Along the summer Milky Way, vast clouds of gas and dust are forging new stars. In June and July, Sagittarius and Serpens bring some of the sky’s great stellar nurseries into view. Glowing hydrogen, dark dust lanes, and brilliant young clusters reveal how stars take shape—and how they transform the clouds around them.

We’ll trace the summer sky by laser, look through the 12-inch LX90, and watch our guided imaging systems uncover the color and structure of the Lagoon, Trifid, Eagle, and Omega nebulae. Wide-field views connect these glowing clouds with the rich star fields of the Milky Way. Our lineup follows the Moon, weather, and what is best placed that evening.

Summer’s stellar nurseries, ancient globular clusters, and the glowing shell of a dying star. Our lineup follows the Moon, weather, and target positions; tracked imaging reveals delicate color and structure, while bright clusters and selected nebulae reward a live look.

• Lagoon Nebula · M8A vast glowing nursery in Sagittarius, illuminated by brilliant young stars.
• Trifid Nebula · M20Glowing hydrogen, blue reflected starlight, and dark dust lanes in one remarkable field.
• Eagle Nebula · M16Young stars and towering clouds of gas and dust—the home of the Pillars of Creation.
• Omega Nebula · M17A bright stellar nursery sculpted and illuminated by massive young stars.
• Lobster Nebula · NGC 6357Massive young stars carve bright cavities and pillars into a turbulent cloud in Scorpius.
• Ring Nebula · M57A glowing ring in Lyra, formed from the outer layers shed by a dying Sun-like star.
• Messier 92 · NGC 6341An ancient swarm of tightly packed stars in Hercules—a brilliant contrast to the summer’s newborn stars.
• Omega Centauri · NGC 5139A vast southern globe of millions of stars—best in June, with earlier viewing in July and a clear southern horizon.