for future astronauts.

Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger.

Infectious microbes on Mars

Mars is a harsh and unforgiving place. But, eventually, human astronauts are expected to go there. And when they do, they’ll have companions: pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes that live in and on the human body. Could some of them survive?

Tommaso Zaccaria at Radboud University in the Netherlands has written a new thesis about how some of these organisms could live in the Martian environment … or not.

As the thesis synopsis states:

Evaluating how microorganisms respond and tolerate space conditions is essential to ensure the safe access and exploration of space. This thesis investigates the risks associated with the contamination of other planets with microbes originating from Earth, and how the human immune system responds to infections in space.

Andy Tomaswick wrote about the thesis for Universe Today on June 30, 2026.

The thesis was published on June 22, 2026.

Simulating pathogens on Mars

The first part of the thesis deals with four pathogens – infectious microorganisms – from Earth. For instance, one is the pathogen that causes pneumonia.

The four pathogens were added to a simulated Martian environment in the laboratory. The conditions were harsh: extremely low pressure, dessication (extreme dryness), high ultraviolet radiation and high-concentration brines (highly salty water) that contained the highly toxic substance perchlorate.

Any of these could be deadly on their own. But together, they are ultra-deadly.

The experiments tested the microbes in each of the various conditions noted above. And some of the microbes did indeed survive. Some endured 16 days of desiccation, in fact. But the thesis considered all of the above conditions at the same time, as would be found on Mars itself. In that scenario, the survival of the microbes dropped from 16 days to only one.

There is a caveat, though. The regolith – the Martian version of “soil” composed of bits of rock and dust – might actually help microbes. It could be a place for traces of water to hide. It could also help protect microbes from the deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

On the other hand, the regolith also contains perchlorate. That compound is extremely toxic to most life as we know it.

Shrinking microbes

One of the most interesting aspects of the experiments from the first section was that the microbes shrank in size. They became almost invisible to human immune systems. And in another experiment, the microbes were exposed to a human immune cell called peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

As a result, the cells produced fewer cytokines (small proteins) and reactive oxygen species (highly reactive chemicals formed from oxygen molecules (O2), water and hydrogen peroxide).

The bacteria that survived adapted to the cells. And in doing so, they could potentially become even more pathogenic than they already were. Not good news for any future astronauts.

Tommaso Zaccaria at Radboud University in the Netherlands wrote the new thesis about pathogenic microbes surviving on Mars. Image via LinkedIn.

How regolith affects astronauts

In the second part of the thesis, Zaccaria examines how Mars’ regolith – Martian “soil” – might affect the health of the astronauts. He exposed the cells found in a human’s airway and living mice to mockups of both regolith on Mars and the moon.

The human cells experienced local tissue inflammation and neutrophilia, which is an increase in white blood cell activity due to damaged tissue. There was also increased activity in genes that control mucus production and lung fibroids, both precursors to chronic respiratory disease. Again, not good for astronauts.

The lunar dust was even worse in some ways. It was more damaging than the Martian simulant that was laced with perchlorates.

View larger. | Cultures of Rhodotorula frigidialcoholis yeast (not related to the new study). The yeast stalled its own growth cycle so it could focus on repairing its damaged DNA. Image via Touchette et al./ ResearchGate.

Planetary protection protocols

The third section of the thesis deals with planetary protection protocols, specifically the ones that NASA and other space agencies use for their robotic probes to other planets and moons. In these experiments, microbes were tested to see if they could survive a journey to Jupiter or Saturn.

One type of yeast, Rhodotorula frigidalcoholis, fared particularly well. It actually stalled its own growth cycle so it could focus on repairing its damaged DNA.

The thesis synopsis concludes:

The studies of this thesis have showed how the selected microorganisms can tolerate space conditions, and how genes in the selected yeast are regulated under extreme conditions. As a whole this work provides new microbial survival data and aims to improve the healthy access to space for humans.

Bottom line: A new thesis examines how earthly pathogens on Mars could survive and potentially become even more dangerous for future astronauts.

Source: Life beyond earth: microbial survival and immune health in space

Via Universe Today

Read more: New study says microbes on Mars might be living in the ice

Read more: Are methane-belching microbes on Mars hiding underground?

The post Infectious microbes on Mars could become even more deadly first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/cFtj5Gd

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster looks like its namesake. Image via Wikimedia Commons/ (CC BY-SA 4.0).

On any evening from July until about November – if you have a dark sky – you can look within the famous Summer Triangle for a tiny but recognizable cluster of stars. Most people call it the Coathanger cluster. Two other names are Brocchi’s cluster and Collinder 399. The Coathanger is a tiny asterism, or pattern of stars within a larger constellation.

It isn’t a true open star cluster, where the stars are loosely bound together by gravity. Instead, these stars only appear close from our perspective. In reality, they’re physically unrelated.

The Coathanger cluster does look like its namesake, making it easy to spot with binoculars and a dark sky. But you have to know just where to look. It’s visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Coathanger cluster within the Summer Triangle

Do you already know the Summer Triangle stars? If not, click here. The Summer Triangle is easy to spot as a large triangle in the east on northern summer evenings. Three bright stars mark its corners: Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, Vega in Lyra the Harp, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle.

The Milky Way – the edgewise view into the flat disk of our galaxy – runs right through the Summer Triangle. So there are many beautiful little clusters here, plus, of course, the great and glorious Dark Rift of the Milky Way.

If you can find the Summer Triangle, you can find the Coathanger. Just be sure to look from a dark rural location, and have some binoculars handy. The cluster is located along a line between two Triangle stars, Vega and Altair. The image below illustrates the view.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia captured this image from New York on September 1, 2024, and wrote: “The Milky Way, the Summer Triangle and a shooting star.” Thank you, Steven.

Albireo can help you find the Coathanger

To find the Coathanger, you first need to find a slightly fainter star: beloved Albireo. This star is located in the midst of the Summer Triangle. It’s also seen as the bottom of a second asterism within the Summer Triangle, called the Northern Cross.

Albireo is found at the base of the Northern Cross. See it, in the photo below?

