GHOSTS AND GHOULS
ACROSS THE GALAXY
How to Navigate the "Haunted" Autumn Sky
Franklin Township Astronomy Club | October 2026
A guided tour of a ghostly autumn night sky
01
THE LEGEND
Why humans gave it a haunting identity
02
THE OBJECT
The star, cluster, nebula, or galaxy in the sky
03
THE SCIENCE
What are we looking at?
04
THE WAYFINDING
How to locate it and what equipment helps
Tonight’s goal: Navigate the autumn sky by identifying some key visual aids
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
02
What can I actually see?
NAKED EYE
Constellations, bright stars, and asterisms
BINOCULARS
Wide fields and the brightest clusters
TELESCOPE
Visual observing under a dark, transparent sky
CAMERA/ASTROGRAPH
Faint nebulae and galaxies
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
03
Bayer Designation of Star Names
A tour through the "haunted" sky
Face east and northeast during early October
1
Pegasus
The starting point
2
Cassiopeia
A ghost, an owl, and a hungry “monster"
3
Perseus
Medusa and the Demon Star
4
Cepheus and Cygnus
A wizard and a witch's broom
5
Pisces
The Phantom Galaxy
6
Cetus
Sea monster and a skull
7
Eridanus
The witch
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
04
Giuseppe Cesari
Perseus Rescuing Andromeda
Ca. 1594
The Great Square of Pegasus
The key asterism of the autumn night sky
Four bright stars forming a large, nearly empty square.
HOW TO FIND IT
Look east to southeast in mid-evening. Use a fist at arm's length to appreciate the Square's enormous size (approx. 10 degrees across)
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
05
Cassiopeia
The W-shaped signpost
Cassiopeia is located in a rich stretch of the Milky Way. Its five bright stars point toward several of the night's best ”creepy” targets.
HOW TO FIND IT
Face north or northeast and look above Polaris. The pattern resembles a W or M depending on the hour.
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS TELESCOPE
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
06
IC 63: The Ghost of Cassiopeia
THE GHOST
HOW TO FIND IT
Locate Gamma Cassiopeiae at the center of the W. IC 63 sits less than one degree away, but suburban visual observing is extremely difficult.
SMART SCOPE / CAMERA LARGER TELESCOPE UNDER DARK SKIES
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
07
NGC 457: The Owl Cluster
HOW TO FIND IT
From Gamma Cassiopeiae, move toward Ruchbah and continue a short distance beyond it (2 degrees – 2 finger widths) Low power gives the most recognizable shape.
BINOCULARS SMALL TELESCOPE (EXCELLENT PUBLIC OUTREACH TARGET)
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
08
The Pacman Nebula
THE NOT-SO-SCARY “MONSTER"
HOW TO FIND IT
Start at Schedar, the lower-right star of Cassiopeia's W, then move east 1.5 degrees. A camera or smart scope reveals the shape far better than an eyepiece.
SMART SCOPE / CAMERA TELESCOPE WITH NARROWBAND FILTER
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
09
Perseus and the head of Medusa
Perseus carries Medusa's severed head. The star Algol marks one of her eyes and changes brightness as if it were blinking.
HOW TO FIND IT
Use Cassiopeia to locate Perseus below the W. Look for a branching pattern between Cassiopeia and the bright star Capella.
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
10
Algol: The Demon Star
THE BLINKING EYE OF MEDUSA
Every 2.867 days, one star passes in front of another. Algol fades from magnitude 2.1 to about 3.4, then returns to normal.
The dip lasts about ten hours and can be followed without a telescope by comparing Algol with nearby stars.
NAKED EYE BEST SEEN ACROSS SEVERAL HOURS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
11
The Double Cluster
HOW TO FIND IT
Draw an imaginary line from Gamma Cassiopeiae toward Perseus. The clusters lie between the two constellations and can appear as a faint patch to the naked eye.
NAKED EYE FROM DARK SITES BINOCULARS TELESCOPE
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
12
Cepheus
THE NORTHERN PASSAGE
Cepheus looks like a child's drawing of a house. It circles the pole and remains visible for much of the year from New Jersey.
HOW TO FIND IT
Find Cassiopeia's W, then look toward Polaris for a five-star house shape. The Wizard Nebula lies in the constellation’s southeastern side.
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
13
NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula
THE WIZARD
HOW TO FIND IT
Aim toward the eastern side of Cepheus. The cluster is easier than the surrounding nebula. Imaging and narrowband filters reveal the wizard shape.
SMART SCOPE / CAMERA LARGE TELESCOPE WITH FILTER
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
14
Cygnus
THE WESTERN SKY
The Northern Cross still hangs in the west on October evenings. Near one wing lies a vast supernova remnant called the Veil.
HOW TO FIND IT
Find bright Deneb and trace the Northern Cross. Move toward Epsilon Cygni and the naked-eye star 52 Cygni.
NAKED EYE CONSTELLATION TELESCOPE FOR THE VEIL
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
15
NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom
A shock wave from a star that exploded
THE BROOM
HOW TO FIND IT
Center the star 52 Cygni. Use very low power and an OIII filter. Dark skies and transparency matter more than high magnification.
TELESCOPE + OIII FILTER SMART SCOPE / CAMERA
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
16
Pisces
Pisces contains few bright stars. That faintness makes it harder to learn, and it also hides one of the most difficult Messier galaxies.
HOW TO FIND IT
Begin beneath the Great Square of Pegasus. Trace the Circlet of Pisces, a small loop of stars west of the Square.
NAKED EYE UNDER DARKER SKIES BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
17
M74: The Phantom Galaxy
HOW TO FIND IT
Locate Eta Piscium, then move about 1.5 degrees east and slightly north. Use averted vision, low power, and the darkest sky available.
LARGE TELESCOPE UNDER DARK SKIES SMART SCOPE / CAMERA
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
18
Cetus
Cetus sprawls across the southern autumn sky. In myth, it is the sea monster sent to devour Andromeda.
HOW TO FIND IT
Look below Pisces and the Great Square. Menkar (alpha Ceti) marks the head, while the long body extends westward toward Aquarius.
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
19
NGC 246: The Skull Nebula
The remains of a dying Sun-like star
THE SKULL
HOW TO FIND IT
Search the southern part of Cetus near the star Phi1 Ceti. Moderate aperture and an OIII filter improve the view.
MODERATE OR LARGE TELESCOPE SMART SCOPE / CAMERA
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
20
Eridanus after midnight
Eridanus begins near Orion and winds far to the south. Its northern reaches rise later in the evening as autumn advances.
HOW TO FIND IT
Wait for Orion to rise in the east. Start near Rigel, then trace Eridanus west and south from the hunter's bright foot.
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
22
IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula
HOW TO FIND IT
Use Rigel as the landmark, then move west into Eridanus. This is a wide-field photographic target rather than a practical eyepiece object.
WIDE-FIELD CAMERA DARK SKY REQUIRED
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
23
Two haunted-sky observing tours
Choose the one that matches your equipment
VISUAL TOUR
SMART SCOPE / IMAGING TOUR
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP ASTRONOMY CLUB
24
GHOSTS AND GHOULS
ACROSS THE GALAXY
How to Navigate the "Haunted" Autumn Sky
Franklin Township Astronomy Club | October 2026