Sky & Telescope November 2024 Magazine

In the November 2024 issue of Sky & Telescope, we hunt down the brightest stars and clusters in the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). We also explore what the nearest core-collapse supernova in a decade has taught us, thanks to its proximity in another nearby, face-on spiral (M101). Observations like these require a telescope, but although reflectors are the most popular among telescope-makers, it’s relatively straightforward to build a refractor with the right guidance — find those steps in these pages. Also in this issue, we investigate the ancient history behind why the Pleiades — often seen as six naked-eye stars — are described as Seven Sisters in myths and legends of so many ancient cultures. The explanation could lie in an astronomical event that occurred 100,000 years ago. Could this be one of the oldest stories ever told?