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).

4. Bonus: Eclipses on Jupiter

Happy stargazing with ������.

Further readings

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

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

Step outside on a crisp October evening, and you’ll find the heavens adorned with celestial wonders that seem tailor-made for the Halloween season. From eerie-shaped clusters to cosmic apparitions, this month’s night-sky spectacles will send shivers down your spine.��

Follow our Halloween observing guide to enjoy some of these boo-tiful deep sky objects as you prepare for tricks, treats, and Unistellar telescopes!

All-Level Targets

These bright objects are easy for anyone to observe, and some are visible from both hemispheres!

��

The Wizard Nebula imaged and processed by John Bradley.

The Tarantula Nebula, imaged by the Unistellar team.

The Ghost Bush Cluster imaged by Unistellar observer Michel Dubeau.

The Owl/E.T. Cluster imaged and processed by Richard Bright.

Mirach imaged by David Rowe. You can see the fuzzy-looking Mirach’s Ghost, NGC 404, above the star and to the left!

There’s plenty of other great targets to see this month, creepy or not! From the Northern Hemisphere, check out the White Rose Cluster, often called Caroline’s Rose or the Ghost Cluster. In the Southern Hemisphere you can see the Bat Nebula in the later half of the night!

Challenge Targets

For more challenging targets, find these next few frightening objects! These are dimmer or more diffuse celestial sights that you may need to observe via Enhanced Vision for longer than the All-level targets if you want to experience their full, eerie effects.

��

The Superman Galaxy imaged and processed by Unistellar observer John Short.

The Skull Nebula, imaged by Unistellar observer David Hein.

A composite image of the Bubble Nebula by the Unistellar Team.

Further readings

Our solar system is filled with planets, asteroids, comets, dwarf planets and trillions of other small objects all orbiting a mid-sized star that we call the Sun. The solar system has eight planets including Earth, a main asteroid belt and regions farther out beyond the planets where countless small objects orbit.

While astronomers have studied much of what makes up our solar system, a lot of space nearby remains unexplored, including many more objects surely to be found in our neighborhood. Part of the reason for this mystery is that our solar system is really, really big – at least in human terms! For example, the Earth is 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) away from the Sun — a distance astronomers call an astronomical unit (AU) — which would take an airliner flying at a typical speed around 20 years to cover. Neptune, the farthest planet, is around five billion km (3 billion mi) from the Sun.

The solar system is so large that when thinking about how big the solar system is, we need to shrink the Sun and planets down far tinier than they really are to comprehend it — and even then it’s still hard to wrap your mind around! From the edge of the Solar System, Earth would just be a pale, blue dot.

An updated version of the famous “Pale Blue Dot” image. This image was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft while it was out past the orbit of Neptune. Through rays of scattered light you can see the Earth as just a pale, blue dot.

Jupiter, our largest planet, as imaged through a Unistellar eVscope. The great red spot is visible towards the bottom. You can even see a few of its moons in the image!

With a Unistellar Telescope, you can see all seven other planets, and even many comets and asteroids in our Solar System. Observe Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s great storms and spy on distant Uranus and Neptune, all from your backyard. Smaller objects like asteroids become visible when they occult, or pass in front of, distant stars. Unistellar hosts multiple observing campaigns every year targeting asteroids and other distant objects to help scientists keep an eye on nearby ones and learn more about distant ones.��

The approximate sizes of the planets in relation to each. The Sun is so large that, if it were shown, the terrestrial planets would be just small dots! In order from left to right, or closest to farthest from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto (for reference!) Credit: NASA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

Jupiter, the largest planet, would be just about the size of a quarter or euro, at 2.4 centimeters, and 130 meters (425 ft) away from the basketball Sun (more than the length of a football field). Saturn would be 1.9 cm across (or roughly the size of a nickel), and 240 meters (790 ft) away, while Uranus would be 0.8 cm across and 480 m (1,575 ft) away. Neptune, the farthest planet, would be 0.9 cm across, and an incredible 750 m (2,460 ft, around half a mile) away. For our imperial system users, both Uranus and Neptune would be less than a half inch across in this basketball “solar system”.

The edge of the Oort Cloud – the edge of the Solar System – would sit around 2,500 km (1,500 mi) distant from the basketball in this scenario . That’ about the length of the east coast of the U.S! So if our basket-ball sized Sun was in Miami, Florida, the Solar System’s outer reaches would extend all the way to Portland, Maine.��

Further readings

Journeying millions of miles from Earth, navigating the vast, cold expanse of space, and finally touching an ancient celestial body—this isn’t the plot of a sci-fi novel, but the real-life saga of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith ������r). This mission, launched in September 2016, wasn’t just about reaching the near-Earth asteroid Bennu; it was about extracting a piece of our Solar System’s history.

The highlight of the OSIRIS-REx mission occurred in October 2020, when the spacecraft executed a “Touch-And-Go” (TAG) maneuver with Bennu. During this intricate operation, the spacecraft briefly touched the asteroid’s surface to collect a sample. The success of this operation was monumental, marking the first time NASA collected a sample from an asteroid. And on September 24, just over 7 years from its OSIRIS-REx’s launch, that piece of Bennu is coming back home.

