NGC 6946

So let's start our tour with a galaxy that's earned a rather explosive nickname.

Our first stop is NGC 6946, also known as Caldwell 12, but better known as the Fireworks Galaxy.

You'll find it near the border of Cepheus and Cygnus, about two degrees southwest of the star Eta Cephei.

It'll be high in the northwestern sky as darkness falls in November.

To find it, start with the star Matar, also known as Eta Pegasi, and look about four degrees just west of north.

NGC 7331 is a large spiral galaxy, tilted about 75 degrees to our line of sight.

That gives it a distinctly elongated appearance, rather than the nearly face-on view we had of the fireworks galaxy.

At magnitude 9.5, the galaxy is within easy reach of modest telescopes under reasonably dark skies.