Lists of good telescope targets
Telescope targets (by month):
Early October suggestions for observing with 16” telescope...
Mars (not v impressive) and Saturn (wow!) visible low to South – watch the telescope doesn’t go too low…
M13 Her globular (mag 5.9)
~ 300,000 stars – 25,000 ly – ~100ly across – brightest globular cluster in the Northern sky
M11 Wild Duck cluster (mag 6.3)
open clusters, containing about 2900 stars – about 250 million yrs old
name derives from the brighter stars forming a triangle which could resemble a flying flock of ducks (?)
Albireo Cyg double star (mag 3.35)
380 ly away – orbital period 100,000 yrs (not actually a binary!)
The two stars show an interesting colour contrast to the unaided eye:
primary – orange giant – mag 3.1
secondary – blue-green – mag 5.1
M39 (mag 4.6) … assuming it’s to the right of the meridian…
Loose open cluster – 900 ly away - ~30 stars – age 200-300 million years (young)
M57 Lyr Ring nebula (mag 9)
Will need talk about averted vision so that they can see it – very faint small ‘doughnut’
planetary nebula – diameter 1 ly – distance 2,000 ly – mag 8.8 – between 6,000 and 8,000 years old
M31 Andromeda galaxy (mag 3.4) (if it’s reached above the trees)
distance 2.5 million ly – mag 3.4
need to maybe use averted vision, discuss how you’re only seeing the bright core of the galaxy, not the whole!
Albireo Cyg double star (mag 3.35), rapidly sinking to the west…
380 ly away – orbital period 100,000 yrs (not actually a binary!)
The two stars show an interesting colour contrast to the unaided eye:
primary – orange giant – mag 3.1
secondary – blue-green – mag 5.1
Garnet star mu cephei
Herschel’s garnet star red supergiant
Nearly 100,000 times brighter than the sun
One of the largest known stars, radius over 1000 times that of the sun
If it replaced the sun, its surface would reach between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn
M15 in Pegasus
Globular cluster 33,600 light-years away from Earth
175ly in diameter
One of the oldest (12 billion years old) and most densely packed globulars in the Milky Way
Home to over 100,000 stars
M31 Andromeda galaxy (mag 3.4) (if it’s reached above the trees)
distance 2.5 million ly – mag 3.4
need to maybe use averted vision, discuss how you’re only seeing the bright core of the galaxy, not the whole!
Gamma Andromeda
Multiple star system 360 ly away
Yellow primary and a blue-green secondary which is itself a double star
NGC 7662 (Blue snowball in Andromeda, only if good conditions)
Mag 9, planetary nebula about 1,800 ly distant
Actual diameter 20,000 AU
Central star looks blue – might need averted vision to see it , blueish disc around it
M33 galaxy in Triangulum
Mag 5.7
About 2.8 million ly away, nearby spiral
Similar distance to Andromeda, but contains around 30 billion stars, 1/10th of the number in Andromeda
NGC 869/884 (Perseus double cluster)
Both clusters lie in a nearby spiral arm of our galaxy
One about 7500 ly away, the other about 300 ly closer
M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus
seven sisters 6 or 7 visible to the unaided eye with good eyesight
dozens of fainter stars at least 100 stars in the cluster, lying 380 ly away
whole cluster extends at least across 2 full moon widths
relatively young stars – age of ~50 million years; brightest stars only a few million yrs old
M1 in Taurus mag 8.4
Supernova remnant – star exploded in 1052, observed by Chinese astronomers
Lies in the Perseus arm of the MW, about 6500 ly away from earth
Diameter of 11 ly
Cloud of gas expanding at rate of 1500 km/sec
Neutron star at the core, first pulsar discovered
M36, 37 and 38 in Auriga
Three open star clusters
Should be all visible in the same field of view through wide angle binoculars
M36 smallest and most condense, 60 or so stars, 3900 ly away – most prominent
M37 largest and richest, ~150 stars 4200 ly away, with a bright orange star at the centre
M38 most scattered, about 100 faint stars, 3900 ly away
M52 in Cassiopeia mag 7
Open cluster with about 200 stars, 5200 ly away
M103 in Cassiopeia
Mag 7 poorer open cluster with only about 25 stars, 8000 ly away
NGC 457 in Cassiopeia
Loose open cluster
Mag 6.4
~100 stars, lying 10,000 ly away (in Perseus arm of the MW)
NGC 663 in Cass
Mag 7
400 stars in a scattered open cluster 8000ly distant
NGC7789 open cluster in Cassiopeia
Discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783
Around 100-150 stars mag 6.7
Also known as Caroline's Rose" Cluster because when seen visually, the loops of stars and dark lanes look like the swirling pattern of rose petals as seen from above.