The Northern Cross, with the beloved double star Albireo at its base. The little Coathanger cluster is nearby. Image via Bob King/ Astro Bob. Used with permission.

Albireo to Alpha Vulpeculae to the Coathanger

Got Albireo? Now for some specifics on finding the Coathanger. With binoculars, look for the brightest star in the vicinity of Albireo. That star is called Alpha Vulpeculae, which appears as a double star through binoculars (though the two stars are not gravitationally bound).

Draw an imaginary line from Albireo through Alpha Vulpeculae to locate the Coathanger. In most binoculars, Alpha Vulpeculae and the Coathanger fit within the same binocular field of view, though just barely.

Notice that six stars form the bar of the Coathanger, while four stars make up the hook. From mid-northern latitudes, the Coathanger often appears upside-down. That’s why some people call it the Ski Lift.

Star-hop from the star Albireo to Alpha Vulpeculae to the Coathanger cluster.

An imaginary line – drawn in purple on this chart – from the star Albireo and through the star Alpha Vulpeculae takes you to the Coathanger. Image via IAU. Used with permission.

When should you look?

Our sky chart above shows the stars as they appear from the Northern Hemisphere in middle July around midnight (1 a.m. daylight saving time).

Because the stars return to the same place in the sky some two hours earlier with each passing month, this sky chart also shows star positions for about 10 p.m. (11 p.m. daylight time) in mid-August, 8 p.m. (9 p.m. daylight time) in mid-September and 6 p.m (7 p.m daylight time) in mid-October.

Since these stars shine from south to overhead at these times (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere), you might want to sprawl out on a reclining lawn chair, with your feet pointing southward. A reclining position saves neck strain.

The Coathanger’s position is RA: 19h 26.47′; Dec: 20^o 11.93′

Bottom line: Star-hop to the Coathanger – a tiny asterism that really looks like its namesake – via the stars Albireo and Alpha Vulpeculae.

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The Coathanger cluster looks like its namesake. Image via Wikimedia Commons/ (CC BY-SA 4.0).

On any evening from July until about November – if you have a dark sky – you can look within the famous Summer Triangle for a tiny but recognizable cluster of stars. Most people call it the Coathanger cluster. Two other names are Brocchi’s cluster and Collinder 399. The Coathanger is a tiny asterism, or pattern of stars within a larger constellation.

It isn’t a true open star cluster, where the stars are loosely bound together by gravity. Instead, these stars only appear close from our perspective. In reality, they’re physically unrelated.

The Coathanger cluster does look like its namesake, making it easy to spot with binoculars and a dark sky. But you have to know just where to look. It’s visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Coathanger cluster within the Summer Triangle

Do you already know the Summer Triangle stars? If not, click here. The Summer Triangle is easy to spot as a large triangle in the east on northern summer evenings. Three bright stars mark its corners: Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, Vega in Lyra the Harp, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle.

The Milky Way – the edgewise view into the flat disk of our galaxy – runs right through the Summer Triangle. So there are many beautiful little clusters here, plus, of course, the great and glorious Dark Rift of the Milky Way.

If you can find the Summer Triangle, you can find the Coathanger. Just be sure to look from a dark rural location, and have some binoculars handy. The cluster is located along a line between two Triangle stars, Vega and Altair. The image below illustrates the view.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia captured this image from New York on September 1, 2024, and wrote: “The Milky Way, the Summer Triangle and a shooting star.” Thank you, Steven.

Albireo can help you find the Coathanger

To find the Coathanger, you first need to find a slightly fainter star: beloved Albireo. This star is located in the midst of the Summer Triangle. It’s also seen as the bottom of a second asterism within the Summer Triangle, called the Northern Cross.

Albireo is found at the base of the Northern Cross. See it, in the photo below?

The Northern Cross, with the beloved double star Albireo at its base. The little Coathanger cluster is nearby. Image via Bob King/ Astro Bob. Used with permission.

Albireo to Alpha Vulpeculae to the Coathanger

Got Albireo? Now for some specifics on finding the Coathanger. With binoculars, look for the brightest star in the vicinity of Albireo. That star is called Alpha Vulpeculae, which appears as a double star through binoculars (though the two stars are not gravitationally bound).

Draw an imaginary line from Albireo through Alpha Vulpeculae to locate the Coathanger. In most binoculars, Alpha Vulpeculae and the Coathanger fit within the same binocular field of view, though just barely.

Notice that six stars form the bar of the Coathanger, while four stars make up the hook. From mid-northern latitudes, the Coathanger often appears upside-down. That’s why some people call it the Ski Lift.

Star-hop from the star Albireo to Alpha Vulpeculae to the Coathanger cluster.

An imaginary line – drawn in purple on this chart – from the star Albireo and through the star Alpha Vulpeculae takes you to the Coathanger. Image via IAU. Used with permission.

When should you look?

Our sky chart above shows the stars as they appear from the Northern Hemisphere in middle July around midnight (1 a.m. daylight saving time).

Because the stars return to the same place in the sky some two hours earlier with each passing month, this sky chart also shows star positions for about 10 p.m. (11 p.m. daylight time) in mid-August, 8 p.m. (9 p.m. daylight time) in mid-September and 6 p.m (7 p.m daylight time) in mid-October.

Since these stars shine from south to overhead at these times (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere), you might want to sprawl out on a reclining lawn chair, with your feet pointing southward. A reclining position saves neck strain.

The Coathanger’s position is RA: 19h 26.47′; Dec: 20^o 11.93′

Bottom line: Star-hop to the Coathanger – a tiny asterism that really looks like its namesake – via the stars Albireo and Alpha Vulpeculae.

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Hidden planet found around nearby star Beta Pictoris

Astronomers have found a hidden planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. This star, 63 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor, was already known to have 2 planets. This 3rd planet is now the faintest ever imaged from Earth. Video via ESO.

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Hidden planet found around Beta Pictoris

Beta Pictoris is famous as a star system with planets, comets and asteroids still in the process of forming. It’s a young star system, about 20 million years old, which first came to astronomers’ attention because of the thick debris disk around it. Then, in 2008, astronomers discovered the first planet orbiting Beta Pictoris, followed by a second planet in 2019. And in 2024, astronomers said they found evidence of a giant asteroid collision around the star.

