See you next month for more reasons to look up!

Happy stargazing with ������.

Further readings

Two frightening celestial objects incoming this Halloween : the Eastern Veil Nebula and the Wizard nebula��

As autumn settles over the northern hemisphere, the night sky reveals two of its most elusive wonders that seem to whisper. This season, grab your telescope and let your gaze drift toward the constellations of ����ⲵ�Գܲ� and Cepheus. There, two celestial shadows await : The Eastern Veil Nebula (NGC 6992) and the Wizard nebula (NGC 7380).

As you trace your telescope across the sky this autumn, pause on these scary objects. The Eastern Veil Nebula and the Wizard Nebula remind us that some figures hide quietly among the stars, waiting for those who take the time to watch.

Clear skies, and happy observing.

Happy stargazing with ������.

Further readings

In October, night falls earlier, mists begin to rise, and the stars seem to multiply. It’s the month when imagination blends with science—when every point of light becomes a cosmic mystery.

For Halloween, the sky turns into a strange scene: silhouettes of sorcerers, stellar ghosts, and magical spheres hide among the stars… and it’s up to you to help us uncover them.

To inspire you, we’ve observed three intriguing celestial objects that herald the imminent arrival of Halloween:

Now it’s your turn to observe — grab your telescopes and join us in this celestial hunt before Halloween!

In our next Newsletter, the best observations will be featured (with your permission).

See you next month for more reasons to look up!

Happy stargazing with ������.

Further readings

Further readings

A Ballet of Shadows on Jupiter

Solar eclipses on Earth are spectacular events that captivate millions of people. But did you know that similar eclipses regularly occur on Jupiter and can be observed with a telescope? These events, caused by the shadows of its main moons cast onto its surface, offer a unique opportunity to witness this dynamic planetary system in motion.
A true dance of shadows and light unfolds on the largest planet in the solar system, occurring regularly as the Galilean moons—Io, Europa, and Ganymede—project their shadows onto Jupiter’s swirling clouds. With a smart telescope of at least 80mm in diameter, you can not only observe these events in real-time but also capture stunning photos of these rare celestial moments.

Solar eclipse by Ganymede on Jupiter on January 13, 2025 at 8:30pm CET and 9:15pm CET (images taken by Agnès Poitier with a ������ Odyssey Pro)

Ganymede’s shadow cut across Jupiter’s famous red spot on April 21, 2014 (Hubble Space Telescope).
Crédits : NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center)

A Remarkable Orbital Resonance

One fascinating phenomenon in the Jovian system is the orbital resonance between its three closest moons. For every eclipse caused by Ganymede, there are two eclipses from Europa and four from Io. This illustrates the 1:2:4 resonance between these moons. This resonance is the result of gravitational interactions between them, which have synchronized their orbits over time.

Agenda of eclipses in the USA (San Francisco)

Agenda of eclipses in Europe (Paris)

Understanding Eclipses on Jupiter

 
Just like solar eclipses on Earth occur when the Moon passes between us and the Sun, eclipses on Jupiter happen when one of its moons moves in front of the Sun and casts its shadow onto the planet’s surface.

Jupiter has over 90 moons, but the four largest, known as the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), are the most likely to create spectacular eclipses. These moons, discovered by Galileo in 1610, orbit relatively close to the planet and cast sharp, well-defined shadows that can be observed from Earth.

For an observer on Jupiter, these moons appear larger than the Sun in the sky. As a result, the area experiencing a total solar eclipse is much larger than the area where the eclipse is only partial. Seen from Earth, this creates a very distinct shadow on the planet’s surface.

These eclipses occur regularly due to the precise orbits of the Galilean moons. For instance, Io, the closest moon to Jupiter, completes one orbit in just 1.8 Earth days, meaning its eclipses occur approximately every two days! Meanwhile, Ganymede, which is farther away, takes 7 days and 3 hours to complete one orbit, resulting in roughly one eclipse per week.

But why are eclipses on Earth so rare—only about six per decade—even though the Moon has a 28-day orbit? The reason lies in the imperfect alignment between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun due to the inclination of their orbits. Additionally, because the Earth is much smaller than Jupiter, the Moon’s shadow often passes beside it rather than directly over it.

Similarly, Jupiter’s moons are not perfectly aligned with the Sun and the planet. However, Jupiter’s massive size increases the likelihood of an eclipse occurring, as its large disk is more likely to capture the shadow cast by its moons. That said, it is still rare for these eclipses to be visible precisely on Jupiter’s equator due to the same alignment variations.

