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ScopeTrader October 2024The October 2024 issue of ScopeTrader astronomy magazine showcases a variety of innovative astronomy tools and projects, including our cover story by Christopher Smythies as he tells the story of his visit to Goldendale Sky Village.Check out the Apertura 75Q 0.75x reducer made for the Apertura 75Q refractor, and the ZWO ASI2600MC Air smart camera offering all-in-one camera, guiding, and control. Readers are invited to join the Kilonova Seekers citizen science project to explore cosmic events from home. Learn about how the Giant Magellan Telescope's mount fabrication has started, promising profound earth-based exploration. The issue also highlights Pegasus Astro's NYX-88 Harmonic Gear Mount for easy, portable astrophotography, and features a journey to Stellafane with Al Nagler, celebrating the roots of his passion for optics. The Titan Astro SkyCamOne HAT for Raspberry Pi adds all-sky imaging capability, while the importance of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in astrophotography is explained for improved image quality. We tell you about several new products, such as the ToupTek Astro planetary camera, iOptron HAE16C strain wave mount, and the Oasis Focuser Rose, each bringing advanced features to astronomy enthusiasts. Updates in astronomy software include Observer Pro and LuckyStackWorker 6, which enhance observation planning and image processing. The Williams Optics MiniCat 51 refractor is also featured for its portability and quality imaging in a tiny package. A guide to sketching in the dark emphasizes maintaining darkness while sketching objects from the eyepiece, and we suggest effective dew heater battery options for fighting lens fog. Lots more inside! Get more issues of ScopeTrader
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026-04-07
IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
Image Credit: Rabeea Alkuwari
Do you see the horse's head? What you are seeing is not the famous Horsehead nebula toward Orion, but rather a fainter nebula that only takes on a familiar form with deeper imaging. The main part of the here-imaged molecular cloud complex is reflection nebula IC 4592. Reflection nebulas are made up of very fine dust that normally appears dark but can look quite blue when reflecting the visible light of energetic nearby stars. In this case, the source of much of the reflected light is a star at the eye of the horse. That star is part of Nu Scorpii, one of the brighter star systems toward the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). A second reflection nebula dubbed IC 4601 is visible surrounding two stars just below the image center. The featured picture was taken from Sawda Natheel in Qatar. Jigsaw Nebula: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
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