Summer Resolution

June offers celestial splendors that lie at the very edges of human vision.

By Bob Berman
Jun 1, 1996 5:00 AMNov 12, 2019 6:31 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Astronomers agree that the faintest objects the unaided human eye can see are stars of the sixth magnitude. (Magnitude decreases as brightness increases: a fifth-magnitude star is roughly 2.5 times brighter than a sixth-magnitude star; a fourth-magnitude star is 2.5 times brighter still.) That limit makes the famous globular star cluster in Hercules, which is overhead these nights, a fine eye chart: it beams in at magnitude 5.8. Another test is offered by the Big Dipper, now high in the northwest. Try to see any stars within the Dipper’s bowl--several hover just around the magnitude 6 barricade.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group