Going Further: A Bit of Physics

Gravity follows a simple yet fascinating rule: the farther a satellite is from its planet, the slower it moves and the longer its orbital period. For example, as previously mentioned, Ganymede, which is farther from Jupiter than Io, moves more slowly. This rule is described by Kepler’s Third Law, which states that the square of a moon’s orbital period is proportional to the cube of its distance from the planet (T²/a³ = constant).

Discovered empirically by Johannes Kepler in 1619, this law applies to all planetary systems, including our own solar system. The constant in the equation varies depending on the mass of the central body. Later, in 1687, Isaac Newton demonstrated, using his law of gravitation, that this constant is given by 4π²/�ѳ�, where M is the mass of the central body and G is the universal gravitational constant.

Further readings

Getting a paper published in a scientific journal is a major achievement for any scientist, giving them the chance to share the new discoveries they’ve made. But you don’t need to have a fancy degree or work at a university to make scientific discoveries. With the right tools, anyone can contribute to science.

In just the past few years, Unistellar Citizen Astronomers have been recognized in multiple scientific publications on exoplanets, space missions and more. That comes thanks to the partnership between Unistellar and the SETI Institute, which gives astronomers access to Unistellar Network data for their research. As research grows in scope, astronomers simply don’t have the resources to make all the observations they need to understand our universe. That’s where Unistellar Network members come in.

A map of member locations around the globe.��

Future observations can help astronomers discover new exoplanets, get better data on the size and orbit of potentially hazardous Near-Earth Asteroids, and keep an eye on ongoing space missions. Unistellar has lots of resources for Citizen Astronomers – plus, the ease-of-use of the Unistellar telescopes and dedicated app make doing Citizen Astronomy fun and approachable for anyone.

To learn more, check out our index of scientific publications featuring Unistellar Network contributions:

Peer-Reviewed Articles

• Sicardy, B., et al., Constraints on Trito atmospheric evolution from occultations: 1989-2022, A&A, in press, 2024 https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.02476

• Graykowski, A. et al., Faint Comet Detection with Unistellar eVscopes,�� Research Notes of the AAS, Volume 8, Issue 2, id.41. , 2024 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ad25f9

• Pereira, C. L. et al., the two Rings of (50000) Quaoar, A&A, 673 L4, 14, 2023

• Graykowski, A. et al., Light Curves and Colours of the Ejecta from Dimorphos after the DART impact, Nature 6161, 5957, 461-464, 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05852-9

