It contains the irregular variable star AE Aurigae, which adds a bluish color . http://www.sahavre.fr/observer/preparer-sa-soiree. For these targets, a focal length anywhere between 50-500mm or so can be used, depending on the target. The Whale also has a dwarf companion, the tiny elliptical galaxy NGC 4627. If you have been following us on YouTube since the beginning, you know that it all started with us photographing M101 from the Nevada desert. Thanks Astrobill, Your email address will not be published. In thumbnail lists - each page contains 16 images with details for each DSO, Details given are the same as in 7000 DSO list. As I learn new and better ways to produce high-quality images, I will update my collection of images taken during galaxy season. With my recent addition of a modified Canon T3i and 12nm ha filter, I am anxious to capture these nebulae in a new way. I hope to one day image the Pleiades from a dark sky location to reveal even more of the faint nebula making up this object.. Lets make our way over to the Constellation Auriga. So let's warm up some cider, grab your scope, and get outside! *We're working on imaging the Needle Galaxy and will upload our result once we capture it! You can also try this handy image scale and field-of-view calculator to better plan your galaxy photo. I am considering having my Canon t6s astro modified the DSOs. With faint hints of the Rosette Nebula showing up, this image shows off these two clusters but I didnt quite have enough exposure time to pick up the famous red from this nebula. Its here where you will find the open star cluster Hyades. Take one look at your favorite astronomy app, filter the object type by galaxy in the planetarium, and youll quickly see why amateur astronomers refer to the spring as galaxy season. SAC 7.7 Deep sky database: Data courtesy of the Saguaro Astronomy Club, To print this guide Adobe Acrobat reader is required. cover page, thumbnail images of best ~650 DSO sorted by name, list of best ~650 DSO sorted by constellation-magnitude, list of 7000 DSO sorted by name. Watch the video below if you'd like to learn about these targets in a video format. Ive only captured a few images of this target but it goes well with the impressive family of objects located within the Constellation Orion . Description: IC 2581 is the open star cluster that is very similar to the previous member of our list, NGC 3114. I'm an astrophotographer, iOS app software developer (I make iPhone apps), and passionate stargazer. This galaxy has a small apparent size, especially through a small telescope. March marks the end of the cold Winter months and the beginning of Spring! Below you will find 5 deep sky objects that are at their highest elevation in September. Designation: M65, M66, NGC 3628 M106 is not a highly popular target, probably because it doesn't have a nickname like most other main Messier objects, but it has a very unique shape which makes it one of the most beautiful deep sky objects of the Spring season. This naked eye object can be enjoyed with no equipment whatsoever under a clear dark and steady sky. Processing it is also easy, and can be really fun as the galaxy will appear to, M81 and M82 are two beautiful galaxies that are easy targets for beginner astrophotographers looking to get two impressive objects for the price of one. Am i right? If you manage to see one of them in the sky, dont hesitate to share your observation experience with us on social media. Each month's goals are listed alphabetically, not by difficulty. On July 1, at 13:21 GMT, the Moon will get close to M44, or the Beehive cluster. M64 is home to about 100 billion stars and is part of the M94 group of galaxies (also called the Cat's Eye Galaxy Group). The Constellation Orion is home to our next two targets as well. Astronomers also use other catalogs that list different types of deep-sky objects: You can explore these catalogs in the astronomy app Sky Tonight which includes more than 90,000 deep-sky objects. Also, it is one of the four globular clusters to host a planetary nebula. Its nickname, the Cigar Galaxy, was given to the object because of the visible hydrogen Alpha gas being expelled from its core. M7 / NGC6475. To find the best deep-sky objects to observe, we turned to some of our Unistellar users. Messier 106 (or NGC 4258) is another fantastic subject for galaxy season. Additional image sources: Hubblesite, NGC7000 site (Copyright Ole Nielsen 200-2007), National Optical Astronomy Observatory (copyright NOAO/AURA/NSF), Sky-Map.org, AstroFX site (Copyright Charlie Warren). At magnitude 9.5, the Needle Galaxy is pretty faint and is not visible to the naked