Night Sky's Bests
A catalog of celestial objects prepared for members of the Astronomy Club
  
Note: In this catalog, the dates shown are months when the constellations will be fully visible above the horizon in evening hours. Also, the brief quotations shown are from the authors of such volumes as Burnham's Celestial Handbook and Turn Left at Orion, plus others.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Andromeda the Princess   in evening sky, August into February
And Dbl double star 350 lt-yr Almach, “beautiful,” sep 9.8”
And Dbl double star 160 lt-yr Delta, wide pair, sep 28.7”, or 1,420 AU
And PN NGC 7662 5,600 lt-yr Blue Snowball Nebula
And GX M31 2.2 mil yr Andromeda Galaxy, biggest of Local Group
And GX M32 2.2 mil yr a satellite galaxy very near nucleus of M31
And GX M110 2.2 mil yr the satellite northwest of Andromeda's nucleus
And GX NGC 891 43 mil yr edge-on spiral, mag 9.9, not easy to see
And OC NGC 752 1,300 lt-yr open cluster of sixty stars
__________________________________________________________________
Aquarius   Water Bearer evenings, July into December  
Aqr Dbl double star 1,030 lt-yr Salasud, separations are 35” and 57”
Aqr GC M2 50,000 yr “wonderful” globular has 150-lt-yrs diameter
Aqr GC M72 60,000 yr distant globular is hard to resolve, mag 9.3
Aqr PN NGC 7009 3,900 lt-yr Saturn Nebula, a small, bright fluorescent glow
Aqr GX NGC 7252 ................. “Atoms for Peace,” colliding galaxies' name
Aqr PN NGC 7293 450 lt-yr Helix Nebula is biggest, nearest, but faint
__________________________________________________________________
Auriga the Charioteer from October into April  
Aur Tpl triple star   1,030 lt-yr Bogardus, 3.6” & 50”; third one is only a visual 
Aur OC NGC 1893   ................. sixty stars with the bright nebula IC 410
Aur OC M36   4,100 lt-yr “like Pleiades,” this open cluster
Aur OC M37   4,600 lt-yr “diamond sunburst” of 150 stars
Aur OC M38   4,200 lt-yr large open cluster with 100-plus stars
Aur BN Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405.......... 05  16  12  +34  16
_________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Boötes the Herdsman   from March into September
Boö  Dbl double star 103 lt-yr Izar (Epsilon), sep 2.9”, mags 2.5 & 4.9
Boö   bright star 737 lt-yr Arcturus, 25 times sun's size; diving past us
Boö GX NGC 5248 .............. spiral galaxy at mag 10.2
Boö GX NGC 5676 .............. spiral galaxy at mag 10.9
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Camelopardalis the Giraffe   September into April
Cam PN NGC 1501 .............. planetary looks circular, a bit like Eskimo Nebula
Cam GX NGC 2403 8 mil lt-yr big, one of nearest spirals, mag 8; for binocs!
__________________________________________________________________
Cancer  the Crab from December into May
Cnc Qdr double star 1,150 lt-yr Tegmeni, nice dbl, sep 5.7”, also spectroscopic
Cnc OC M44  525 lt-yr Beehive Cluster's 50 stars span 90 arcminutes
Cnc OC M67 2,500 lt-yr ancient cluster of 200 stars, at mag 6.9
__________________________________________________________________
Canes Venatici Hunting Dogs  February into July
CVn Var double star 120 lt-yr Cor Caroli, sep 19.4”; rare type of variable star
CVn GC M3 40,000 lt-yr one of finest globulars, with half-million stars
CVn GX M51 37 mil yr Whirlpool Galaxy, first spiral ever found
CVn GX M63 35 mil yr Sunflower Galaxy, oval spiral, at mag 8.6
CVn GX NGC 4244 ............... big spiral galaxy at mag 10.2
CVn GX M106 36 mil yr large barred spiral, diam. 18', at mag 8.3
CVn GX M94 20 mil yr tight, circular spiral with very bright core
__________________________________________________________________
Canis Major   the Great Dog  December into March
CMa Dbl double star 652 lt-yr Adhara, sep 7.5”, is ionizing our Local Cloud