• Yoshida, F. et al., Multi-chord observation of stellar occultation by the near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon on October 3, 2021 (UTC) with very high accuracy, Publication of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 75, 1, 2023 https://academic.oup.com/pasj/article/75/1/153/6947807
• Lambert, R. et al., Rotation Period Determination for (7335) 1989JA, Minor Planet Bulletin, 50,1, 16-17, 2023 https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2023MPBu…50…16L
• Peluso, D. O., et al., The Unistellar Exoplanet Campaign:�� Citizen Science Results and Inherent Education Opportunities, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2135, 1043, 2023 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05852-9
• Perrocheau, A., ��������������������������������������������������������������������������A 16 Hour Transit of Kepler-167 e Observed by the Ground-based Unistellar Telescope Network. The Astrophysical Journal Letters��940.2 (2022): L39.
• Cazeneuve, D., et al., ODNET, The Astrophysical Journal, 165, 1, 11, 2023 https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2023MPBu…50…16L
• Sibbernsen, K. 2022. Electronic telescopes and their use in astronomy education. The Physics Teacher, 60(5), 394.
• Barbosa, D., Coelho, B., Bergano, M., Magalhães, C., Mendonça, D., Silva, D., Correia, A.C. M., Pandeirada, J., Ribeiro, V., Esposito, T., Marchis, F., 2022. Cyber-Cosmos: A new citizen science concept in a dark sky destination. Acta Astronaut. 200, 612–619.
• Pearson, K.A., Beichman, C., Fulton, B.J., Esposito, T.M., Zellem, R.T., Ciardi, D.R., Rolfness, J., Engelke, J., Fatahi, T., Zimmerman-Brachman, R., Avsar, A., Bhalerao Varun, D., Boyce, P., Bretton, M., Burnett, A.D., Burt, J., Fowler, M., Gallego, D., Gomez, E., Guillet, B., Hilburn, J., Jongen, Y., Kataria, T., Kokori, A., Kumar, H., Kuossari, P., Lekkas, G., Marchini, A., Meneghelli, N., Ngeow, C.-C., Primm, M., Samantaray, S., Shimizu, M., Silvis, G., Sienkiewicz, F., Swain, V., Tan, J., Tock, K., Wagner, K., Wünsche, A., 2022. Utilizing a global network of telescopes to update the ephemeris for the highly eccentric planet HD 80606 b and to ensure the efficient scheduling of JWST. The Astronomical Journal 164.5 (2022): 178.
• Wang, X.-Y., Rice, M., Wang, S., Pu, B., Stefánsson, G., Mahadevan, S., Radzom, B., Giacalone, S., Wu, Z.-Y., Esposito, T.M., Dalba, P.A., Avsar, A., Holden, B., Skiff, B., Polakis, T., Voeller, K., Logsdon, S.E., Klusmeyer, J., Schweiker, H., Wu, D.-H., Beard, C., Dai, F., Lubin, J., Weiss, L.M., Bender, C.F., Blake, C.H., Dressing, C.D., Halverson, S., Hearty, F., Howard, A.W., Huber, D., Isaacson, H., Jackman, J.A. ~G., Llama, J., McElwain, M.W., Rajagopal, J., Roy, A., Robertson, P., Schwab, C., Shkolnik, E.L., Wright, J.T., Laughlin, G., 2022. The Aligned Orbit of WASP-148b, the Only Known Hot Jupiter with a nearby Warm Jupiter Companion, from NEID and HIRES. The Astrophysical Journal Letters��926, L8.
• Dalba, P.A., Kane, S.R., Dragomir, D., Villanueva, S., Collins, K.A., Jacobs, T.L., LaCourse, D.M., Gagliano, R., Kristiansen, M.H., Omohundro, M., Schwengeler, H.M., Terentev, I.A., Vanderburg, A., Fulton, B., Isaacson, H., Van Zandt, J., Howard, A.W., Thorngren, D.P., Howell, S.B., Batalha, N.M., Chontos, A., Crossfield, I.J. M., Dressing, C.D., Huber, D., Petigura, E.A., Robertson, P., Roy, A., Weiss, L.M., Behmard, A., Beard, C., Brinkman, C.L., Giacalone, S., Hill, M.L., Lubin, J., Mayo, A.W., Močnik, T., Akana Murphy, J.M., Polanski, A.S., Rice, M., Rosenthal, L.J., Rubenzahl, R.A., Scarsdale, N., Turtelboom, E. V, Tyler, D., Benni, P., Boyce, P., Esposito, T.M., Girardin, E., Laloum, D., Lewin, P., Mann, C.R., Marchis, F., Schwarz, R.P., Srdoc, G., Steuer, J., Sivarani, T., Unni, A., Eisner, N.L., Fetherolf, T., Li, Z., Yao, X., Pepper, J., Ricker, G.R., Vanderspek, R., Latham, D.W., Seager, S., Winn, J.N., Jenkins, J.M., Burke, C.J., Eastman, J.D., Lund, M.B., Rodriguez, D.R., Rowden, P., Ting, E.B., Villaseñor, J.N., 2022. The TESS-Keck Survey. VIII. Confirmation of a Transiting Giant Planet on an Eccentric 261 Day Orbit with the Automated Planet Finder Telescope. The Astronomical Journal. 163, 61.
• Marchis, F., Malvache, A., Marfisi, L., Borot, A., Arbouch, E., 2020. Unistellar eVscopes: Smart, portable, and easy-to-use telescopes for exploration, interactive learning, and citizen astronomy. Acta Astronaut. 166, 23–28.
• Zellem, R.T., Pearson, K.A., Blaser, E., Fowler, M., Ciardi, D.R., Biferno, A., Massey, B., Marchis, F., Baer, R., Ball, C., Chasin, M., Conley, M., Dixon, S., Fletcher, E., Hernandez, S., Nair, S., Perian, Q., Sienkiewicz, F., Tock, K., Vijayakumar, V., Swain, M.R., Roudier, G.M., Bryden, G., Conti, D.M., Hill, D.H., Hergenrother, C.W., Dussault, M., Kane, S.R., Fitzgerald, M., Boyce, P., Peticolas, L., Gee, W., Cominsky, L., Zimmerman-Brachman, R., Smith, D., Creech-Eakman, M.J., Engelke, J., Iturralde, A., Dragomir, D., Jovanovic, N., Lawton, B., Arbouch, E., Kuchner, M., Malvache, A., 2020. Utilizing Small Telescopes Operated by Citizen Scientists for Transiting Exoplanet Follow-up. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 132, 054401.