eye. NGC 2359 spans about 30 light-years in diameter and is located not far from Sirius in the constellation of the great dog, Canis Major. Messier 55 (NGC 6809, the Summer Rose Star) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Sagittarius. Open Cluster. You can see our own image of this beautiful deep-sky object below, along with its neighbor, Bode's Galaxy. You can also get yourself The Astrophotographer's Guidebook to have a physical copy of this list with more details and tips next to you at all times :) Or get the digital version for half the price HERE! includes: Your email address will not be published. Observing it through a telescope will give you a similar view as if you were looking at the Cigar Galaxy (M82). Articles on this site may contain affiliate links. For more information on it, please visit skysafariastronomy.com. The big problem faced by non-professional observers is what to look at - what is visible at a particular time of year. Despite its small apparent size, M64 is a noteworthy target for visual observation in the constellation Coma Berenices. The Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra is one of the best-known objects in the summer sky. The cluster (magnitude 3.1) will be shining near the waning crescent Moon (magnitude -11.06). Jupiter and Venus appeared very close together in the night sky on Wednesday, with the two planets passing each other in what's known as a conjunction. Copyright 2017-2022 Pawe Biaecki. For observation planning there is a list sorted by constellation and magnitude. Our full episode about imaging M97 and M108. Next, check my free ebook if you are looking for the easiest targets for beginners overall. Nicknamed the ", The reason why it is popular is mainly that, just like Number VII above, it can be photographed with a neighbor! September 17, 2013 in Observing - Deep Sky. All deep-sky objects are at their best when on or near the meridian and, therefore, highest in the sky. This gorgeous galaxy is located 21 million light-years from Earth. The targets listed below are, in our personal opinion, the 15 best deep sky objects to photograph for beginner amateur astrophotographers in Spring. Considering how most galaxies are relatively small targets, what type of scope and focal length would ideally capture their details? If you're looking for a book to help you select deep-sky astrophotography targets, I highly suggest The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets . Designation: M104 We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. The Dumbbell Nebula is seen here through a 5-inch refractor, captured with a Canon 7D camera at ISO 800 (six stacked five-minute exposures). List of best 650 DSO (const-mag) (PDF, 120KB, 11 pages) Posted: March 01, 2023. It lies about 16,000 light-years away from Earth five times more distant than M35. Hoping this will help many beginner astrophotographers capture beautiful objects for the beginning of the new year, SPRING - The 15 Best Astrophotography Targets for March, April, and May, Thankfully, the temperature does not get too hot to have an impact on your camera sensor, as Summer usually gives us a lot of trouble with hot pixels and noise if imaging with our uncooled DSLR camera. M82 on the other hand is a starburst galaxy that is seen edge-on. NEOWISE Comet (C/2020 F3) How to Photograph? . All three galaxies are known to have been interacting with each other in the past. And for the HA image, since all I would be interested in is the Red Channel, that no White Balance is necessary. The Sleeping Beauty Galaxy. Posted by. Here is what we know about it so far. The Rosette Nebula is mostly made up of Hydrogen Alpha gas, which naturally appears red in photographs. NGC 4631 is a barred galaxy in Canes Venatici that is seen edge-on. And this month, NASA's Jupiter-orbiting Juno spacecraft is slated to make a special, fast flyby of one of those icy moons, Europa, on the 29th. Stellarium also provides fascinating details about each of the galaxies you find, and key details such as their size, magnitude, and apparent altitude from your location. All Rights Reserved. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a3251c90c29b6fb85c5ac1d41eba7f4a" );document.getElementById("cfd2c22fe2").