YOUR QUICK GUIDE Bright nebula

Sky & Telescope’s TO FINDING THE Planetary nebula

Open cluster
NIGHT SKY’S MOST

Messier Card
Globular cluster
SPECTACULAR STAR Galaxy
CLUSTERS, GALAXIES, Other
AND NEBULAE

18 h 12 h 6h
52 103
+60°
+60° 40
101
108
109 97 76
39
51
106
92
63 94 34 110
31
13 32
29 38
36
57 33
+30° 37 +30°
56
3 35 45
27 1
64 44
71 53 74
15 65 105
66 67
See detail 49 96 95
other side
5 61
78
0° 0°
2 14 77
12 43
DECLINATION

10 42
50
11 48
72 26 16
104 47
73 17 107
18 24 23 46
25 9
75 21 80 41
22 20 19 93
30 8
28 68 79
4 83
–30° –30°
55 54 69 6 62
70 7

–60° –60°

18 h 12 h 6h RIGHT ASCENSION
 0h
M NGC/IC Type Con. R.A. Dec. Mag. Size ( ) Notes M NGC/IC Type Con. R.A. Dec. Mag. Size ( ) Notes

6
h
103
h m h m
1 1952 BN Tau 05 34.5 +22° 01 8 6×4 Crab Nebula 59 4621 EG Vir 12 42.0 +11° 39 9.8 5×3
2 7089 GC Aqr 21h 33.5m –00° 49 6.5 13 60 4649 EG Vir 12h 43.7m +11° 33 8.8 7×6
3 5272 GC CVn 13h 42.2m +28° 23 6.4 16 61 4303 SG Vir 12h 21.9m +04° 28 9.7 6×5
4 6121 GC Sco 16h 23.6m –26° 32 5.9 26 62 6266 GC Oph 17h 01.2m –30° 07 6.6 14 52
5 5904 GC Ser 15h 18.6m +02° 05 5.8 17 63 5055 SG CVn 13h 15.8m +42° 02 8.6 12 × 8 Sunflower Galaxy
6 6405 OC Sco 17h 40.1m –32° 13 4.2 15 Butterfly Cluster 64 4826 SG Com 12h 56.7m +21° 41 8.5 9×5 Black-Eye Galaxy
7 6475 OC Sco 17h 53.9m –34° 49 3.3 80 65 3623 SG Leo 11h 18.9m +13° 05 9.3 10 × 3
8 6523 BN Sgr 18h 03.8m –24° 23 6 90 × 40 Lagoon Nebula 66 3627 SG Leo 11h 20.2m +12° 59 9.0 9×4
9 6333 GC Oph 17h 19.2m –18° 31 8 9 67 2682 OC Cnc 08h 51.4m +11° 49 6.9 30 Polaris
10 6254 GC Oph 16h 57.1m –04° 06 6.6 15 68 4590 GC Hya 12h 39.5m –26° 45 8.2 12
82
11 6705 OC Sct 18h 51.1m –06° 16 5.8 14 Wild Duck Cluster 69 6637 GC Sgr 18h 31.4m –32° 21 7.7 7 81
12 6218 GC Oph 16h 47.2m –01° 57 6.6 14 70 6681 GC Sgr 18h 43.2m –32° 18 8.1 8
13 6205 GC Her 16h 41.7m +36° 28 5.9 17 Hercules Cluster 71 6838 GC Sge 19h 53.8m +18° 47 8.3 7
14 6402 GC Oph 17h 37.6m –03° 15 7.6 12 72 6981 GC Aqr 20h 53.5m –12° 32 9.4 6
15 7078 GC Peg 21h 30.0m +12° 10 6.4 12 73 6994 AS Aqr 20h 58.9m –12° 38 9.3 1 (four stars)
16 6611 OC Ser 18h 18.8m –13° 47 6.0 7 Eagle Nebula 74 628 SG Psc 01h 36.7m +15° 47 9.2 10 × 9 108
17 6618 BN Sgr 18h 20.8m –16° 11 7 46 × 37 Omega Nebula 75 6864 GC Sgr 20h 06.1m –21° 55 8.6 6 97
+6
18 6613 OC Sgr 18h 19.9m –17° 08 6.9 9 76 650–1 PN Per 01h 42.4m +51° 34 11 2×1 Little Dumbbell 0°
40
19 6273 GC Oph 17h 02.6m –26° 16 7.2 14 77 1068 SG Cet 02h 42.7m –00° 01 8.8 7×6 109

h
18

12
20 6514 BN Sgr 18h 02.6m –23° 02 8 29 × 27 Trifid Nebula 78 2068 BN Ori 05h 46.7m +00° 03 8 8×6

