24 May 2023: Observation of supernova SN2023ixf in Messier 101 by David Davies.

19 May 2023: Issue 191 of The Deep-Sky Observer (DSO) is now available for subscribers to download

1 May 2023: A new Nebula, Cluster, Galaxy, Double Stars and Picture of the Month. Scroll down to take a look.

30 November 2022: A slightly revised version of DSSC 30 is available to download.

Our Annual Meeting

The date for our next Annual Meeting is set for the 17 June 2023 at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. We have all the details sorted out now.

We hope to see you there for another interesting programme and a chance to talk about deep-sky astronomy, amongst other things.

Our Publications

The Webb Deep-Sky Society has a wide range of publications on offer.

You can grab a free PDF copies of Faith Jordan's 'An Introduction to Deep-Sky Observing' and Miles Paul's Atlas of Galaxy Trios from amongst our free publications.

With kind permission of Kent Wallace, we can now offer our own reprint of his titanic work Visual Observations of Planetary Nebulae. Kent sold out of his own print run some time ago, so don't wait too long.

Mike Swan's excellent Atlas of Open Star Clusters is now available as a single spiral-bound volume. This has a few additions over his earlier volumes 1 and 2, which as still available.

Owen has a new book out based on his long running Galaxy of the Month column. He's added new information and updated his older work. It also contains detailed finder charts.

Issue 191 of The Deep-Sky Observer (DSO) is now available.

Why not join us?

You can now join the Webb Deep-Sky Society online using PayPal. Options include Paper and PDF versions of the Deep-Sky Observer journal, or PDF alone for a reduced price.

Perhaps you'd like to join our groups.io mailing group? Access is limited to members, but you're all welcome.

Picture of the Month: IC 4603 in Ophiuchus

Reflection Nebula IC4603 in Ophiuchus courtesy of Josef Pöpsel, Frank Sackenheim, Stefan Binnewies (www.capella-observatory.com)
Image credit: Josef Pöpsel, Frank Sackenheim, Stefan Binnewies (Capella Observatory)

A small and fascinating piece of the huge dust cloud near Antares this month. Sandwiched between two huge reflection nebulae this image contains reflection, emission and dark dusty clouds.

Galaxy of the Month: Arp 232 in Leo

This image of Arp 232 was provided by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
Image credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)

Owen has moved slightly to Leo for an easier target for those bright summer skies. There's a bit of cataloguing confusion to be had. But may be these galaxies might be more challenging than he thought.

Nebula and Cluster of the Month: Messiers 4 and 80

An image of Messier 80 in Scorpius provided by NASA, ESA, and G. Piotto (Universita degli Studi di Padova); Image Processing: Gladys Kober
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Piotto (Universita degli Studi di Padova); Image Processing: Gladys Kober

Patrick is back in the northern hemisphere this month, barely. He has a pair of globular clusters that are going to be a challenge for some, and that could be considered opposites of their kind.

Double Stars of the Month: STF 1850 and SHJ 263

Thumbnail image of a finder chart for the double star STF 1850 in Bootes
Image credit: created with Cartes du Ciel

A trio of doubles that shouldn't provide too much trouble for most from Bob this May. The last of his southerly pairings conceals a few additional challenges for those with slightly larger scopes.

Object of the Season: Planetary Nebula M 57 in Lyra

Planetary Nebula M 57 in Lyra - Credit: The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)
Image credit: The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)

Wolfgang Steinicke would appreciate your observations of M 57 in Lyra for his Object of the Season column in the Deep-Sky Observer.

The Deep-Sky Observer

The cover of The Deep-Sky Observer 184

Profusely illustrated, The Deep-Sky Observer is printed on art paper. Its magazine format encourages all amateurs to make a contribution to the Society's work.

Double Star Section Circulars

The contents page of Double Star Section Circular 28

Double Star Section Circulars (DSSC) feature the latest techniques and measurements from double star observers around the World. They are available as PDFs for free download.

Observations

M61 in Virgo by David Davies
M61 in Virgo by David Davies

Some observations and images provided by amateur astronomers around the globe. We're happy to receive your images, sketches and observations of the deep-sky made in pursuit of your projects.