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The Next Great Space Telescope, The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, and Solar Observing
In the September 2026 issue of Sky & Telescope, we’re featuring NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is ready to launch and revolutionize our understanding of the universe. As this great telescope begins its surveys of the sky, we have plenty of planetary nebulae in Cygnus to point our own telescopes at this month. You get bonus points if you have a solar scope or filter, because we’ll also be taking an in-depth look at the latest advances in backyard solar observing. Of course, the best observations come from under dark skies, so we’re making a final stop in a small Himalayan village to enjoy the Bortle 1 skies of the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in India.
FEATURE ARTICLES:
Astronomers joined forces with residents to protect the night sky and transform the local economy.
By Shreejaya Karantha
A Bevy of Swan Planetary Nebulae
Explore these glowing clouds of gas shed by dying solar-mass stars.
By Steve Gottlieb
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to revolutionize the study of everything from exoplanets to cosmology.
By Govert Schilling
Observing the Sun in the 21st Century
Focusing on our nearest star has never been easier.
By Richard S. Wright, Jr.
More than a century’s worth of sleuthing has come up with a deceptively simple solution to E. E. Barnard’s 1892 “unexplained observation.”
By William Sheehan
Beyond the Printed Page:
Read Steve Gottlieb’s observations of almost 25,000 deep-sky objects
Learn about two planets that collided around a young star.
Check out these DIY astronomy projects.
See more of Alan Dyer’s incredible astrophotos.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Watch this endangered bird climb its celestial nesting mound in preparation for egg-laying season.
By Stephen James O’Meara
Venus has a Grand Dusk Farewell
The Evening Star meets the Moon and Spica before slipping into the Sun’s glare.
By Gary Seronik
September provides an opportunity to practice for an October occultation.
By Bob King
Lyra’s Shining Ring — and Beyond
A swath of sky across the southern part of the southern part of the celestial Lyre makes for a rewarding star-hop.
By Ken Hewitt-White
Table of Contents
See what else September’s issue has to offer.
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