t NEARING NEIGHBOR Oleg Bouevitch Mars displayed a wealth of fine detail on August 1st, when the planet appeared 14.6 arcseconds across. The large, dark albedo marking Syrtis Major is well placed, with the lighter impact basin Hellas at lower left, leading towards the shrinking white South Polar Cap. DETAILS: Celestron EdgeHD 14-inch SchmidtCassegrain with ZWO ASI290MM video camera. Stack of multiple video frames taken through RGB filters at approximately 9:43 UT. t THE DARK SHARK Kurt Zeppetello Designated LDN 1235, this dark nebula in Cepheus surrounds the 6th-magnitude star HR 8493. It also contains the bluish reflection nebulae vdB 150 (top) and vdB 149 (lower right). DETAILS: Astro-Tech AT115EDT refractor with ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro camera. Total exposure: 9.95 hours through LRGB filters. t SONOITA SPLENDOR John Vermette The summer constellations Capricornus, Sagittarius, and Scorpius parade above a rustic stable at the Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Arizona. Jupiter is seen just above the tree at left. DETAILS: Canon EOS 6D DSLR camera with Rokinon 24-mm f/1.4 lens. Total exposure: 15 seconds at ISO 3200. Gallery showcases the finest astronomical images our readers submit to us. Send your best shots to gallery@skyandtelescope.org. See skyandtelescope.org/aboutsky/guidelines. Visit skyandtelescope.org/gallery for more of our readers' astrophotos. sk yandtelescope.org * NOVEMBER 2 02 0 79http://www.skyandtelescope.org/aboutsky/guidelines http://www.skyandtelescope.org/gallery http://www.skyandtelescope.org