The Triangulum Galaxy shows more detail through backyard telescopes than any other galaxies except the Magellanic Clouds and our own home, the Milky Way. But M33's treasures don't just jump out and grab your eye. To see them, you need dark skies, patience . . . and this guide from the December 2004 issue of Sky & Telescope.

Ready to voyage beyond the Solar System? Here's what you can see.

Here's how to hone your galaxy-hunting skills — and what to expect at the eyepiece.

Expert observer Brian Skiff explains NGC, UGC, and everything in between.

Today’s digital cameras are no longer limited to bright targets, such as the Sun, Moon, or planets. Even star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae are now fair game.

You don't need a big telescope to be dazzled by deep-sky wonders, particularly if your target is one of the many lovely star clusters.

Open clusters are popular targets for deep-sky observers, particularly when composed of varied-color stars. Here are some treats for scopes both large and small.

The sky between the Big and Little Dogs may be poor in bright stars, but it’s rich in star clusters for small telescopes.

If you can find bright Antares in Scorpius, you can use our chart to find these half dozen globular star clusters with a telescope — and maybe even binoculars.

Globular clusters are more concentrated in the direction of Sagittarius since that's where we find the center of the Milky Way. This area of the sky affords us opportunities to see several of these rich, ancient clusters in close proximity.

Nebulae are among the most beautiful sights in the night sky but their diffuse nature can make them challenging to locate. Here are a few interesting nebulae, and most are easy to spot.

When you leave the planets, moons, and comets of our solar system behind, you enter the realm of the deep sky, a place of subtle glows and faint lights.

Despite its dodgy reputation, this planetary nebula is easy to find (for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere observers) if you go about it the right way.

Amateur skygazers can spend hours roaming ghostly clouds of interstellar dust. You just need to know where to look.

Butterflies of the Milky Way await scrutiny with telescopes small and large.

On a long-awaited tour of the southern Milky Way, Alan Whitman discovers many splendid sights in far-southern skies.

If you think all galaxies are faint, fuzzy blobs, think again. Here are two easily-seen galaxies that will change your mind.

Many interesting but faint objects are often overlooked when they're beside a "showpiece" object. A collection of galaxies near M92 are a good example of this.

Even with a modest telescope and a poor sky, you can ferret out many faint, far galactic wonders by using a good map.

Trained eyes and clear, dark skies can open up a new dimension in deep-sky observing.