2006 May 17
Many amateur astronomers live in the light polluted suburbs. They often limit their observing to a small number of bright objects because they are unaware of the large number of fainter targets visible from the suburbs. In addition, they are also unaware of the large number of lesser known bright objects that are visible.
The following is a list of objects that have been seen from a moderately light polluted location using a typical amateur telescope. This list will be expanded as additional objects are seen and identified.
| Name | Type | Con | R.A. | Dec. | Mag. | Size | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M 110 | Galaxy | And | 00:40.4 | +41.68 | +8.0 | 10' | Large, faint, ill-defined. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 31 | Galaxy | And | 00:42.7 | +41.27 | +3.5 | 160' | Andromeda Galaxy. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 32 | Galaxy | And | 00:42.7 | +40.87 | +8.2 | 3' | Faint, star-like, with central condensation. 8-inch schmidt-cassegain used |
| Eta Cassiopeiae | Double Star | Cas | 00:49.1 | +57.82 | +3.4 +7.5 | --- | 12" separation, 480 yr orbital period. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Beta Persei | Variable Star | Per | 03:08.2 | +40.96 | +2.2 to +3.5 | --- | Algol. Fairly bright to the naked eye. 2.87 day period. 93 light years distant |
| M 38 | Open Cluster | Aur | 05:28.7 | +35.83 | +6.4 | 21' | Faint, large, fuzzy patch in 10x50 binoculars. 4,200 light years distant |
| M 1 | Nebula | Tau | 05:34.5 | +22.02 | +8.2 | 6' | Crab Nebula. Large, ill-defined, and very faint. Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters were used to view this object, but they did not improve the view. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 42 | Nebula | Ori | 05:35.4 | -05.45 | +2.9 | 66' | Orion Nebula. Large, bright, with internal detail. Object was viewed with Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. It looked slightly better in the UltraBlock filter than with the O-III filter or no filter. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 36 | Open Cluster | Aur | 05:36.1 | +34.13 | +6.0 | 12' | Faint, medium-sized, fuzzy patch in 10x50 binoculars. 4,100 light years distant |
| M 37 | Open Cluster | Aur | 05:52.4 | +32.55 | +5.6 | 24' | Faint, medium-sized, hazy patch in 10x50 binoculars. 4,600 light years distant |
| M 35 | Open Cluster | Gem | 06:08.9 | +24.33 | +5.3 | 28' | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 41 | Open Cluster | CMa | 06:46.0 | -20.73 | +4.6 | 38' | Faint, coarse appearance. 10x50 binoculars used |
| NGC 2392 | Planetary Nebula | Gem | 07:29.2 | +20.92 | +10 | 0.7' | Eskimo Nebula. Small, semi-bright, fuzzy, with central condensation. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Alpha Geminorum | Double Star | Gem | 07:34.6 | +31.88 | +1.9 +2.9 | --- | Castor. 2.2" separation, 420 yr orbital period. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M47 | Open Cluster | Pup | 07:36.6 | -14.50 | +4.4 | 30' | Large, loose concentration of several bright stars. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC2438 | Planetary Nebula | Pup | 07:41.8 | -14.73 | +11 | 1.1' | Planetary nebula located in front of M46. 8-inch Newtonian used with no filter, UltraBlock filter, and O-III filter. The object invisible without a filter, but was seen in both filters. It was best seen through the O-III and consisted of a faint, medium-sized disk with no internal detail. |
| M46 | Open Cluster | Pup | 07:41.8 | -14.82 | +6.1 | 27' | Large open cluster of several faint stars. 8-inch Newtonian used. The faint planetary nebula NGC2438 is located in front of M46. |
| M44 | Open Cluster | Cnc | 08:40.1 | +20.00 | +3.1 | 95' | The Beehive or Praesepe. Barely visible to the naked eye. In 10x50 binoculars, object was a nice assortment of several bright stars. |
| NGC 2841 | Galaxy | UMa | 09:22.0 | +50.97 | +9.2 | 6.8' | Small, hard to see, with a star-like nucleus. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 2903 | Galaxy | Leo | 09:32.2 | +21.50 | +9.0 | 12.6' | Very hard to see. Large, ill-defined, and elliptical in shape. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 81 | Galaxy | UMa | 09:55.6 | +69.07 | +7.0 | 26' | Located close to M82. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 82 | Galaxy | UMa | 09:55.8 | +69.68 | +8.4 | 11' | Located close to M81. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Gamma Leonis | Double Star | Leo | 10:20.0 | +19.85 | +2.2 +3.5 | --- | 4.4" separation, 617 yr orbital period. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 3242 | Planetary Nebula | Hya | 10:24.8 | -18.63 | +7.8 | 16" | Ghost of Jupiter Nebula. Fairly large, bright, with a blurred edge. Observed without and with Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. Both filters improved the view, but the O-III provided the greatest improvement. It was somewhat surprising how easy this object was to see without a nebula filter, even though it was low in the sky and the sky was hazy and moderately light polluted. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 95 | Galaxy | Leo | 10:44.0 | +11.70 | +9.7 | 7.8' | Small, very hard to see. Located near M-96. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 96 | Galaxy | Leo | 10:46.8 | +11.82 | +9.2 | 6.9' | Hard to see. Located near M-95. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 105 | Galaxy | Leo | 10:47.8 | +12.58 | +9.3 | 3.9' | Somewhat hard to see. Ill-defined shape. Star-like nucleus. Located very close to NGC 3384.8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 3384 | Galaxy | Leo | 10:48.3 | +12.63 | +9.9 | 5.5' | Hard to see. Star-like nucleus. Located very close to M 105. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 108 | Galaxy | UMa | 11:11.5 | +55.67 | +10.1 | 8' | Extremely faint, hard to see, featureless smudge. Viewed without and with an Orion SkyGlow filter. The filter neither improved or degraded the view. Located close to M 97. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 97 | Planetary Nebula | UMa | 11:14.8 | +55.02 | +11.2 | 3' | Owl Nebula. Very faint. Observed without and with Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. Both filters improved the view, but the O-III provided the greatest improvement. Located close to M 108. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 65 | Galaxy | Leo | 11:18.9 | +13.08 | +9.3 | 10' | Faint. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 66 | Galaxy | Leo | 11:20.2 | +12.98 | +9.0 | 9' | Faint. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 4565 | Galaxy | Com | 12:36.3 | +25.98 | +9.6 | 14' | Very hard to see. Elongated shape visible 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 104 | Galaxy | Vir | 12:40.0 | -11.62 | +8.3 | 9' | Sombrero Galaxy. Faint, linear smudge. Best view obtained at 131x. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 94 | Galaxy | CVn | 12:50.9 | +41.12 | +8.2 | 11' | Bright nucleus. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 64 | Galaxy | Com | 12:56.7 | +21.68 | +8.5 | 9' | Black Eye Galaxy. Faint smudge with hint of a compact nucleus. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 53 | Globular Cluster | Com | 13:12.9 | +18.17 | +7.7 | 13' | Semi-bright, misty, hint of granularity. 8-inch Newtonian at 131x used |
| M 63 | Galaxy | CVn | 13:15.8 | +42.03 | +8.6 | 12' | Sunflower Galaxy. Faint smudge. A star-like nucleus was visible using averted vision. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 51 | Galaxy | CVn | 13:29.9 | +47.20 | +8.4 | 11' | Whirlpool Galaxy. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 5195 | Galaxy | CVn | 13:30.0 | +47.27 | +9.6 | 5' | Companion galaxy of M51. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 3 | Globular Cluster | CVn | 13:42.2 | +28.38 | +5.9 | 16' | Easy to see, fairly small. Misty appearance with hint of granularity at 130x. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 5 | Globular Cluster | Ser | 15:18.6 | +02.08 | +5.8 | 17' | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 80 | Globular Cluster | Sco | 16:17.0 | -22.98 | +7.2 | 9' | Small, bright in 8-inch Newtonian |
| M 4 | Globular Cluster | Sco | 16:23.6 | -26.53 | +6.0 | 26' | Large, faint in 8-inch Newtonian |
| M 107 | Globular Cluster | Oph | 16:32.5 | -13.05 | +8.1 | 10' | Faint in 8-inch Newtonian |
| M 13 | Globular Cluster | Her | 16:41.7 | +36.47 | +5.9 | 16' | Granular appearance. 8-inch Newtonian at 131x used |
| NGC 6210 | Planetary Nebula | Her | 16:44.5 | +23.82 | +9.2 | 15" | Small, bright, ill-defined, with a hint of blue-green color. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Alpha Herculii | Binary Star | Her | 17:14.7 | +23.40 | +3v +5.4 |
--- | 4.6" separation, 3,600 yr orbital period. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 92 | Globular Cluster | Her | 17:17.1 | +43.13 | +6.5 | 11' | Bright in 8-inch Newtonian |
| M 7 | Open Cluster | Sco | 17:53.9 | -34.82 | +3.3 | 80' | Numerous bright stars. 10x50 binoculars used |