CMa Dbl double star 8.7 lt-yr Sirius, sep 4.5”, is brightest of all fixed stars
CMa OC M41  2,350 lt-yr cluster of 80 stars; Aristotle puzzled over it too
CMa GX NGC 2217 ................ barred spiral galaxy at mag 10.4
CMa OC NGC 2360 ............... 80 stars, mag 7.2, spread over 13 arcseconds
__________________________________________________________________
Capricornus the Sea Goat July into December
Cap Dbl double star 150 lt-yr Dabih, very wide sep 205.1”, mags 3.4, 6.2
Cap GC M30  40,000 yr globular in same view with bright star 41 Cap
__________________________________________________________________
Cassiopeia the Queen August into February
Cas Dbl double star 100 lt-yr Gamma Cassiopeiae, sep 2.1” is hard to split
Cas BN NGC 7635 .............. Bubble Nebula, a bright nebula
Cas OC M52 3,000 lt-yr big, rich cluster of 200 stars
Cas OC NGC 7789 6,000 lt-yr very rich cluster, over 1,000 stars span 50 lt-yr
Cas OC NGC 457 9,300 lt-yr Owl Cluster or “ET,” contains 100 giant stars
Cas Eta Cassiopeiae, “beautiful” binary, sep 12.2”      ..............      00  49  06  +57  49
__________________________________________________________________
Centaurus the Centaur April into June
Cen GC  NGC 5139 17,000 yr Omega Centauri, brightest globular in the sky
Cen GC NGC 5138 7.5 mil lt-yr “Centaurus A,” radio galaxy, 7th-magnitude           
        (It's just 3˚directly above Omega Cen)
      
Note: the Alpha Centauri triple star system, including Proxima Centauri, is located
 more than 60˚ below the celestial equator, so far south that we never can see it
__________________________________________________________________
Cepheus the King from June into January
Cep Dbl  double star 980 lt-yr Alfkirk, easy split, sep 13.3” but that's 400 AU
Cep GX  NGC 6946 10 mil yr “nearby” spiral, mag 11, active in radio energy
Cep Herschel's Garnet Star, red supergiant pulsating variable....... 21  43  30  +58  47  
___________________________________________________________________
Cetus the Whale September into March
Cet   variable star 220 lt-yr Mira, the most famous pulsating variable star
Cet GX NGC 247 10 mil yr this spiral galaxy is a near neighbor
Cet PN NGC 246 .............. 8th-mag planetary has a 225” diameter
Cet GX M77 60 mil yr has a huge redshift, receding 620 mi per sec
__________________________________________________________________
Coma Berenices Bernice's Hair February into August
Com Dbl double star .............. 24 Comae; “beautiful pair, easy,” sep 20”
Com GC M53 65,000 yr easy, “beautiful globular.....glittering, gemlike”
Com GX M64 20 mil yr Black-Eye Galaxy, bright spiral, mag 8.5
Com GX M88 41 mil yr one of best spirals for small telescopes
Com GX M98 35 mil yr  edge-on; unusual: approaching, 125 mi per sec
Com GX M99 45 mil yr face-on; was recognized as a spiral in 1848
Com GX M100 40 mil yr biggest spiral in the Virgo-Coma Cluster
Com GX M85 44 mil yr one of bright ellipticals, discovered in 1781
Com GX NGC 4565 20 mil yr largest, most famous of edge-on spirals
__________________________________________________________________
Corvus the Crow from March into June
Crv Dbl double star 124 lt-yr Algorab, an “easy” binary pair, sep is 24”
Crv GX NGC 4038 90 mil yr Ring-tail Galaxy, two apparently colliding
Crv PN NGC 4631 .............. big planetary nebula, 110”, at 10th-magnitude
__________________________________________________________________
Cygnus the Swan June into December
Cyg Dbl double star 410 lt-yr Albireo, sep 34.3” is optical, 400 billion miles
Cyg PN NGC 6826 ............... Blinking Nebula, a planetary
Cyg BN NGC 6888 ............... Crescent Nebula, a bright nebula
Cyg OC M29 7,200 lt-yr cluster of 50 stars is obscured by some dust
Cyg BN NGC 6960 1,400 lt-yr Veil Nebula, western filament, and......