h
21 6531 OC Sgr 18h 04.6m –22° 30 5.9 13 79 1904 GC Lep 05h 24.5m –24° 33 8.0 9
22 6656 GC Sgr 18h 36.4m –23° 54 5.1 24 80 6093 GC Sco 16h 17.0m –22° 59 7.2 9
23 6494 OC Sgr 17h 56.8m –19° 01 5.5 27 81 3031 SG UMa 09h 55.6m +69° 04 6.8 26 × 14 64
24 — MC Sgr 18h 16.9m –18° 29 4 90 82 3034 IG UMa 09h 55.8m +69° 41 8.4 11 × 5
25 IC 4725 OC Sgr 18h 31.6m –19° 15 4.6 32 83 5236 SG Hya 13h 37.0m –29° 52 8 11 × 10 +20°
26 6694 OC Sct 18h 45.2m –09° 24 8.0 15 84 4374 EG Vir 12h 25.1m +12° 53 9.3 5×4 85
27 6853 PN Vul 19h 59.6m +22° 43 8 8×4 Dumbbell Nebula 85 4382 EG Com 12h 25.4m +18° 11 9.2 7×5
28 6626 GC Sgr 18h 24.5m –24° 52 7 11 86 4406 EG Vir 12h 26.2m +12° 57 9.2 7×5
29 6913 OC Cyg 20h 23.9m +38° 32 6.6 7 87 4486 EG Vir 12h 30.8m +12° 24 8.6 7 100
91 98
30 7099 GC Cap 21h 40.4m –23° 11 7.5 11 88 4501 SG Com 12h 32.0m +14° 25 9.5 7×4 Denebola
31 224 SG And 00h 42.7m +41° 16 3.4 180 × 60 Andromeda Galaxy 89 4552 EG Vir 12h 35.7m +12° 33 9.8 4 88 99
32 221 EG And 00h 42.7m +40° 52 8.2 8×6 90 4569 SG Vir 12h 36.8m +13° 10 9.5 9×5 90 86
89 84
33 598 SG Tri 01h 33.9m +30° 39 5.7 60 × 40 Pinwheel Galaxy 91 4548 SG Com 12h 35.4m +14° 30 10.2 5×4 87
34 1039 OC Per 02h 42.1m +42° 45 5.2 35 92 6341 GC Her 17h 17.1m +43° 08 6.5 11 60 59 58
35 2168 OC Gem 06h 08.9m +24° 20 5.1 28 93 2447 OC Pup 07h 44.6m –23° 52 6 22 +10°
36 1960 OC Aur 05h 36.5m +34° 08 6.0 12 94 4736 SG CVn 12h 50.9m +41° 07 8.1 11 × 9
37 2099 OC Aur 05h 52.4m +32° 33 5.6 24 95 3351 SG Leo 10h 44.0m +11° 42 9.7 7×5
38 1912 OC Aur 05h 28.7m +35° 50 6.4 21 96 3368 SG Leo 10h 46.8m +11° 49 9.2 7×5 49
39 7092 OC Cyg 21h 32.2m +48° 26 4.6 32 97 3587 PN UMa 11h 14.8m +55° 01 11 3 Owl Nebula
40 — AS UMa 12h 22.2m +58° 05 9.1 1 (double star) 98 4192 SG Com 12h 13.8m +14° 54 10.1 9×3
41 2287 OC CMa 06h 46.0m –20° 44 4.5 38 99 4254 SG Com 12h 18.8m +14° 25 9.8 5
42 1976 BN Ori 05h 35.4m –05° 27 4 66 × 60 Orion Nebula 100 4321 SG Com 12h 22.9m +15° 49 9.4 7×6 61
13h 12h
43 1982 BN Ori 05h 35.6m –05° 16 9 20 × 15 101 5457 SG UMa 14h 03.2m +54° 21 7.7 27 × 26
44 2632 OC Cnc 08h 40.1m +19° 46 3.1 95 Beehive Cluster 102 (duplication of M101)
45 — OC Tau 03h 47.0m +24° 07 1.2 110 Pleiades 103 581 OC Cas 01h 33.2m +60° 42 7 6 Notes for Messier Marathons: Once a year, near the time of the
March equinox, the Sun is in a position to allow viewing of nearly
46 2437 OC Pup 07h 41.8m –14° 49 6.1 27 104 4594 SG Vir 12h 40.0m –11° 37 8.3 9×4 Sombrero Galaxy
all the Messier objects in one night. Some, however, will be near
47 2422 OC Pup 07h 36.6m –14° 30 4.4 30 105 3379 EG Leo 10h 47.8m +12° 35 9.3 5×4 setting in the early evening and should be viewed first in the follow-
48 2548 OC Hya 08h 13.8m –05° 48 5.8 54 106 4258 SG CVn 12h 19.0m +47° 18 8.3 18 × 8 ing sequence: M31, M32, M110, M33, M74, M77, and M79. Other
49 4472 EG Vir 12h 29.8m +08° 00 8.4 9×7 107 6171 GC Oph 16h 32.5m –13° 03 8.1 10 objects will not be visible until just before dawn: M2, M15, M30, M55,
50 2323 OC Mon 07h 02.8m –08° 23 5.9 16 108 3556 SG UMa 11h 11.5m +55° 40 10.0 8×2 M72, M73, and M75. With the three charts on this card as a guide, the
51 5194–5 SG CVn 13h 29.9m +47° 12 8.1 11 × 8 Whirlpool Galaxy 109 3992 SG UMa 11h 57.6m +53° 23 9.8 8×5 rest of the objects can be viewed in a relatively leisurely progression
52 7654 OC Cas 23h 24.2m +61° 35 6.9 13 110 205 EG? And 00h 40.4m +41° 41 8.0 17 × 10 as they cross the sky.
53 5024 GC Com 13h 12.9m +18° 10 7.7 13
54 6715 GC Sgr 18h 55.1m –30° 29 7.7 9 BN = bright nebula OC = open cluster EG = elliptical galaxy 90 Sherman St.
55 6809 GC Sgr 19h 40.0m –30° 58 7.0 19 BNPN = planetary
bright nebula OC
nebula = open
GC = cluster EG= elliptical galaxy
globular cluster SG = spiral galaxy Cambridge, MA 02140
56 6779 GC Lyr 19h 16.6m +30° 11 8.2 7 PNMC = Milky Way
= planetary cloud
nebula GCAS==globular
asterismcluster SG = spiral IGgalaxy
= irregular galaxy USA
57 6720 PN Lyr 18h 53.6m +33° 02 9 1 Ring Nebula Coordinates are for equinox 2000.0. Many of the less conspicuous objects require a 800-253-0245
58 4579 SG Vir 12h 37.7m +11° 49 9.8 5×4 telescope, and a detailed set of charts such as S&T’s Pocket Sky Atlas is very useful.

© 2010 Sky & Telescope Media LLC