Famously known as the Lagoon Nebula, Messier 8 shines by the ionizing ultraviolet
radiation of its embedded young stars.
Hubble's Night Sky Challenge is a year-round observing adventure for amateur astronomers to commemorate 35 years of Hubble science and discoveries. This challenge can also serve as a guide for star parties. Below, you’ll find a list of Messier and Caldwell night sky targets visible during August that Hubble has imaged over the years for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere observers.
Helpful Tips
- Some objects may be visible from most locations on Earth, while others are only visible at specific latitudes and may not be accessible for those in other parts of the world. This page has two lists of recommended targets: one for the Northern Hemisphere and another for the Southern Hemisphere. For best results, we recommend using the list that corresponds to the part of the world you live in.
- If the name of the object starts with an "M," it's part of the Messier catalog; names that start with "C" are part of the Caldwell catalog.
- A difficulty scale of 1-3 denotes how easy an object is to find: 1 is the easiest and 3 the hardest. The easiest targets for each hemisphere are listed first, and the most difficult ones are listed last.
Please follow this link to view the challenges for August, 2025:
August Challenges
Please share your images with the community by creating a member report by clicking on the "Create" button in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
What's your favorite night sky object? Have any observational tips to share?