Conference Proceedings

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Lambert, R., Dalba, P., 2022. New Astronomy with the Unistellar Network, in: IAC 2022 Congress Proceedings, 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France.

• Lambert, R. A., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Blaclard, G., Sgro, L. A., Giorgini, J. D., Plavchan, P., White, T., Verveen, A., Goto, T., Kuossari, P., Sethu, N., Loose, M. A., Will, S., Sibbernsen, K., Pickering, J. W., Randolph, J., Fukui, K., Huet, P., Guillet, B., Clerget, O., Stahl, S., Yoblonsky, N., Lauvernier, M., Matsumura, T., Yamato, M., Laugier, J.-M., Brodt-Vilain, O., Espudo, A., Kukita, R., Iida, S., Kardel, S., Green, D., Tikkanen, P., Douvas, A., Billiani, M., Knight, G., Ryno, M., Simard, G., Knight, R., Primm, M., Wildhagen, B., Poncet, J., Frachon, T., Shimizu, M., Jackson, A., Parker, B., Redfern, G., Nikiforov, P., Friday, E., Lincoln, K., Sweitzer, J., Mitsuoka, R., Cabral, K., Katterfeld, A., Fairfax, M., 2022. Citizen science astronomy with a network of small telescopes: the launch and deployment of JWST, in: Marshall, H.K., Spyromilio, J., Usuda, T. (Eds.), Ground-Based and Airborne Telescopes IX, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series. p. 121822Z.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Peluso, D., Blaclard, G., Asencio, J., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., Carter, B., 2021. Outreach and scientific Results With The Largest Network of Backyard Astronomers — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2021 Congress Proceedings, 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
• Barbosa, D., Coelho, B., Bergano, M., Magalhães, C., Mendonça, D., Silva, D., Correia, A., Pandeirada, J., Ribeiro, V., Esposito, T., Marchis, F., 2021. Cyber-Cosmos: a new Citizen science concept in a Dark Sky Destination — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2021 Congress Proceedings, 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Conference Abstracts

• Graykowski A., Lambert R. A., Marchis F., Cazeneuve D., Dalba P. A., et al. 2023. Citizen Science Observations of the Ejecta from Dimorphos after the DART Impact. in: Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference Abstracts. #2297
• Graykowski, A., Lambert, R.A., Marchis, F., Esposito, T. M., Sgro, L. A., Weaver, I., Peluso, D. O’C., Dalba, P. A. 2023. Monitoring Variable Cometary Activity with Citizen Science Using the Unistellar Network. in: AAVSO 112 Annual Meeting Abstracts
• Graykowski, A. and Marchis, F. 2023. Monitoring Cometary Activity and Characterizing the Outbursts of 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann and 12P/Pons-Brooks using Citizen Science Observations. in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P44B-07
• Hanuš, J et al., 2023 Stellar Occultation by Asteroids: the contribution of Unistellar’s network of citizen astromnomers, 55th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences, 312.04, Vol. 55,8
• Bruno Guillet, Tom Esposito, Arin Avsar, Franck Marchis, Daniel Peluso, and 130 citizen astronomers, 2022. Détections d’exoplanètes par des astronomes amateurs du réseau Unistellar, Posters aux journées 2022 de la SF2A, Besançon (France) Juin 2022
• Bruno Guillet, Franck Marchis, Joé Asencio, Ryan Lambert, Paul Dalba, Guillaume Blaclard, and several citizen astronomers, 2022. Détections d’astéroïdes et d’engins spatiaux par des astronomes amateurs du réseau Unistellar,�� Posters aux journées 2022 de la SF2A, Besançon (France) Juin 2022

• Esposito, T., Avsar, A., Marchis, F., Dalba, P., Peluso, D., 2022. Hot and Cold Jupiters: Exoplanet Transit Results from the Unistellar Citizen Scientist Network, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 339.07.

• Hanus, J., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Durech, J., 2021. Lightcurve observations of near-Earth asteroids with the Unistellar’s network of citizen astronomers, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. SY55C-0361.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Klavans, V., Blaclard, G., Peluso, D.O., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., 2021. Citizen Science and Scientific Results from the Worlds Largest Network of Backyard Astronomers, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. SY55A-04.

