Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M45 Open Cluster 03h 47m 00s +24° 07′ 00″ Taurus +1.50 120 arcmin Overview Pierre Mechain discovered this wonderful galaxy in 1767. Messier included it in his observation notes but didn’t add it to his catalog. That was done by Camille Flammarion who discovered Messier’s list of …
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 M35 (NGC 2168) Open Cluster 06h 08m 54s +24° 20′ 00″ Gemini 5.1 40 arcmin Overview This stunning, bright cluster is just about visible to the naked eye under perfect dark sky conditions. It was easier to see before the days of rampant light pollution and was discovered …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M1 (NGC 1952) Bright Nebula 05h 34m 00s +22° 01′ 00″ Taurus 8.4 6.0×4.0 arcmins Overview The Hercules cluster, the 13th object in the Messier catalog, is an easy to locate, rich cluster in the constellation of Hercules. It’s located in a sparsely populated area of sky …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M16 (NGC 6611) Bright Nebula 18h 18m 48s -20° 52′ 41″ Serpens +6.4 35×28 arcmins Overview Messier saw this nebula in 1764, and was the first to see its nebulosity. The first person to observe the region itself was Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 or 1746. …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M104 (NGC 4594) Spiral Galaxy 12h 39m 59s -11° 37′ 23″ Virgo +8.12 8.4×4.9 arcmin Overview Pierre Mechain discovered this wonderful galaxy in 1767. Messier included it in his observation notes but didn’t add it to his catalog. That was done by Camille Flammarion who discovered Messier’s …
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 M5 (NGC 5904) Globular Cluster 15h 18m 33s +02° 04′ 52″ Serpens 5.65 23 arcmin Overview This stunning, bright cluster is just about visible to the naked eye under perfect dark sky conditions. It was easier to see before the days of rampant light pollution and was discovered …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M13 (NGC 6205) Globular Cluster 16h 41m 41s +36° 27′ 36″ Hercules 5.8 20.0 arcmins Overview The Hercules cluster, the 13th object in the Messier catalog, is an easy to locate, rich cluster in the constellation of Hercules. It’s located in a sparsely populated area of sky …
Target Type R. A. Dec. Constellation Magnitude Size M80 (NGC 6093) Globular Cluster 16h 17m 02s -22° 58′ 34″ Scorpius +7.3 10.0 arcmin Overview This bright, big, dense cluster was discovered by Charles Messier in January 1781. As with so many of his cluster discoveries, Messier believed that M80 was a ‘nebula without a star’ …