Cyg BN NGC 6992 1,400 lt-yr Veil Nebula, the eastern filament
Cyg BN NGC 7000 1,600 lt-yr North America Nebula, diameter 120x100'
Cyg OC M39 800 lt-yr big, sparse cluster of 30 stars
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Delphinus the Dolphin June into December
Del Dbl double star 100 lt-yr Gamma Delphini, sep 9.6”, mags 4.5 & 5.5
Del PN NGC 6891 ............... planetary is mag 11.7, diam is 12 arc-seconds
Del GC NGC 6394 ............... a 9th-mag globular cluster; diam is 5.9 arc-min
Del GC NGC 7006 185,000 yr 2nd-farthest globular, after one in Puppis
__________________________________________________________________
Draco the Dragon April into December
Dra Dbl double star 75 lt-yr Eta (BooBoo), 5.2” binary but “not easy” 
Dra PN NGC 6543 3,200 lt-yr Cat's Eye Nebula, bright, “easy,” mag 8.8
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Eridanus the River October into March
Eri Dbl double star 115 lt-yr Acamar, “a southern sky gem,” sep 8.2”
Eri GX NGC 1084 .............. a small spiral galaxy at mag 10.6
Eri GX NGC 1291 .............. this spiral is magnitude 8.5
Eri GX NGC 1300 .............. barred spiral, mag 10.4, size 6.5'
Eri PN NGC 1535 .............. planetary nebula, at mag 9.6
Eri BN Witch Head Nebula, spans 2˚ of sky.................. 05  06  54  -07  13
___________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Fornax the Furnace November into February
For GX NGC 1399 55 mil yr 2nd-brightest in this Fornax Galaxy Cluster
For GX NGC 1365 ...............  “wonderful .... finest spiral in southern sky”
For GX NGC 1097 ............... “can see the bar!” in this mag 9.2 barred spiral
For PN NGC 1360 ............... planetary nebula has diameter of 390 arc-sec
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Gemini the Twins November into April
Gem Dbl double star 52 lt-yr Castor (Alpha), has sep 3.9”, mags 1.9 & 2.9
Gem OC M35 2,200 lt-yr “excellent,” 200 stars; maybe even naked-eye
Gem PN NGC 2392 3,000 lt-yr Eskimo (or Clown Face) Nebula grows 68 mps
Gem PN NGC 2371 ................. Double Bubble Nebula (can boost the power)
Gem OC NGC 2158 16,000 lt-yr rich open cluster, hard to resolve, like a globular
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Hercules the Strongman April into November
Her Dbl double star 380 lt-yr Ras Algethi, sep 4.7”; it's 400 times sun's size
Her Dbl double star 95 lt-yr Delta, sep 8.9”, but just optical pair, unrelated
Her GC M13 23,500 lt-yr Great Hercules Cluster, spans 160 lt-yrs wide
Her GC M92 35,000 lt-yr also “beautiful,” and only 9˚ away from M13
Her PN NGC 6210 ................... planetary nebula, mag 9.3”, diameter is 14”
__________________________________________________________________
Hydra Water Serpent April into June
Hya   bright star 220 lt-yr Zeta Hydrae, just to align and focus
Hya PN NGC 3242 3,300 lt-yr Ghost of Jupiter Nebula, easy, at mag 8.6
Hya GX M83 10 mil yr spiral one of 25 brightest; 4 supernovae seen
Hya GC M68 46,000 lt-yr 100,000 stars but distant, not easy to resolve
Hya GC NGC 5694 100,000 yr very remote, hard to resolve.....”a wanderer?”
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Leo the Lion January into June
Leo Dbl double star 170 lt-yr Algieba (Gamma), sep is 5.2”
Leo Dbl double star 78 lt-yr Regulus, easy 177” sep; is 5 times sun's size
Leo GX NGC 3521 .............. barred spiral at mag 8.9, is 9.5' wide
Leo GX M65, M66 29 mil yr these five 9th-mag galaxies...
Leo GX M95 29 mil yr ....are among members
Leo GX M96   ....of a sub-cluster
Leo GX M105   ....called the Leo Galaxy Group
__________________________________________________________________      
Lepus the Hare December into March
Lep Tpl triple star 900 lt-yr Arneb (Alpha), sep 35”-91”, likely just optical
Lep GC M79 50,000 lt-yr it's 8th-mag, but not one of brighter globulars
__________________________________________________________________
Lyra the Harp May into December
Lyr Epsilon 2+2 180 lt-yrs Double-Double, 2.6”-2.3”....18 44 18 +39 40
Lyr PN M57 2,000 l-y Ring Nebula, planetary is expanding 12 mps
Lyr double star .............. Eta Lyrae, sep 28.4”............19 13 48 +39 09
Lyr GC M56 46,000 l-y 60 lt-yrs wide, is approaching at 88 mps 
Lyr OC NGC 6791 .............. 300 stars span 16' diam.; total magnitude 9.5
__________________________________________________________________ Back to Top
Microscopium the Microscope August into December
Mic Lacaille 8760, brightest-known red dwarf star, 12.9 lt-yrs....... 21  05  15  -38  47
__________________________________________________________________
Monoceros the Unicorn