| NGC 6543 | Planetary Nebula | Dra | 17:58.6 | +66.63 | +8.1 | >18" | Cat's Eye Nebula. Small, somewhat bright, disk with soft edges. Object was visibile without nebula filters, but UHC and O-III filters made it stand out more. Of the two filters, the O-III gave a slightly better view. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 20 | Emission/Reflection Nebula | Sgr | 18:02.6 | -23.03 | +8.5 | 27' | Trifid Nebula. Faint, hard to see. Object was viewed with no filter and with Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. The filters improved the view slightly, with the UltraBlock providing the better image. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 8 | Emission Nebula | Sgr | 18:03.8 | -24.38 | +5.8 | 90' | Lagoon Nebula. Nebula was 4' wide without a filter and 24' wide with an O-III filter. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 17 | Emission Nebula | Sgr | 18:20.8 | +16.18 | +7.0 | 46' | Omega or Swan Nebula. Only the lower portion of the swan body was visible without a filter. This object was viewed using Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. Both filters improved the view, but the O-III provided a slightly better image. The entire swan shape was visible using the O-III filter. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 28 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 18:24.5 | -24.87 | +6.9 | 11' | Small, fairly bright, with misty appearance. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| NGC 6629 | Planetary Nebula | Sgr | 18:25.87 | -23.20 | +10.5 | 16 | This object was very hard to see without a nebula filter. Use of an Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filter made the object easier to see, with the O-III providing the best image. At 163x with the O-III filter, this object was small, faint, and ill-defined (the disk lacked a clear edge). 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| NGC 6638 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 18:30.9 | -25.50 | +9.2 | 5' | Small, faint. Misty appearance. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 69 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 18:31.4 | -32.35 | +7.7 | 7' | Small, faint. Misty appearance. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 22 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 18:36.4 | -23.90 | +5.1 | 24' | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Epsilon Lyrae | Binary Star | Lyr | 18:42.7 | +39.62 | +5.4 +6.0 | --- | Double Double. Two binary star pairs separated by 207.8". Epsilon Lyrae 1 pair separation 2.8", 1200 yr orbital period. Epsilon Lyrae 2 pair separation 2.3", 600 yr orbital period. |
| Beta Lyrae | Double Star | Lyr | 18:50.1 | +33.37 | +3.4v +8.6 | --- | Optical double. 46" separation. Brighter star is variable with a magnitude of +3.4 to +4.1 and 12.9 day period. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 57 | Planetary Nebula | Lyr | 18:53.6 | +33.03 | +9.7 | 150" | Ring Nebula. Semi-bright object. Observed without and with Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. Both filters improved the view slightly. Both filters appeared to perform equally well. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 54 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 18:55.1 | -30.48 | +7.7 | 9' | Fairly bright. Small with central condensation. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 56 | Globular Cluster | Lyr | 19:16.6 | +30.18 | +8.2 | 7' | Moderate brightness and size. Looked misty. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Beta Cygni | Double Star | Cyg | 19:30.7 | +27.97 | +3.2 +5.4 | --- | Albireo. Optical double. 34" separation. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| M 55 | Globular Cluster | Sgr | 19:40.0 | -30.97 | +7.0 | 19' | Very faint. Large and ill-defined. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 6818 | Planetary Nebula | Sgr | 19:44.0 | -14.15 | +10 | 20" | Little Gem Nebula. Fairly bright and easy to see without a filter. This object was viewed using Orion UltraBlock and Lumicon O-III filters. Both filters improved the view, but the O-III provided the best view. With or without a filter, this object was a circular, fuzzy blob without a defined disk edge. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| NGC 6826 | Planetary Nebula | Cyg | 19:44.8 | +50.52 | +9.8 | 30" | Blinking Planetary. Fairly bright. Observed without and with Lumicon O-III filter. The filter did not improve the view. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 71 | Globular Cluster | Sge | 19:53.8 | +18.78 | +8.3 | 7' | Faint, hard to see. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 27 | Planetary Nebula | Vul | 19:59.6 | +22.72 | +8.1 | 8' | Dumbell Nebula. Moderately bright. Observed without and with Lumicon O-III filter. Object was slightly more distinct in O-III filter. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 6992 | Emission Nebula | Cyg | 20:56.4 | +31.72 | --- | 60' | Veil Nebula. Object was very faint with vague internal detail. It resembled an arc-shaped cloud. NGC 6992 was best seen at 46x with Lumicon O-III filter (an Orion UltraBlock filter was tired, but the view was inferior to the O-III). 8-inch Newtonian used. The Milky Way was barely visible to the unaided eye at time of observation |