Now, on July 15, 2026, the European Southern Observatory has said that astronomers found a third planet around Beta Pictoris that has been hiding in our images all along.

The team of astronomers found the planet using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. The planet is named Beta Pictoris d (the first two being named Beta Pictoris b and Beta Pictoris c). The discovery was a surprise to astronomers, who were just trying to take a closer look at Beta Pictoris b. The newly discovered planet is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b. And that makes it the faintest planet ever imaged from Earth.

Co-author Ben Sutlieff at the University of Edinburgh said:

This was a serendipitous discovery. We initially wanted to look more at a known planet in the system, Beta Pictoris b, to see how it changed over time.

The astronomers published their peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 15, 2026.

A surprise at Beta Pictoris

There’s something else there, did you see it?

That was what co-author Markus Bonse of ESO said when he saw the data from Beta Pictoris. But to confirm their “eureka” moment, the team didn’t need to take new observations. Astronomers have already well-documented the Beta Pictoris system. So they simply went back to older images from observatories such as SPHERE and the Webb space telescope. They spotted Beta Pictoris d in images going back 11 years.

Co-author Jayne Birkby of the University of Oxford said:

Planet d, it seems, has been playing a game of hide-and-seek with us for over a decade and only now can we say ‘found you!’

This is the hidden planet (indicated by arrow) around the star Beta Pictoris. The star icon marks the spot where astronomers blocked the star’s light. The larger mass of light at the left is the planet Beta Pictoris b. Another planet, Beta Pictoris c, is too close to the star to see in this image. The background noise in the image is because the star is surrounded by a large disk of material leftover from the formation of its planets. Image via ESO/ B. Sutlieff, M. Bonse et al.

What is the new planet like?

The star system Beta Pictoris lies 63 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor. The two previously known planets are both gas giant planets with about 10 times the mass of Jupiter.

The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is also a gas giant. But this planet is only 2.4 times more massive than Jupiter. It’s farther from its home star than planets b and c, and therefore it’s cold and faint.

Directly imaging multiple planets at this star is a big deal. In fact, it’s only the second star system that has had more than two planets directly imaged. The other star system with this honor is HR 8799.

Sutlieff said:

Systems with multiple directly imaged exoplanets are the ‘holy grails’ of discoveries, because they can teach us a lot about what different exoplanets are like in the same formation environment.

The discovery helps solve a mystery at Beta Pictoris. Previously, astronomers had trouble explaining the shape of the debris disk leftover from planets forming around this star. But the new planet has exactly the right mass and position to account for the shape of the debris disk.

What’s next? Perhaps more hidden planets will come to light in other star systems. The researchers think there are likely more planets hiding within archival images.

Bottom line: Astronomers have found a hidden planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. This previously unseen world is now the faintest planet ever imaged from Earth.

Source: Direct Imaging Discovery of Giant Exoplanet Beta Pictoris d: A Decade-Long Game of Hide-and-Seek

Via ESO

Read more: Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Read more: Rare quadruple star system could unlock brown dwarf mystery

The post Hidden planet found around nearby star Beta Pictoris first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/sP0ZmQM

Astronomers have found a hidden planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. This star, 63 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor, was already known to have 2 planets. This 3rd planet is now the faintest ever imaged from Earth. Video via ESO.

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Hidden planet found around Beta Pictoris

Beta Pictoris is famous as a star system with planets, comets and asteroids still in the process of forming. It’s a young star system, about 20 million years old, which first came to astronomers’ attention because of the thick debris disk around it. Then, in 2008, astronomers discovered the first planet orbiting Beta Pictoris, followed by a second planet in 2019. And in 2024, astronomers said they found evidence of a giant asteroid collision around the star.

Now, on July 15, 2026, the European Southern Observatory has said that astronomers found a third planet around Beta Pictoris that has been hiding in our images all along.

The team of astronomers found the planet using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. The planet is named Beta Pictoris d (the first two being named Beta Pictoris b and Beta Pictoris c). The discovery was a surprise to astronomers, who were just trying to take a closer look at Beta Pictoris b. The newly discovered planet is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b. And that makes it the faintest planet ever imaged from Earth.

Co-author Ben Sutlieff at the University of Edinburgh said:

This was a serendipitous discovery. We initially wanted to look more at a known planet in the system, Beta Pictoris b, to see how it changed over time.

The astronomers published their peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 15, 2026.

A surprise at Beta Pictoris

There’s something else there, did you see it?

That was what co-author Markus Bonse of ESO said when he saw the data from Beta Pictoris. But to confirm their “eureka” moment, the team didn’t need to take new observations. Astronomers have already well-documented the Beta Pictoris system. So they simply went back to older images from observatories such as SPHERE and the Webb space telescope. They spotted Beta Pictoris d in images going back 11 years.

Co-author Jayne Birkby of the University of Oxford said:

Planet d, it seems, has been playing a game of hide-and-seek with us for over a decade and only now can we say ‘found you!’

This is the hidden planet (indicated by arrow) around the star Beta Pictoris. The star icon marks the spot where astronomers blocked the star’s light. The larger mass of light at the left is the planet Beta Pictoris b. Another planet, Beta Pictoris c, is too close to the star to see in this image. The background noise in the image is because the star is surrounded by a large disk of material leftover from the formation of its planets. Image via ESO/ B. Sutlieff, M. Bonse et al.

What is the new planet like?

The star system Beta Pictoris lies 63 light-years away in the southern constellation Pictor. The two previously known planets are both gas giant planets with about 10 times the mass of Jupiter.

The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is also a gas giant. But this planet is only 2.4 times more massive than Jupiter. It’s farther from its home star than planets b and c, and therefore it’s cold and faint.

Directly imaging multiple planets at this star is a big deal. In fact, it’s only the second star system that has had more than two planets directly imaged. The other star system with this honor is HR 8799.