M36, 37 and 38 in Auriga
Three open star clusters
Should be all visible in the same field of view through wide angle binoculars
M36 smallest and most condense, 60 or so stars, 3900 ly away – most prominent
M37 largest and richest, ~150 stars 4200 ly away, with a bright orange star at the centre
M38 most scattered, about 100 faint stars, 3900 ly away
M31 Andromeda galaxy (mag 3.4)
distance 2.5 million ly – mag 3.4
need to maybe use averted vision, discuss how you’re only seeing the bright core of the galaxy, not the whole!
Gamma Andromeda
Multiple star system 360 ly away
Yellow primary and a blue-green secondary which is itself a double star
NGC 7662 (Blue snowball in Andromeda, only if good conditions)
Mag 9, planetary nebula about 1,800 ly distant
Actual diameter 20,000 AU
Central star looks blue – might need averted vision to see it , blueish disc around it
M33 galaxy in Triangulum
Mag 5.7
About 2.8 million ly away, nearby spiral
Similar distance to Andromeda, but contains around 30 billion stars, 1/10th of the number in Andromeda
NGC 869/884 (Perseus double cluster)
Both clusters lie in a nearby spiral arm of our galaxy
One about 7500 ly away, the other about 300 ly closer
M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus
seven sisters 6 or 7 visible to the unaided eye with good eyesight
dozens of fainter stars at least 100 stars in the cluster, lying 380 ly away
whole cluster extends at least across 2 full moon widths
relatively young stars – age of ~50 million years; brightest stars only a few million yrs old
M1 in Taurus mag 8.4
Supernova remnant – star exploded in 1052, observed by Chinese astronomers
Lies in the Perseus arm of the MW, about 6500 ly away from earth
Diameter of 11 ly
Cloud of gas expanding at rate of 1500 km/sec
Neutron star at the core, first pulsar discovered
Hyades cluster (Taurus) in binoculars
V-shaped grouping of stars denoting head of the bull
Cluster is 150 light-years away
M42 Orion nebula
Nearest stellar ‘nursery’ to us, ~1300 light-years distant
Central ‘trapezium’ of four stars illuminates the surrounding gas (looks white not pink)
Sigma Ori (Orion)
O-type star 4000 times brighter than the sun
This primary star has two slightly fainter companions, and a third even closer in
NGC226, Christmas Tree Nebula (Monoceros) [binoculars +3.9]
Name comes from the pattern of stars
Has nebulosity
Beta Mon (Monoceros)
Triple star system with all three starts gravitationally bound
Components B and C appear as a close pair 2.8” apart and similar mag
Star A orbits the pair, 7.4” further out
M81/M82 in Ursa Major (can get both in wide angle finder, but they’re faint)
M81 large spiral, 12 million ly away – diameter 90,000ly, (half size of MW). Contains a 70 million Mo BH
M82 irregular edge-on spiral/starburst galaxy – cigar galaxy – 12 million ly away – x5 more L than whole MW
M44 / Beehive cluster / Praesepe in Cancer
Open cluster with a house-shaped asterism at its centre
This represents the hive, surrounded by a swarm of stars which are the bees
Gamma Andromeda
Multiple star system 360 ly away
Yellow primary and a blue-green secondary which is itself a double star
NGC 869/884 (Perseus double cluster)
Both clusters lie in a nearby spiral arm of our galaxy
One about 7500 ly away, the other about 300 ly closer
M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus
seven sisters 6 or 7 visible to the unaided eye with good eyesight
dozens of fainter stars at least 100 stars in the cluster, lying 380 ly away
