Spring – The Garden Astronomer

Catching April’s Dawn Comet: C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS

Track Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) in April 2026 skies. Read personal observations and learn when and where to see this rare dawn comet and capture it before perihelion.

Shattered by the Sun: The Great Comet of 1882

Discover the Great Comet of 1882: a brilliant sungrazer that split apart. Explore its impact on astronomy and the early life of observer E.E. Barnard.

Lyrid Meteor Shower: A Trail of Ancient Falling Light

Shows a crescent moon at night beside moving stars.

Trace the history of the April Lyrid meteor shower from ancient China to the 1803 Richmond outburst. Discover Comet Thatcher’s trail and tips for stargazing.

Caldwell 74: The Eight-Burst Nebula in Vela

Color image of the Caldwell 74 planetary nebula

Discover the Eight-Burst Nebula (Caldwell 74), a southern planetary nebula in Vela with a hidden white dwarf at its heart.

T Coronae Borealis (The Blaze Star): Observing Before Explosion in 2024

Artist render of T Coronae Borealis pulling gas from host star

The binary star T Coronae Borealis is expected to go nova in 2024. To prepare for this stellar event, I share why it’s special and share how the star appears before it explodes using an astrophoto and a sketch taken from my backyard in Seattle in June 2024. The binary is also registered as T CrB, SAO 84129, HR 5958, HD 143454, HIP 78322.

Struve 3116: A Tight Double Star in Canis Major

Learn about the tight double star Struve 3116—its close 3.9″ separation, blue-white components, and observing tips. This article also includes my personal sketch so you can see how the pair appears through the eyepiece. Known as SAO 151401, HD 44458.

Eta Boötis (Muphrid): The Double Star Neighbor Beside Arcturus

Eta Boötis, known as Muphrid, is a subgiant star roughly 37 light-years from Earth, overshadowed by the brighter Arcturus. Muphrid shines with a magnitude of 2.7 and is accompanied by a fainter companion star. Observations reveal challenges in identifying its companions, highlighting its unique charm in the spring sky. η Boötis, HR 5235, HD 121370, HIP 67848, SAO 100766, BD+18°2759, SHJ 169

Messier 87 (NGC 4486): Home of a Famous Black Hole

Most of the public had never heard of the Messier 87 galaxy until a few years ago. This changed on the morning of April 10, 2019, as scientists released the first image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of M87. When the image appeared in my news feed that morning, I recall rushingContinueContinue reading “Messier 87 (NGC 4486): Home of a Famous Black Hole”