Sutlieff said:

Systems with multiple directly imaged exoplanets are the ‘holy grails’ of discoveries, because they can teach us a lot about what different exoplanets are like in the same formation environment.

The discovery helps solve a mystery at Beta Pictoris. Previously, astronomers had trouble explaining the shape of the debris disk leftover from planets forming around this star. But the new planet has exactly the right mass and position to account for the shape of the debris disk.

What’s next? Perhaps more hidden planets will come to light in other star systems. The researchers think there are likely more planets hiding within archival images.

Bottom line: Astronomers have found a hidden planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. This previously unseen world is now the faintest planet ever imaged from Earth.

Source: Direct Imaging Discovery of Giant Exoplanet Beta Pictoris d: A Decade-Long Game of Hide-and-Seek

Via ESO

Read more: Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Read more: Rare quadruple star system could unlock brown dwarf mystery

The post Hidden planet found around nearby star Beta Pictoris first appeared on EarthSky.

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Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast

Wildfire smoke from Canada and northern Minnesota flowed eastward on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Skies turned gray and even orange. Forecasters expect smoky skies to continue into the weekend. Image via NOAA/ CIRA.

Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast

Canadian wildfires had a slow start in 2026, but now they’re making up for their quiet stretch. According to NOAA:

On July 13, 2026, numerous wildfires exploded in far northern Minnesota and western Ontario, threatening many communities in the state and province. Thick wildfire smoke billowed out from the flames and spread across the skies over North America during the following days. This smoke has caused air quality issues in the United States and Canada, with thick haze enveloping the skies above major cities such as Toronto, Boston and New York City.

There are currently more than 800 wildfires burning across Canada. The smoke started pouring into northern tier states in earnest on Wednesday. Live cams from places such as Mackinac Island in Michigan and Niagara Falls showed areas choking with smoke.

The smoke should become more widespread on Thursday, pushing into northeastern states along with dropping southward. And weather models show the smoke should continue into Friday and Saturday as well.

Air quality forecast map for Thursday, July 16, 2026. Image via EPA/ Airnow.gov.

How is the air near you?

To see what the air quality index, or AQI, is in the United States, you can visit Airnow.gov. On Tuesday night, Marquette, Michigan, had an AQI of 795. Hazardous conditions start at 300. Duluth, Minnesota, had 682.

If you’re in Canada, you can find out your air quality index at IQair.com.

Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause coughing, shortness of breath and asthma attacks. It also can put a strain on your heart. To protect yourself from wildfire smoke, limit your time outdoors. If possible, stay inside with the doors and windows shut. Find more tips here.

The high temperatures are exacerbating the problem for those seeking relief. If you do not have air conditioning and are facing poor air quality, look for a cooling shelter near you.

We’ve never needed good science more than we do right now. Support EarthSky in 2026 and help us keep it going strong.

3/ When wildfire smoke occurs during heatwaves in areas where a portion of the population doesn't have access to air conditioning, people face the dilemma of opening their windows to avoid heatstroke, but searing their lungs with smoke. Smoke + heat can become even deadlier than either alone.

— Jonathan Vigh (@skywatcher77.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T00:40:12.515Z

Smoky scenes from social media

There were scenes on social media of fires threatening people in Canada along with views of gray and orange skies in the U.S. See some of the scenes below.

Wow! This footage shows the view from inside a train as it becomes surrounded by raging wildfire flames near Armstrong, Ontario. Canadian National Railway says the crew all got out safely.

— Paul Graf (@paulginva.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T21:25:46.911Z

These images of First Nations community members evacuating Collins, Ontario on motorboats are absolutely surrealwww.facebook.com/reel/1548244…

— Luke LeBrun (@lukelebrun.ca) 2026-07-15T21:29:08.032Z

The Mackinac Bridge (to nowhere) this morning due to the wildfire smoke

— Katie O'Reilly (@drkatfish.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:57:14.957Z

The air in my hometown right now. Ontario has some of the worst air quality in the world due to wildfire smoke. It is unnatural lighting outside at the moment. Stay inside if you can. The air is crunchy and smells like wood smoke. Take care, all.????

— Sheila E. Young (@sheilaeyoung1.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:08:05.444Z

Wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Canada this morning ???

— Lake Michigan (@lakemichigan13.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T13:14:35.466Z

Boston Harbor today! Not a filter… wildfire smoke from Canada!

— Lisa Fagin Davis (@lisafdavis.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T15:39:13.471Z

Bottom line: Wildfire smoke is pouring across Canada and into the U.S. in the Great Lakes region and northeastern states. These areas will continue to see poor air quality into the weekend.

Read more: This Is Wildfire: Tips on preparing yourself and your home

Read more: How wildfire smoke can harm your health, even from far away

The post Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/O3GC6X4

Wildfire smoke from Canada and northern Minnesota flowed eastward on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Skies turned gray and even orange. Forecasters expect smoky skies to continue into the weekend. Image via NOAA/ CIRA.

Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast

Canadian wildfires had a slow start in 2026, but now they’re making up for their quiet stretch. According to NOAA:

On July 13, 2026, numerous wildfires exploded in far northern Minnesota and western Ontario, threatening many communities in the state and province. Thick wildfire smoke billowed out from the flames and spread across the skies over North America during the following days. This smoke has caused air quality issues in the United States and Canada, with thick haze enveloping the skies above major cities such as Toronto, Boston and New York City.

There are currently more than 800 wildfires burning across Canada. The smoke started pouring into northern tier states in earnest on Wednesday. Live cams from places such as Mackinac Island in Michigan and Niagara Falls showed areas choking with smoke.

The smoke should become more widespread on Thursday, pushing into northeastern states along with dropping southward. And weather models show the smoke should continue into Friday and Saturday as well.

Air quality forecast map for Thursday, July 16, 2026. Image via EPA/ Airnow.gov.

How is the air near you?

To see what the air quality index, or AQI, is in the United States, you can visit Airnow.gov. On Tuesday night, Marquette, Michigan, had an AQI of 795. Hazardous conditions start at 300. Duluth, Minnesota, had 682.

If you’re in Canada, you can find out your air quality index at IQair.com.

Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause coughing, shortness of breath and asthma attacks. It also can put a strain on your heart. To protect yourself from wildfire smoke, limit your time outdoors. If possible, stay inside with the doors and windows shut. Find more tips here.

The high temperatures are exacerbating the problem for those seeking relief. If you do not have air conditioning and are facing poor air quality, look for a cooling shelter near you.

We’ve never needed good science more than we do right now. Support EarthSky in 2026 and help us keep it going strong.

3/ When wildfire smoke occurs during heatwaves in areas where a portion of the population doesn't have access to air conditioning, people face the dilemma of opening their windows to avoid heatstroke, but searing their lungs with smoke. Smoke + heat can become even deadlier than either alone.

— Jonathan Vigh (@skywatcher77.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T00:40:12.515Z

Smoky scenes from social media

There were scenes on social media of fires threatening people in Canada along with views of gray and orange skies in the U.S. See some of the scenes below.

Wow! This footage shows the view from inside a train as it becomes surrounded by raging wildfire flames near Armstrong, Ontario. Canadian National Railway says the crew all got out safely.

— Paul Graf (@paulginva.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T21:25:46.911Z

These images of First Nations community members evacuating Collins, Ontario on motorboats are absolutely surrealwww.facebook.com/reel/1548244…

— Luke LeBrun (@lukelebrun.ca) 2026-07-15T21:29:08.032Z

The Mackinac Bridge (to nowhere) this morning due to the wildfire smoke

— Katie O'Reilly (@drkatfish.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:57:14.957Z

The air in my hometown right now. Ontario has some of the worst air quality in the world due to wildfire smoke. It is unnatural lighting outside at the moment. Stay inside if you can. The air is crunchy and smells like wood smoke. Take care, all.????

— Sheila E. Young (@sheilaeyoung1.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:08:05.444Z

Wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Canada this morning ???

— Lake Michigan (@lakemichigan13.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T13:14:35.466Z

Boston Harbor today! Not a filter… wildfire smoke from Canada!

— Lisa Fagin Davis (@lisafdavis.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T15:39:13.471Z

Bottom line: Wildfire smoke is pouring across Canada and into the U.S. in the Great Lakes region and northeastern states. These areas will continue to see poor air quality into the weekend.

Read more: This Is Wildfire: Tips on preparing yourself and your home

Read more: How wildfire smoke can harm your health, even from far away

The post Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/O3GC6X4

Hercules the Strongman and a great globular cluster

In the Northern Hemisphere’s July evening sky, the constellation Hercules is overhead and lies between the bright stars Vega in Lyra and Arcturus in Boötes. A famous globular cluster, known as M13, lies on the Keystone, an asterism in Hercules. Chart via EarthSky.

We live in uncertain times. But things are always so much more peaceful, looking up.
Please help EarthSky keep going! Donate today.

Hercules is the strong man of ancient Roman mythology. He was a son of Jupiter who had to perform the famous twelve labors. Now, astronomers know Hercules as a constellation high in the northern sky on July evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Hercules is home to an asterism known as the Keystone, where you can find what might be the best globular cluster for Northern Hemisphere observers: M13, or the Great Cluster in Hercules.

Also, Hercules is one of the largest of the 88 constellations, ranking fifth in size.

How to find Hercules from the Northern Hemisphere

Hercules lies next to the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra, which lies high in Northern Hemisphere summer skies.

Specifically, Hercules lies west of Lyra and east of the constellation Boötes with its bright star Arcturus.

But because the stars of Hercules are not particularly bright, it is hard to pick out the constellation. Overall, its most distinctive shape is the asterism of the Keystone near the center of the constellation. Hercules appears somewhat like a pinwheel, with arms of stars emanating outward from this central Keystone shape.

The stars of Hercules the Strongman. Note that the Keystone of Hercules lies between the bright star Vega and Corona Borealis the Northern Crown. Image via International Astronomical Union/ Sky & Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons.

How to find Hercules from the Southern Hemisphere

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

From the Southern Hemisphere, Hercules can be seen low in the northern sky during winter evenings. And although it never climbs as high as it does for Northern Hemisphere observers, it remains a rewarding constellation to seek out, with its distinctive Keystone asterism and the famous Great Cluster in Hercules.

Viewed from the opposite hemisphere, the constellation appears inverted compared to Northern Hemisphere star charts. This reversal makes the Strongman appear to stand upright, with the Keystone forming his torso and his legs extending downward, rather than appearing upside down as he does for observers in the north. His arms stretch upward from the Keystone, with Beta Herculis (Kornephoros) marking one of the highest and brightest stars in the figure.

Hercules reaches its greatest altitude as it crosses the meridian (the invisible line on the sky from north to south) on winter evenings, around July. From Twizel (44 degrees south latitude) in New Zealand’s South Island, Beta Herculis rises to only about 25 degrees above the northern horizon. From Auckland (37 degrees south latitude), the same star reaches around 30 degrees, while observers in Sydney (32 degrees south latitude) see it climb to approximately 35 degrees. The rest of the constellation extends progressively lower, with much of Hercules remaining close to the northern horizon.

Identifying Hercules in dark skies

Even at these modest elevations, Hercules can still be identified under dark skies. The Keystone is a distinctive shape, and binoculars will reveal the faint, misty glow of M13 close to the horizon. Indeed, through a small telescope, the cluster begins to resolve into countless ancient stars, although its low altitude means atmospheric turbulence and haze near the horizon can reduce sharpness and detail compared with the higher views available from the Northern Hemisphere.

But for globular cluster hunters, however, Hercules faces strong competition in the south from some of the sky’s greatest globulars, including 47 Tucanae and Omega Centauri, two of the largest and brightest globular clusters in the Milky Way.

Stars of the Strongman

And even though the stars of Hercules are not particularly bright, the Keystone is obvious in dark skies.

The brightest star in the Keystone of Hercules is magnitude 2.81 Zeta Herculis, which lies 35 light-years away.

At the opposite corner of the Keystone (and the Keystone star closest to Vega) is the magnitude 3.15 star Pi Herculis. Pi Herculis lies 377 light-years away.