• Hanus, J., Durech, J., Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Blaclard, G., 2021. Physical Properties of Near-Earth Asteroids, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P33A-02.

• Cazeneuve, D., Marchis, F., Blaclard, G., Asencio, J., Martin, V., 2021. Detection of Occultation Events by Machine Learning for the Unistellar Network, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. P11B-12.

• Marchis, F., Asencio, J., Peluso, D., Durech, J., Vereš, P., Blaclard, G., Demuys, I., Nachury, L., 2021. The Contribution of the Unistellar Network for Planetary Defense: Empowering Crowd-sourcing Astronomy, in: 7th IAA Planetary Defense Conference. p. 271.

• Dunham, D., Dunham, J., Buie, M., Preston, S., Herald, D., Farnocchia, D., Giorgini, J., Arai, T., Sato, I., Nolthenius, R., Irwin, J., Degenhardt, S., Marshall, S., Moore, J., Whitehurst, S., Venable, R., Skrutskie, M., Marchis, F., Ye, Q., Tanga, P., Aissa, D.B., Grigahcene, Z., 2021. Accurate NEO Orbits from Occultation Observations, in: 7th IAA Planetary Defense Conference. p. 37.

• Esposito, T. M., Avsar, A., Peluso, D., Marchis, F., Santana, P., Klavans, V., Nachury, L., 2021. TESS Planet Candidate Follow-up by Citizen Scientists in the Global Unistellar eVscope Network, in: Posters from the TESS Science Conference II (TSC2), held virtually, id.155. .

• Marchis, F., Peluso, D., Esposito, T., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Pennypacker, C., Unistellar Science Team, 2021. A Large Citizen Science Astronomy Network for All of Us, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 412.06.
• Esposito, T. M., Marchis, F., Peluso, D., Avsar, A., Zellem, R. T., 2021. Transiting Exoplanet Followup by Citizen Scientists with the Global Unistellar eVscope Network, in: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts. p. 239.03.
• Asencio, J., Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Veres, P., 2020. Planetary Defense With a Network of Compact, Smart and Low-Cost Digital Telescopes, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. NH037-0008.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Demuys, I., Peluso, D., Veres, P., Zellem, R., Nachury, L., 2020. Enabling and Empowering Citizen Science in Astronomy With a Network of Small Digital & Smart Telescopes, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. ED025-06.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Asencio, J., Demuys, I., Peluso, D., Veres, P., Zellem, R., Hanus, J., Nachury, L., 2020. First Results With a Network of Small Digital & Smart Telescopes: Citizen Science For Astronomy, in: AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts. p. 413.02.

• Marchis, F., Esposito, T., Malvache, A., Peluso, D., Vereš, P., Hanuš, J., 2020. Unistellar: The largest citizen science astronomy network for all of us — IAF Digital Library, in: IAC 2020 Congress Proceedings, 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) — IAC CyberSpace Edition , 12–14 October 2020.

• Marchis, F., Arbouch, E., Peluso, D., Harman, P. K., Malvache, A., Bertin, E., Zellem, R., Veres, P., 2019. Citizen Science Astronomy with the Unistellar Network: From Planetary Defense to Exoplanet Transits, in: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. pp. ED14A-03.

• Marchis, F., Arbouch, E., Bertin, E., Malvache, A., Vereš, P., Zellem, R.T., 2019. Citizen Science Astronomy with the Unistellar Network: From Planetary Defense to Exoplanet Transits, in: EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019. p. EPSC-DPS2019-898.

Further readings

From May’s Flower Moon and September’s iconic Harvest Moon to the little-known Worm Moon and Beaver Moon, each full moon that graces our skies 12 or 13 times each year now has a definitive name that echoes an agricultural past. The moon rises and sets, and waxes and wanes through its phases, without human interference, but people have always given names to the full moon.��

This is what the full moon will be called in 2024:

Names and dates of the full moons in 2024

��

All times are in Universal Time (the local time in Greenwich, U.K.) according to

Where each full moon got its name

How supermoons are named

Blue Moon names explained

You can also get lucky with the Moon, like Lauriane who caught the ISS transiting in front of the Moon. Credit Lauriane Kerangall, Club d’Astronomie de Cambrai (France).

Further readings

We are excited to announce that the Unistellar mobile app is receiving a major update with version 3.0, available January 3, 2024. This update includes a redesign that gives our user interface a new look and feel. This visual refresh is crucial as Unistellar smart telescopes enter a new era.