| NGC 7009 | Planetary Nebula | Aqr | 21:04.2 | -11.37 | +8.4 | 26" | Saturn Nebula. Fairly bright. Blue-green color evident. Observed without and with Lumicon O-III filter. The filter did not improve the view. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 15 | Globular Cluster | Peg | 21:30.0 | +12.17 | +6.4 | 12' | Bright. Had central condensation. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 2 | Globular Cluster | Aqr | 21:33.5 | -00.82 | +6.5 | 13' | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| M 30 | Globular Cluster | Cap | 21:40.4 | -23.18 | +7.3 | 11' | Small, hard to see. Central condensation. Hint of granularity. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| NGC 7331 | Galaxy | Peg | 22:37.1 | +34.42 | +9.5 | 10' | Hard to see. Fairly small. Shape was elongated. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Sun | Star | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Do not attempt to view the Sun without using a full aperture filter that was designed for this purpose and is known to be eye-safe! 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and full aperture solar filter used |
| Mercury | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Venus | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Moon | Moon | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Earth's Moon. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Mars | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Jupiter | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Io | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +5.0 | 1.2" | Jovian moon. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Ganymede | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +4.6 | 1.7" | Jovian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Europa | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +5.3 | 1.0" | Jovian moon. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Callisto | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +5.6 | 1.6" | Jovian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Saturn | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Tethys | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +10.3 | --- | Saturnian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Dione | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +10.4 | --- | Saturnian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Rhea | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +9.7 | --- | Saturnian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Titan | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +8.4 | --- | Saturnian moon. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Iapetus | Moon | --- | --- | --- | +11.2 | --- | Saturnian moon. 8-inch Newtonian used |
| Uranus | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Neptune | Planet | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | A trace of blue-green color was visible at 81x. A hint of the planet's disc could be seen at 203x. 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain used |
| Ceres | Asteroid | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Very faint. 10x50 binoculars used |
| Vesta | Asteroid | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Rather bright. 10x50 binoculars used |
| --- | Not applicable or unknown |
| ' | Minutes |
| " | Seconds |
| And | Andromeda |
| Aqr | Aquarius |
| Aur | Auriga |
| Cas | Cassiopeia |
| Cnc | Cancer |
| Com | Coma Berenices |
| Con | Constellation |
| CVn | Canes Venatici |
| Cyg | Cygnus |
| Dec. | Declination |
| Dra | Draco |
| Gem | Gemini |
| Her | Hercules |
| Hya | Hydra |
| Lyr | Lyra |
| Mag. | Magnitude |
| Oph | Ophiuchus |
| Ori | Orion |
| Peg | Pegasus |
| Per | Perseus |
| Pup | Puppis |
| Sco | Scorpius |
| Ser | Serpens |
| Sge | Sagitta |
| Sgr | Sagittarius |
| Tau | Taurus |
| UMa | Ursa Major |
| Vir | Virgo |
| Vul | Vulpecula |