The northernmost Keystone star is magnitude 3.48 Eta Herculis at 112 light-years distant.

Opposite Eta Herculis and the dimmest of the four Keystone stars is magnitude 3.92 Epsilon Herculis. It lies 155 light-years away.

Additionally, the other two semi-bright stars in Hercules form an arm winding off from Zeta Herculis. The star closest to Zeta Herculis is Beta Herculis, or Kornephoros. It lies 139 light-years away with a magnitude 2.81.

And the other bright star lies close to the border with Ophiuchus. It is Alpha Herculis, lying 360 light-years away shining at magnitude 3.48. This star also has the nickname of Rasalgethi. As a matter of fact, Rasalgethi is three stars. The first component is a red giant and the other two form a double star system of a yellow giant and a yellow-white dwarf.

Globular clusters in Hercules

Primarily, the real attractions with the Hercules constellation are its two spectacular globular clusters. Both are Messier objects, easy to find in binoculars and a real treat through a telescope.

The first, M13, lies right on the Keystone (although in actuality it is 25,000 light-years away, much farther than the Keystone stars). M13 is 2/3 of the way on a line that stretches between the stars Zeta Herculis and Eta Herculis. It lies just 2 1/2 degrees from Eta.

The Great Cluster in Hercules shines at magnitude 5.9, meaning it’s possible to see it as a fuzzy patch with your eye alone from dark sites. So when looking at M13, you are looking at the combined light of hundreds of thousands of distant stars.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Gwen Forrester in DeKalb County, Tennessee, captured this telescopic view of Messier 13, the Great Hercules Cluster, on May 23, 2025. Thank you, Gwen!

Another globular cluster in Hercules is M92. M92 makes a triangle with the two northernmost stars in the Keystone. Imagine it as where Hercules’ head would be. M92 lies about 6 1/2 degrees north of Pi Herculis and nearly 8 degrees from Eta Herculis. Shining at magnitude 6.5, M92 lies about 26,000 light-years away. You can marginally see it without optical aid, but it shows up easily in binoculars or a telescope.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Chuck Reinhart captured M92 on May 29, 2024, from Indiana and wrote: “M92 Globular Cluster located in the constellation Hercules. NASA says M92 contains around 330,000 stars and is about 13.8 billion years old.” Thank you, Chuck!

M92 and the celestial pole

Another key point: 14,000 years from now, the Earth will have wobbled on its axis so that M92 is less than one degree from the north celestial pole at that time. (Read more about the precession and which stars will become the North Star over time at The North Star: Does it ever move?)

You can see in the simulation below that the north celestial pole skirts through Hercules in the bottom left corner of the visualization.

Due to Earth's precession, Polaris, Alderamin, Vega, and Thuban take turns being the North Star every 26,000 years. Due to proper motion, even Arcturus took a turn 58,000 years ago.

Simulation: higher res, more years, including Arcturus' brief reign.https://t.co/le8yOqJ5QV pic.twitter.com/5diNCQsqL6

— Tony Dunn (@tony873004) June 8, 2022

Bottom line: Hercules the Strongman is a great constellation to view in Northern Hemisphere summer. With only a pair of binoculars you can see the globular cluster M13 in Hercules’ distinctive Keystone.

Read more: M13, the Great Cluster in Hercules

The post Hercules the Strongman and a great globular cluster first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/G1UFZ2g

In the Northern Hemisphere’s July evening sky, the constellation Hercules is overhead and lies between the bright stars Vega in Lyra and Arcturus in Boötes. A famous globular cluster, known as M13, lies on the Keystone, an asterism in Hercules. Chart via EarthSky.

We live in uncertain times. But things are always so much more peaceful, looking up.
Please help EarthSky keep going! Donate today.

Hercules is the strong man of ancient Roman mythology. He was a son of Jupiter who had to perform the famous twelve labors. Now, astronomers know Hercules as a constellation high in the northern sky on July evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Hercules is home to an asterism known as the Keystone, where you can find what might be the best globular cluster for Northern Hemisphere observers: M13, or the Great Cluster in Hercules.

Also, Hercules is one of the largest of the 88 constellations, ranking fifth in size.

How to find Hercules from the Northern Hemisphere

Hercules lies next to the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra, which lies high in Northern Hemisphere summer skies.

Specifically, Hercules lies west of Lyra and east of the constellation Boötes with its bright star Arcturus.

But because the stars of Hercules are not particularly bright, it is hard to pick out the constellation. Overall, its most distinctive shape is the asterism of the Keystone near the center of the constellation. Hercules appears somewhat like a pinwheel, with arms of stars emanating outward from this central Keystone shape.

The stars of Hercules the Strongman. Note that the Keystone of Hercules lies between the bright star Vega and Corona Borealis the Northern Crown. Image via International Astronomical Union/ Sky & Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons.

How to find Hercules from the Southern Hemisphere

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

From the Southern Hemisphere, Hercules can be seen low in the northern sky during winter evenings. And although it never climbs as high as it does for Northern Hemisphere observers, it remains a rewarding constellation to seek out, with its distinctive Keystone asterism and the famous Great Cluster in Hercules.

Viewed from the opposite hemisphere, the constellation appears inverted compared to Northern Hemisphere star charts. This reversal makes the Strongman appear to stand upright, with the Keystone forming his torso and his legs extending downward, rather than appearing upside down as he does for observers in the north. His arms stretch upward from the Keystone, with Beta Herculis (Kornephoros) marking one of the highest and brightest stars in the figure.

Hercules reaches its greatest altitude as it crosses the meridian (the invisible line on the sky from north to south) on winter evenings, around July. From Twizel (44 degrees south latitude) in New Zealand’s South Island, Beta Herculis rises to only about 25 degrees above the northern horizon. From Auckland (37 degrees south latitude), the same star reaches around 30 degrees, while observers in Sydney (32 degrees south latitude) see it climb to approximately 35 degrees. The rest of the constellation extends progressively lower, with much of Hercules remaining close to the northern horizon.

