Mira, the Wonderful
Although it's probably considered more of an autumn target, variable star Mira, "The Wonderful," in the constellation Cetus, is an object that veteran backyard astronomers the world over will seek out whenever it's above the horizon. Mira is what's known as a "long-period" variable. It waxes and wanes over a period of about 332 days. And its brightness varies from, at best, 2nd magnitude (like the North Star), to as faint as 9th or 10th magnitude. That means that when it's at maximum brightness, you can see it without any optical aid, but when it's at minimum brightness, you'll need either binoculars or a telescope to see it. In my blinking animated GIF, above, Mira was neither at minimum brightness nor at maximum brightness in the two images. Maximum brightness is expected in February of 2026. And that means I probably should have shot Mira back in October of 2025 to get minimum brightness, and then wait till February to get maximum brightn...