whole cluster extends at least across 2 full moon widths
relatively young stars – age of ~50 million years; brightest stars only a few million yrs old
Hyades cluster (Taurus) in binoculars
V-shaped grouping of stars denoting head of the bull
Cluster is 150 light-years away
M1 in Taurus mag 8.4
Supernova remnant – star exploded in 1052, observed by Chinese astronomers
Lies in the Perseus arm of the MW, about 6500 ly away from earth
Diameter of 11 ly
Cloud of gas expanding at rate of 1500 km/sec
Neutron star at the core, first pulsar discovered
M42 Orion nebula
Nearest stellar ‘nursery’ to us, ~1300 light-years distant
Central ‘trapezium’ of four stars illuminates the surrounding gas (looks white not pink)
M36, 37 and 38 in Auriga
Three open star clusters
Should be all visible in the same field of view through wide angle binoculars
M36 smallest and most condense, 60 or so stars, 3900 ly away – most prominent
M37 largest and richest, ~150 stars 4200 ly away, with a bright orange star at the centre
M38 most scattered, about 100 faint stars, 3900 ly away
Sigma Ori (Orion)
O-type star 4000 times brighter than the sun
This primary star has two slightly fainter companions, and a third even closer in
NGC226, Christmas Tree Nebula (Monoceros) [binoculars +3.9]
Name comes from the pattern of stars
Has nebulosity
Beta Mon (Monoceros)
Triple star system with all three starts gravitationally bound
Components B and C appear as a close pair 2.8” apart and similar mag
Star A orbits the pair, 7.4” further out
M35 0608 +24
open cluster (mag 5) - about 200 stars scattered over area size of full Moon
3,800 light-years away
not very condensed at centre – stars arranged in disconnected chains
NGC 2392
planetary nebula (mag 9)
one of the easier planetary nebulae to spot – but probably too faint unless excellent conditions
3000 light-years away
Alpha (α) Gem – Castor (mag 1.6) 0734 +31
52 light-years away
a system of 6 stars in 3 binary pairs
all born together from the same cloud of gas, remaining linked by gravity
through scope/binocs Castor divides into two blue-white stars (mags 1.9, 3) which orbit each other every 450 years. There is also a faint (mag 9) red dwarf companion some distance away.
each of these 3 stars are themselves close binaries:
Castor A –two stars each bigger and brighter than the Sun which orbit each other every 9 days
Castor B – two stars each larger than the Sun, which orbit each other every 3 days
Castor C – two red dwarfs, smaller and fainter than the Sun, which orbit each other in less than a day
NGC2419 in Lynx 0738+38 mag 9
300,000 ly from SS – takes 3 billion years to orbit the MW
One of the brightest and most massive globulars of our galaxy
Total mass 900,000 Mo
M44 / Beehive cluster / Praesepe in Cancer
Open cluster with a house-shaped asterism at its centre
This represents the hive, surrounded by a swarm of stars which are the bees
Gamma Leo
Pair of orange giants – 600 yr obit – 125 ly distant
Each about double the mass of the sun
M81/M82 in Ursa Major (can get both in wide angle finder, but they’re faint)
M81 large spiral, 12 million ly away – diameter 90,000ly, (half size of MW). Contains a 70 million Mo BH
M82 irregular edge-on spiral/starburst galaxy – cigar galaxy – 12 million ly away – x5 more L than whole MW
M101 in U Maj Pinwheel galaxy mag 8
Face-on spiral galaxy 21 million ly away diameter 170,000 ly – x2 no. of stars than MW
more compact but more massive than MW