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Spring Constellation: Leo the Lion EarthSky. front cover page, notes, tag descriptions and copyright notices, List of 7000 DSO (name) (PDF, 1.1MB, 109 pages) A new noteworthy comet has been discovered! . The star is believed to have gone supernova anytime between 3,000 and 30,000 years ago. Now you know what deep-sky objects are best visible in February. Welcome to September! Stunning image and a great walk through using DSS and Photoshop. Stephen James O'Meara has prepared a visual feast for the observer. I compiled the NGC, IC, Messier, Arp, Hickson, Sharpless, Lynd (dark and bright nebula) catalogs from the Strasbourg university (Simbad). Let me know in the comment! To get even more knowledge about deep-sky objects, take our fun quiz Guess the Nebula!. Copyright 2021 Stargazers Lounge I mainly plan to image Nebula and Galaxies and wonder which would be better for that purpose. You have just found the gorgeous Orion Nebula and its stellar nursery of stars being born. With binoculars, it can be seen to cover an area three-quarter the size of the Full Moon. Remember, darker skies, no Moonlight and larger telescopes will bring about better results for observing these distant objects. Find out! Pierre Mchain was Charles Messier's friend and colleague. Constellation:Coma Berenices. Other product and company names (e.g., Lego) mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Be sure to set up your location information properly to ensure you are seeing an accurate representation of the night sky. You can clearly see a lot of small details in the object's spiral arms, and a beautiful bright core. I now have the 18% gray card and know how to set Custom White Balance. Some are more beginner-friendly, and some are challenging for even an advanced Astro-imager. Astronomers refer to the Leo Tripletas the M66 Group. To capture the outer arms, longer, guided exposures are needed. M64 is a spiral galaxy, also in the constellation Coma Berenices that lies about 34 million light-years away. I was anxious to try something and hadnt yet figured out I should perhaps do something with White Balance. It is a really faint target with a magnitude of 11.45, but surprisingly, its colors really pop even with an unmodified DSLR camera, so give it a try if you are up for a challenge! Some targets are more prominent; some are smaller ones. There are also several dark dust lanes that could be revealed with enough exposure time. Although it has a very bright core, M64 has very dim arms making it a difficult target to image if you really want the whole body to be visible. It covers everything you need to know to capture stunning images of deep-sky objects with a DSLR or CCD camera: The fundamental concepts of imaging and their impact on the final image How to pick a telescope and camera How to get set up and take the images Where and . You can see a picture of the Eyes on the left, so you can understand why this beautiful pair of galaxies is called "The Eyes". |And|Ant|Aps|Aql|Aqr|Ara|Ari|Aur|Boo|Cae|Cam|Cap|Car|Cas|Cen|Cep|Cet|Cha |Cir|CMa |CMi |Cnc |Col |Com |CrA |CrB |Crt |Cru |Crv |CVn |Cyg|Del |Dor |Dra |Equ |Eri |For |Gem |Gru |Her |Hor |Hya |Hyi |Ind |Lac |Leo |Lep |Lib |LMi |Lup |Lyn |Lyr |Men |Mic |Mon |Mus |Nor |Oct |Oph |Ori |Pav |Peg|Per |Phe |Pic |PsA |Psc |Pup |Pyx |Ret |Scl |Sco |Sct |Ser |Sex |Sge |Sgr |Tau |Tel |TrA |Tri |Tuc |UMa |UMi |Vel |Vir |Vol |Vul |, Com - Coma Berenices the Hair of Berenice, Swan Nebula; or Omega, Horseshoe, or Lobster Nebula. However, this does not take away from the dynamic presence of this must-shoot deep-sky object. Magnitude:6.94 (M81) Deep-sky shot of the month: Orion Nebula. Stellarium view of my backyard filtered by galaxies. Deep Sky Objects,as listed on this page, refer to galaxies and nebulae (with their associated stars). With an apparent magnitude approaching 9.0, this deep-sky object is within range of backyard telescopes. The nucleus will easily appear in your image, without trouble, but expect the dark dust lanes and the arms to be a challenge to process. Although not as easy as most other objects on this list, the pair is a great target if you are looking to capture both a nebula and a galaxy in the same frame. The image above was created using a Sky-Watcher Esprit 150 refractor telescope on a night that had particularly good seeing conditions. The list provides basic information about each object: This book discusses the objects in the night sky tonight are large enough, bright enough, and high enough to be photographed for each month of the year. How to observe: You can try to see NGC 3114 with the unaided eye. All of them are available for free! The Sombrero Galaxy is small and not impressive to look at, but it is bright enough to be seen with binoculars and small telescopes if observing from a very dark site. Lets see how weird you are try to guess a nebulas name from its picture! NGC 3628 (The Hamburger Galaxy) is more similar in distance (35 mly) and magnitude (10.2) to M65 than M66. In March, the stars of spring lie eastward. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid, http://cds.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/Dic-Simbad, Book project: Discovering Deep Sky Objects. July 10: The Great Peacock Globular (NGC 6752), July 1: the Moon meets the Beehive Cluster, one of the first objects of its kind ever found, the third-brightest globular cluster in the sky, they usually are at the peak of visibility for around a month, the top 15 star clusters that can be spotted with the naked eye. You could of course find several other great targets up in the sky, but those would be much smaller than the ones in this list and more difficult to capture for beginner astrophotographers. The term "deep-sky object" (DSO) is mostly used by amateur astronomers to denote astronomical objects outside the Solar System that are not individual stars. Here is a list of the ones that do. Get to know what are the 15 best targets for Spring, like the Sombrero galaxy, Thor's Helmet, The Black Eye galaxy, the Rosette nebula, the Whirlpool galaxy, or the Pinwheel galaxy! This work is a printable field guide and an observing list (catalog) of deep-sky objects. This is the kind of galaxy you take a picture of and print it out for your girlfriend for Valentine's Day. Medium-sized telescopes will provide a view of individual stars. In long exposure photography the blue nebula appears with the seven sisters. It is too thin and dim to be seen with the naked eye and is almost impossible to spot with binoculars. Magnitude:8.4 In July, four deep-sky objects will be in the best position in the sky; three of them may be seen with the naked eye. I think it wont because the removal of the Ir Cut filter lets in the reds more commonly seen in nebulae and from all of the images i have seen so far, there are not any red galaxies. Equipment: Nikkor 135mm, ASI1600MM, Optolong RGB filters. Beginner astrophotographers using a DSLR camera (like ourselves when we took our image) often have no problem getting a beautiful overall photo of the two but struggle to show the hydrogen alpha gas being expelled from M82. Amateur astronomers like to target deep-sky objects with their telescopes. Here you will find amongst several objects the Starfish and Pinwheel clusters. NGC 4565 contains about 240 globular clusters, which is almost 100 more than what we have in our Milky Way! Three supernovas have been discovered since 1994 from the Whirlpool Galaxy. If you own a monochrome CMOS or CCD camera with a filter wheel, the Rosette looks fantastic in both a regular LRGB palette or the Hubble Narrowband palette. Finally, use the free Stellarium planetary software if you don't know how to locate a target in the night sky (or use a GOTO equatorial mount by typing the target name/coordination there). Illustrated DSO Guide - Full (single PDF file, 22MB, 160 pages) This image is interesting because it was, back then, the most detailed image of a galaxy ever taken by any telescope! How to observe: Similar to the previous member of the list, IC 2581 can be seen with the naked eye under the clear skies with sharp eyesight. Remember when we said that you will be eating a LOT of galaxies this season? The Pinwheel Galaxy, or M101 as it is classified, is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. Orion Nebula (M42 / NGC 1976) - the best nebula to start. It takes a region of about 30' in the sky, which is a bit larger than the size of the Full Moon. The photo above was captured from my backyard in March 2019 using a Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 APO refractor telescope. Thankfully, the temperature does not get too hot to have an impact on your camera sensor, as Summer usually gives us a lot of trouble with hot pixels and noise if imaging with our uncooled DSLR camera. The term deep-sky object denotes three types of space objects that exist outside our Solar System galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. The core of the galaxy, as well as its companion NGC 5195, can be better observed through small telescopes. Although it is an easy target to image with an unmodified DSLR camera, you will be able to get much more data if you either attach a, As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, it is with Messier 101 that we started Galactic Hunter! By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. It's easy! Negative DSS images were used (data courtesy of the Digital Sky Survey). List includes all Messier, Herschel, Caldwell, SAC's best of NGC, and ~150 additional DSOs. Astrobill, Trevor i forgot to ask if u used any filter for these gal? M106 is officially a galaxy that is between "normal" and "barred