Identifying Hercules in dark skies

Even at these modest elevations, Hercules can still be identified under dark skies. The Keystone is a distinctive shape, and binoculars will reveal the faint, misty glow of M13 close to the horizon. Indeed, through a small telescope, the cluster begins to resolve into countless ancient stars, although its low altitude means atmospheric turbulence and haze near the horizon can reduce sharpness and detail compared with the higher views available from the Northern Hemisphere.

But for globular cluster hunters, however, Hercules faces strong competition in the south from some of the sky’s greatest globulars, including 47 Tucanae and Omega Centauri, two of the largest and brightest globular clusters in the Milky Way.

Stars of the Strongman

And even though the stars of Hercules are not particularly bright, the Keystone is obvious in dark skies.

The brightest star in the Keystone of Hercules is magnitude 2.81 Zeta Herculis, which lies 35 light-years away.

At the opposite corner of the Keystone (and the Keystone star closest to Vega) is the magnitude 3.15 star Pi Herculis. Pi Herculis lies 377 light-years away.

The northernmost Keystone star is magnitude 3.48 Eta Herculis at 112 light-years distant.

Opposite Eta Herculis and the dimmest of the four Keystone stars is magnitude 3.92 Epsilon Herculis. It lies 155 light-years away.

Additionally, the other two semi-bright stars in Hercules form an arm winding off from Zeta Herculis. The star closest to Zeta Herculis is Beta Herculis, or Kornephoros. It lies 139 light-years away with a magnitude 2.81.

And the other bright star lies close to the border with Ophiuchus. It is Alpha Herculis, lying 360 light-years away shining at magnitude 3.48. This star also has the nickname of Rasalgethi. As a matter of fact, Rasalgethi is three stars. The first component is a red giant and the other two form a double star system of a yellow giant and a yellow-white dwarf.

Globular clusters in Hercules

Primarily, the real attractions with the Hercules constellation are its two spectacular globular clusters. Both are Messier objects, easy to find in binoculars and a real treat through a telescope.

The first, M13, lies right on the Keystone (although in actuality it is 25,000 light-years away, much farther than the Keystone stars). M13 is 2/3 of the way on a line that stretches between the stars Zeta Herculis and Eta Herculis. It lies just 2 1/2 degrees from Eta.

The Great Cluster in Hercules shines at magnitude 5.9, meaning it’s possible to see it as a fuzzy patch with your eye alone from dark sites. So when looking at M13, you are looking at the combined light of hundreds of thousands of distant stars.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Gwen Forrester in DeKalb County, Tennessee, captured this telescopic view of Messier 13, the Great Hercules Cluster, on May 23, 2025. Thank you, Gwen!

Another globular cluster in Hercules is M92. M92 makes a triangle with the two northernmost stars in the Keystone. Imagine it as where Hercules’ head would be. M92 lies about 6 1/2 degrees north of Pi Herculis and nearly 8 degrees from Eta Herculis. Shining at magnitude 6.5, M92 lies about 26,000 light-years away. You can marginally see it without optical aid, but it shows up easily in binoculars or a telescope.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Chuck Reinhart captured M92 on May 29, 2024, from Indiana and wrote: “M92 Globular Cluster located in the constellation Hercules. NASA says M92 contains around 330,000 stars and is about 13.8 billion years old.” Thank you, Chuck!

M92 and the celestial pole

Another key point: 14,000 years from now, the Earth will have wobbled on its axis so that M92 is less than one degree from the north celestial pole at that time. (Read more about the precession and which stars will become the North Star over time at The North Star: Does it ever move?)

You can see in the simulation below that the north celestial pole skirts through Hercules in the bottom left corner of the visualization.

Due to Earth's precession, Polaris, Alderamin, Vega, and Thuban take turns being the North Star every 26,000 years. Due to proper motion, even Arcturus took a turn 58,000 years ago.

Simulation: higher res, more years, including Arcturus' brief reign.https://t.co/le8yOqJ5QV pic.twitter.com/5diNCQsqL6

— Tony Dunn (@tony873004) June 8, 2022

Bottom line: Hercules the Strongman is a great constellation to view in Northern Hemisphere summer. With only a pair of binoculars you can see the globular cluster M13 in Hercules’ distinctive Keystone.

Read more: M13, the Great Cluster in Hercules

The post Hercules the Strongman and a great globular cluster first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/G1UFZ2g

Best deep-sky photos of June 2026 from the EarthSky community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Anthony Grober in St. Helens, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16), on June 21, 2026. Thank you, Anthony! See more deep-sky photos from June 2026 below.

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Thank you, EarthSky community

The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos from June 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have images of your own to share? You can submit them to EarthSky here. We’d love to see them and share them!

Deep-sky photos of diffuse nebulae

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of the Lagoon Nebula and its surroundings in Sagittarius, on June 10, 2025. Andy wrote: “Chinese Dragon Nebula (left up), Lagoon Nebula (center), Trifid Nebula (right up) all about 5,000 light-years away. Additionally the Starburst Cluster (NGC 6544) is found in the lower left), 8,000+ light-years away. If you look closely at the Chinese Dragon Nebula you will see a snake like creature winding through the nebula.” Thank you, Andy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) captured this telescopic view of the Chinese Dragon Nebula on June 14, 2026. Tameem wrote: “My image of the Chinese Dragon Nebula (NGC 6559), captured from the United Arab Emirates. Located in the constellation Sagittarius about 5,000 light-years away, NGC 6559 is a complex star-forming region composed of emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, and dark dust clouds. The interplay between glowing gas, scattered starlight, and obscuring dust creates the dragon-like appearance that inspired its popular nickname. Although often overshadowed by the nearby Lagoon Nebula (M8), NGC 6559 is a fascinating region in its own right, revealing active star formation and intricate interstellar structures within the Milky Way.” Thank you, Tameem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Livingston Manor, New York, captured this telescopic view of the Blue Horsehead Nebula on June 15, 2026. Steven wrote: “The Blue Horsehead Nebula, IC4592 is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Scorpius that is lit by Nu Scorpii, which is the bright star in the most blue portion. It spans 40 light-years and is 400 light-years from earth. Being so close, it takes up much of the sky. The image shown is 7.0 degrees x 4.6 degrees, or approximately 14 full moons by 9 full moons.” Thank you, Steven!