��

The primary goal of this update was to redesign the interface, improve the user experience with new features, and lay the groundwork for future enhancements. We have added a number of new features in response to feedback from our community. These include the following three new features:

Further readings

Take advantage of increasingly crisp nights to spend some time immersing yourself in the night sky this November. Our list of nine top targets for the month will keep you busy exploring nebulas, open star clusters and galaxies with your telescope, and hopefully introduce you to a few new favorites.

Don’t forget you can also take part in citizen science campaigns while you’re out stargazing with a Unistellar Telescope. For more info on how to get started, head over to the Unistellar citizen science webpage to learn more.

All-Level Targets

The following celestial favorites are great for observers with any level of experience!

��

The Triangulum Galaxy photographed by Julien de Lambilly.

The Bow-Star Nebula photographed by Kendra Sibbernsen.

The NGC 891 imaged and processed by Unistellar.

The Double Cluster in Perceus photographed by David Rowe.

The M103 imaged by Daniel Marcus.

The Andromeda Galaxy imaged by Vic Mategrano.

The Sculptor photographed by Unistellar.

Challenge Targets (> 10 Mag or very diffuse)

The following deep sky objects may require darker skies or more time in Enhanced Vision to draw out their breathtaking details.

��

The Superman Galaxy imaged and processed by Justus Randolph.

The Blue Oyster photographed by Margaret Loose.

Further readings

You can observe a solar eclipse not once, but twice within the next year in North America. This double-whammy kicks off with an annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and finishes with a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Solar eclipses occur thanks to a fortunate alignment of the Moon and Sun, and can be observed quite easily (with the proper protection!). If you have a Unistellar telescope with a , you’ll be able to get an up-close look at the first of these celestial alignments very soon!

Even if you’re not in the eclipse’s wake on October 14 (or you have bad weather, an astronomer’s worst nightmare!), you can still view the annular eclipse virtually. Join the SETI Institute and Unistellar on or for a special SETI Live event, where we will livestream the eclipse from within the path and talk with solar experts!

Credits: NASA. The umbra marks the deepest part of the moons shadow, where a total or annular eclipse occurs in the path of totality/annularity. The penumbra is the outer part of the shadow, and causes a partial eclipse where it falls.

The stages of an annular eclipse. A partial eclipse occurs before and after the moon is located directly in front of the Sun’s disk. Credit:

The path of the October 14, 2023 annular eclipse. The yellow circle denotes the Sun’s shadow as it begins to cross the continent. Yellow lines marked by a percentage denote how much of a partial eclipse will be visible from the area. Credit: .

How to Watch a Solar Eclipse With a Unistellar Telescope

A Unistellar Telescope outfitted with a Smart Solar Filter is perfect for viewing the Sun during an eclipse. You can watch the Moon slowly slide over the Sun, observe the Ring of Fire at annularity, and spy on the solar corona during a total solar eclipse.

The first step in observing the Sun with your Unistellar telescope is to make sure your App is updated to version 2.5. Then, you can prepare for the eclipse by setting up your telescope (keep the dust cap on!) and taking the following steps at least 15 minutes before the start of the eclipse from your location. If you need more instructions, you can find a detailed account of the Solar Experience setup at our

1. Select the Sun in the App Catalog – Once connected to your telescope’s WiFi, open the Unistellar App and select the Sun. Click GoTo and you will be prompted with a short tutorial that contains the following steps. There is no need for an Orientation to select the Sun from the App Catalog.
2. Check your solar filter – Make sure your Smart Solar Filter is free from scratches or holes.
3. Place the solar filter – Remove the dust cap and promptly place the Smart Solar Filter on the top of the telescope.
4. Manually position the telescope – Unscrew the tripod screws and manually position your telescope mount in the direction of the Sun; the structure with the motor must be to your right once you are facing the Sun. Once the telescope is facing the Sun with the structure at your right, do not forget to tighten the tripod screws.
5. Start the solar observation – Click on « GoTo » again to automatically align the telescope with the Sun and track it.

You will get a confirmation message when your telescope is centered on the Sun. Now you are ready to observe the eclipse! You may want to record your screen on your smart device to see the eclipse in action.

Remember, just as it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without the proper eye protection, it is never safe for your telescope to be pointed at the Sun without the Smart Solar Filter. Exposure to the Sun without our Smart Solar Filter will cause damage to the sensor, just like it would damage your eyes.

Please share your wonderful eclipse photos with us on social media. Don’t forget to tag @Unistellar! Happy sun-gazing!

Further readings