PHA Bennu imaged by Osiris-REx right before arrival. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

Asteroid Bennu’s size compared to famous landmarks. Credit: University of Arizona

An artist’s conception of OSIRIS-REx making contact with Bennu during the “TAG” Manuever. – and it’s as cool as it sounds! Studies show that, because Bennu is a rubble-pile asteroid, OSIRIS-REx could have fallen into it after the maneuver if it had not thrusted in the opposite direction. Credit: NASA/University of Arizona

After completing some more scientific observations, OSIRIS-REx made its way back home in April 2021. Now for the exciting part – it’s due to reach Earth on September 24, 2023, where it will release its precious cargo at 10:42 UTC! But it won’t be slowing down in order to make the historic dropoff – instead, as it flies 63,000 miles (102,000 km) over the Earth’s surface, it will release the capsule of Bennu samples. After 4 hours of hurtling through space, the sample capsule will finally enter Earth’s atmosphere at 14:42 UTC. From high in the sky it will drift to the ground helped by a series of parachutes, landing approximately 13 minutes later at the US Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range where it will be collected by scientists anxiously awaiting its arrival.��

Only 20 minutes after the sample capsule is jettisoned into space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will divert away from Earth as it heads towards its next target, near-Earth asteroid Apophis, ushering in the new age of OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer). Although Apophis is not as large as asteroid Bennu, it is scheduled to come within 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of Earth in 2029. OSIRIS-REx turned OSIRIS-APEX will take advantage of the opportunity and orbit Apophis after the approach, studying its surface and looking for any disturbances caused by its Earthly flyby.��

A visibility map of OSIRIS-REx at 09:00 UTC on September 24. The pink areas mark daylight, but anyone located in the blue region should be able to see the spacecraft at least 10 degrees above the horizon.��

Several hours later at approximately 13:00 UTC, OSIRIS-REx will have set for the Americas but will be visible from Japan and the West coast of Australia. By the time it is visible to these locations, it will be moving very fast as it heads towards its next target, so the spacecraft may leave the field of view after only a few minutes – catch it while you can!

A visibility map of OSIRIS-REx at 13:00 UTC on September 24. By this point, OSIRIS-REx will be moving very quickly as it diverts its path towards Apophis.��

To observe OSIRIS-REx with your Unistellar Telescope, follow the instructions on our Planetary Defense Tutorial page and scroll down to option B: The Planetary Defense target is not in the Unistellar App’s database. This will instruct you on how to use our Moving Target Ephemeris page to plan your observation of OSIRIS-REx using the Planetary Defense science mode. This page will provide Deep Links that open the Unistellar app and contain all the observing parameters you need to make a 10-minute long science observation. Notice that the Deep Links will only be available when the target is visible to you – if the target is not visible, a crossed-out eye icon will appear. You can therefore use the Ephemeris page and this feature to determine exactly when OSIRIS-REx will be observable from your location.��

Because OSIRIS-REx will be moving so fast, we suggest that you plan your observation ahead of time. For instance, if you use the Moving Target Ephemeris page to generate a Deep Link for September 24th at 09:00 UTC, make sure that you are outside and have already clicked GoTo so that your telescope is aimed at the correct location by 09:00! We also encourage you to take Enhanced Vision images, as you may see OSIRIS-REx streak across the field of view.��

If you would like to try to observe the OSIRIS-REx capsule, which is also on the Moving Target Ephemerids page, check out the youtube video below. This is a special observing case which will require some special steps, so follow the instructions outlined in the video and check out our Citizen Science Slack Workspace to communicate with other observers seeking to view the event. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at citizenscience@unistellaroptics.com.

Further readings

A new month brings a new crop of celestial wonders for astronomers everywhere to view. This September brings a flurry of nebulae and star clusters with it, meaning you’ll be able to get your fill of stars in all stages of life this month! We’ve got some of each for you to find with your Unistellar Telescope, including one cluster with a curiously missing centerpiece.

Many of these September sights lie in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, which hosts a rich tapestry of deep sky objects due to its location on the galactic plane. This stellar pattern is one of the Northern hemispheres’ high-in-the-sky Autumn gems, but is still visible for some Southern hemisphere observers (it will be quite low on the horizon for those at very Southern latitudes). So let’s dive into the Swan and its neighbors to visit the fascinating targets that this month has to offer.

All-Level Targets

These bright objects are easy for anyone to observe, and many are visible from both hemispheres!

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Albireo captured by David Rowe with Enhanced Vision.

M39 imaged by Unistellar observer Michel Dubeau.

The Cocoon Nebula imaged and processed by David Rowe.

The Angelfish Cluster, imaged by Unistellar observer Emmanuel Marchal.

The Sumer Beehive imaged and processed by John Bradley.

There’s plenty of other great targets to see this month. For example, both the Fireworks Galaxy and the Veil Nebula are primely placed in Cygnus, and other dim nebulae like the Little Ring Nebula (NGC 6894) may pose a fun challenge. Check you Unistellar app catalog to see what’s up in the sky!

Challenge Targets

For more challenging targets, find these next three objects! These are dimmer or more diffuse celestial sights that you may need to observe via Enhanced Vision for longer than the ones in the previous section if you want to see all them in all their glory!

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The Hole in The Cluster imaged by the Unistellar team.

The Crescent Nebula imaged and processed by Matthieu Carbon.

The Iris Nebula imaged and processed by Richard Bright.

NGC 6951 imaged by Jacques Bérard & Nicole Ruel back in 2021, when a supernova was spotted to have erupted in this galaxy!

Further readings