More photos of diffuse nebulae

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Oleg Rumiancev in Bainsville, Ontario, Canada, captured this telescopic view of the Cygnus Loop on June 15, 2026. Oleg wrote: “A first light of an extra fast imaging Newtonian telescope from Sharpstar, incredible level of detail from a modest 2 hours of imaging data.” Thank you, Oleg!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) captured this telescopic view of Messier 17, the Omega Nebula in Sagittarius, on June 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “My image of the Omega Nebula (M17) and the surrounding emission nebula IC 4701, captured from the skies of the United Arab Emirates. The Omega Nebula is one of the brightest star-forming regions in our galaxy. It is also known as the Swan Nebula, Horseshoe Nebula, or Lobster Nebula because its appearance changes depending on the orientation and field of view. Its intense ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow, while dark dust clouds sculpt its intricate structure. The wide field also reveals part of IC 4701, an extended emission nebula sharing the same giant molecular cloud complex, highlighting the rich network of gas and dust spread across this region of the Milky Way.” Thank you, Tameem!

Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of the Leo Triplet of Galaxies on June 24, 2026. Andy wrote: “M66 (top left), M65 (lower left), Hamburger Galaxy NGC 3628 (right). Pics were taken in May and processed in June. It was encouraging to see how using hydrogen-alpha data enriched the result. These galaxies are a long way away, 37 million light-years. So, I am pretty happy with this pic.” Thank you, Andy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major, on June 17, 2026. Andy wrote: “Pics were taken during May 26 and processed in June. The most fun about this image was it was the first time I used an OSC camera to also take hydrogen-alpha images. The result was that the reds in the image had greater emphasis thus making a more interesting image. Ya, I finally figured out how to do that with PixInsight (PI).” Thank you, Andy!

Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos from June 2026 by our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, we’d love to see it!

Share your recent Earth or sky photo at EarthSky Community Photos.

Read more: Messier objects are fuzzy patches in the night sky

The post Best deep-sky photos of June 2026 from the EarthSky community first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/YKQAIDC

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Anthony Grober in St. Helens, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16), on June 21, 2026. Thank you, Anthony! See more deep-sky photos from June 2026 below.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

Thank you, EarthSky community

The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos from June 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have images of your own to share? You can submit them to EarthSky here. We’d love to see them and share them!

Deep-sky photos of diffuse nebulae

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of the Lagoon Nebula and its surroundings in Sagittarius, on June 10, 2025. Andy wrote: “Chinese Dragon Nebula (left up), Lagoon Nebula (center), Trifid Nebula (right up) all about 5,000 light-years away. Additionally the Starburst Cluster (NGC 6544) is found in the lower left), 8,000+ light-years away. If you look closely at the Chinese Dragon Nebula you will see a snake like creature winding through the nebula.” Thank you, Andy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) captured this telescopic view of the Chinese Dragon Nebula on June 14, 2026. Tameem wrote: “My image of the Chinese Dragon Nebula (NGC 6559), captured from the United Arab Emirates. Located in the constellation Sagittarius about 5,000 light-years away, NGC 6559 is a complex star-forming region composed of emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, and dark dust clouds. The interplay between glowing gas, scattered starlight, and obscuring dust creates the dragon-like appearance that inspired its popular nickname. Although often overshadowed by the nearby Lagoon Nebula (M8), NGC 6559 is a fascinating region in its own right, revealing active star formation and intricate interstellar structures within the Milky Way.” Thank you, Tameem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Livingston Manor, New York, captured this telescopic view of the Blue Horsehead Nebula on June 15, 2026. Steven wrote: “The Blue Horsehead Nebula, IC4592 is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Scorpius that is lit by Nu Scorpii, which is the bright star in the most blue portion. It spans 40 light-years and is 400 light-years from earth. Being so close, it takes up much of the sky. The image shown is 7.0 degrees x 4.6 degrees, or approximately 14 full moons by 9 full moons.” Thank you, Steven!

More photos of diffuse nebulae

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Oleg Rumiancev in Bainsville, Ontario, Canada, captured this telescopic view of the Cygnus Loop on June 15, 2026. Oleg wrote: “A first light of an extra fast imaging Newtonian telescope from Sharpstar, incredible level of detail from a modest 2 hours of imaging data.” Thank you, Oleg!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) captured this telescopic view of Messier 17, the Omega Nebula in Sagittarius, on June 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “My image of the Omega Nebula (M17) and the surrounding emission nebula IC 4701, captured from the skies of the United Arab Emirates. The Omega Nebula is one of the brightest star-forming regions in our galaxy. It is also known as the Swan Nebula, Horseshoe Nebula, or Lobster Nebula because its appearance changes depending on the orientation and field of view. Its intense ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow, while dark dust clouds sculpt its intricate structure. The wide field also reveals part of IC 4701, an extended emission nebula sharing the same giant molecular cloud complex, highlighting the rich network of gas and dust spread across this region of the Milky Way.” Thank you, Tameem!

Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of the Leo Triplet of Galaxies on June 24, 2026. Andy wrote: “M66 (top left), M65 (lower left), Hamburger Galaxy NGC 3628 (right). Pics were taken in May and processed in June. It was encouraging to see how using hydrogen-alpha data enriched the result. These galaxies are a long way away, 37 million light-years. So, I am pretty happy with this pic.” Thank you, Andy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured this telescopic view of Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major, on June 17, 2026. Andy wrote: “Pics were taken during May 26 and processed in June. The most fun about this image was it was the first time I used an OSC camera to also take hydrogen-alpha images. The result was that the reds in the image had greater emphasis thus making a more interesting image. Ya, I finally figured out how to do that with PixInsight (PI).” Thank you, Andy!

Bottom line: Enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos from June 2026 by our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, we’d love to see it!

Share your recent Earth or sky photo at EarthSky Community Photos.

Read more: Messier objects are fuzzy patches in the night sky

The post Best deep-sky photos of June 2026 from the EarthSky community first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/YKQAIDC