Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M42 (NGC 1976) Bright Nebula 05h 35m 24s -05° 27′ 00″ Orion +4.00 85×60 arcmin Overview M17, the brightest summer nebula in the northern hemisphere, was discovered by Philippe Loys de Cheseaux in 1745. Messier added it to his catalog 19 years later, in 1764, after discovering …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M17 (NGC 6618) Bright Nebula 18h 20m 48s -16° 11′ 00″ Sagittarius +6.00 46×37 arcmin Overview M17, the brightest summer nebula in the northern hemisphere, was discovered by Philippe Loys de Cheseaux in 1745. Messier added it to his catalog 19 years later, in 1764, after discovering …
Challenge #3 – M17, Omega/Swan Nebula in Sagittarius Read More »
Target Type R.A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M8 (NGC 6523) Bright Nebula 18h 03m 48s -24° 23′ 00″ Sagittarius 6.00 90×40 arcmin Overview When you spy the Lagoon Nebula, take the time to ponder that what you’re actually seeing is a vast interstellar gas cloud. It’s 4,000 light-years away from us and yet, under dark …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M70 (NGC 6681) Globular Cluster 18h 43m 12s -32° 17′ 32″ Sagittarius +7.86 8.0 arcmin Overview Messier discovered this globular cluster in 1780. Like many of the clusters situated in Sagittarius, it’s closer to the galactic center of the Milky Way, ay 6,500 light-years, than to us, …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M69 (NGC 6637) Globular Cluster 18h 29m 49s -32° 20′ 53″ Sagittarius +7.6 9.8 arcmin Overview This cluster is just about visible in binoculars and was first discovered by Charles Messier in August 1780. It covers an area of 90 light-years across and is approximately 28,700 light-years …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M55 (NGC 6809) Globular Cluster 19h 39m 05s -30° 57′ 53″ Sagittarius +6.32 19.0 arcmins Overview This globular cluster in Sagittarius is hard to see from northerly latitudes. It doesn’t rise higher than 10° above the horizon in the UK, and barely rises at all from the …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M24 (IC 4715) Open Cluster 18h 18m 48s -18° 33′ 00″ Sagittarius +4.59 90.0 arcmin Overview Other than the Andromeda Galaxy, the Sagittarius star cloud is the largest of all the Messier objects visible in our night sky. At ninety arcminutes wide, it occupies an area of …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M21 (NGC 6531) Open Cluster 18h 04m 13s -22° 29′ 00″ Sagittarius +5.90 14.0 arcmin Overview Less than 1° away from the Trifid Nebula, M22, is this compact open cluster. Discovered by Messier in June, 1764, this rich little cluster is 4,200 light-years away from us. The …
Target Type R.A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M18 (NGC 6613) Open Cluster 18h 19m 58s -17° 06′ 00″ Sagittarius 6.90 5.0 arcmin Overview This cluster is sparsely populated with just a few dozen bright stars. It’s a young cluster, aged just 33 million years, and is seventy light-years off the galactic plane, almost 5,000 light-years …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M23 (NGC 6494) Open Cluster 17h 57m 04s -18° 59′ 00″ Sagittarius +5.50 29.0 arcmins Overview This open cluster in Sagittarius is the home of 150 or so stars. Discovered by Charles Messier in June 1764, he correctly identified it as a star cluster from first glimpse. …
