Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C41 (Mel 25) Open Cluster 04h 26m 54s +15° 52′ 00″ Taurus +0.5 330 arcmin Overview The Hyades is the head of Taurus the bull, a collection of several hundred stars in a very distinctive ‘V’ shape of brighter stars. It appears to include the famous bright […]
Winter – C41, Hyades, Open Cluster in Taurus (DSOMG) Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C17 (NGC 147) Elliptical Galaxy 00h 33m 12s +48° 30′ 32″ Cassiopeia 9.7 9.4 x 5.4 arcmins C18 (NGC 185) Elliptical Galaxy 00h 38m 58s +48° 20′ 15″ Cassiopeia 9.2 13 x 11 arcmins Overview These two galaxies are companions of the famous Andromeda Galaxy (M31). They, along
Challenge #1 – C17 & C18, A Pair of Elliptical Galaxies in Cassiopeia Read More »
Target Type R.A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C23 (NGC 891) Spiral Galaxy 02h 22m 34s +42° 20′ 51″ Andromeda 9.8 13×3.0 arcmin Overview This edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy lies about 30 million light-years away from us. William Herschel was the first person to observe and document it in October 1784. C23 is thought to be
Challenge #2 – C23, Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C67 (NGC 1097) Spiral Galaxy 02h 46m 19s -30° 16′ 30″ Fornax +9.3 10.6×6.4 arcmin Overview This beautiful barred spiral galaxy was first observed by William Herschel in October 1790, who described it as “Very bright… [with] a very bright nucleus.” For those of us saddled with
Challenge #4 – C67, Spiral Galaxy in Fornax Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C65 (NGC 253) Spiral Galaxy 00h 47m 33s -25° 17′ 18″ Sculptor +7.0 27×4.6 arcmin Overview You’ll find the name William Herschel many, many times throughout the hundreds of guides inside the VAC, but rarely do I have the opportunity to mention his sister, Caroline, an astronomer
Challenge #3 – C65, Sculptor Galaxy in Sculptor Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C56 (NGC 246) Planetary Nebula 00h 47m 04s -11° 52′ 22″ Cetus +10.4 4.0×3.5 arcmins Overview Herschel made the first observation of this planetary nebula in November 1785. He observed “…four or five…stars forming a trapezium. The enclosed space is filled up with faintly terminated nebulosity.” What
Challenge #1 – C56, the Skull Nebula in Cetus Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C58 (NGC 2360) Open Cluster 07h 17m 43s -15° 38′ 00″ Canis Major +7.2 13.0 arcmin Overview Caroline Herschel discovered this cluster in February 1783. Its combined magnitude of 7.2 puts its hundred stars beyond naked eye reach, but they can be comfortably gathered in by binoculars.
Challenge #4 – C58, Open Cluster in Canis Major Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C41 (Mel 25) Open Cluster 04h 26m 54s +15° 52′ 00″ Taurus +0.5 330 arcmin Overview The Hyades is the head of Taurus the bull, a collection of several hundred stars in a very distinctive ‘V’ shape of brighter stars. It appears to include the famous bright
Challenge #3 – C41, Hyades, Open Cluster in Taurus Read More »
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C28 (NGC 752) Open Cluster 01h 57m 41s +37° 47′ 00″ Andromeda +5.7 75 arcmins Overview It is Caroline Herschel who’s credited with discovering this object in 1783 although there is evidence that Batista Hodierna recorded it before 1654. Spanning over one degree of the night sky,
Challenge #1 – C28, Open Cluster in Andromeda Read More »
Target Type R.A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size C13 (NGC 457) Open Cluster 01h 19m 35s +58° 17′ 00″ Cassiopeia 6.4 20 arcmin Overview William Herschel was the first human to spy this cluster in October 1787, correctly cataloging it as a rich cluster of both bright and very faint stars. This group of 150ish stars