spiral". Since this photo was taken in 2014, I have captured this pair independently from one another (using a larger telescope) with remarkable results. It also has a gradient range of colors, which can be difficult to process for beginner astrophotographers. Even though Ive never seen it with the naked eye, this long exposure image I took of the Horsehead nebula shows the incredible beauty of this dark nebula with the flame nebula parked right near it as an added bonus. What's in the Sky this Month | March 2023 | High Point Scientific. Yes its bitterly cold for many of us, but the nights start early and last long throughout these months. We have taken test shots several times but never went through with spending several hours on it and stacking our results. With that being said, dont let that stop you from viewing and photographing galaxies this spring using whichever telescope you currently own. [ Best night sky events of November 2014 (images)] Now for some easier targets. IC 443 is faint and difficult to capture, but it still deserves its place on this list. The best telescopes for deep space will let you observe far-away galaxies, nebulas, star systems and more. The winter deep-sky targets in the Orion constellation are arguably the best of the Northern Hemisphere. If you are using a telescope or lens with a focal length of 800mm or less, expect most of the galaxies on this list to appear very small. Markarian's Chain is made up of more than 8 galaxies, including several Messier objects. Youre right, its mostly for picking up the reds in emission nebulae. Look for the handle of the Big Dipper Asterism and you should find M101 just above the double stars Alcor and Mizar. The constellation of Corona Borealis hosts many interesting deep-sky objects as well, such as the Abell 2065 galaxy cluster, the Corona Borealis Supercluster, the NGC 6085, and 6086 spiral and elliptical galaxies, or the Abell 2142, 2061, 2067 and 2162 galaxy clusters, among others. Lets move out of the Constellation Orion and over to the Constellation Monoceros where you will find the open clusters NGC 2244 inside the Rosette Nebula and NGC 2264, the Christmas Tree Cluster, inside of the Cone Nebula. Designation: M64 The Black Eye galaxy still deserves to be on this list of the easiest targets for beginner astrophotographers, just make sure you spend enough time on it and preferably from a dark location. On July 23, at 03:29 GMT, the Moon will pass the Pleiades at a distance of 3.7 while visiting the constellation Taurus. Description: NGC 3114 is quite a difficult object to study because of the high number of field stars from the Milky Ways disk. Choosing the appropriate deep sky objects by month can be tough. Here is one of my favorite shots taken with my Canon SL2, 135mm Samyang Lens and SkyGuider Pro Tracking Mount showing off arguably the best Deep Sky Object the night sky has to offer. The almost New Moon wont hinder the view. The objects benefitted from the added focal length (800mm), but there is still not enough data acquired to do this pairing justice. Even without imaging equipment, the beauty and complexity of this region of space is enjoyable to see with just the naked eye and a pair of binoculars. It is unsure if NGC 3628 is a barred or unbarred spiral galaxy, as it is really hard to tell from the angle it is viewed. We wish you clear skies and successful observations! Deep-sky objects are usually designated by catalog numbers, such as M42 or NGC 869. Is there something else? See screenshots. Move back up to Orions belt and you will come across the famous horsehead nebula which is a difficult target to see visually but one I love to image every year. You can now see some of the fine details and textures of this grand spiral design galaxy in detail. I really enjoy the look of this galaxy, as more integrated exposure time adds interesting details and color information reminiscent of the Cigar Galaxy. To get the whole lists, here is a step by step tutorial. You can bookmark this page along with our guides for Summer, Fall, and Winter to easily find a target to photograph in the future. Building a Telescope Rig to Photograph Galaxies (Video), AstroBackyard | Astrophotography Tips and Tutorials2023. Photographing this group of galaxies is fairly easy as the members spread out in a large area of the sky and all have different magnitudes. Brightest star clusters in July July 1: The Sagittarius Cluster (M22) July 2: The Tweedledee Cluster (IC 4756) July 10: The Great Peacock Globular (NGC 6752) July 17: The Summer Rose Star (M55) Deep-sky objects and the Moon July 1: the Moon meets the Beehive Cluster July 23: the Moon meets the Pleiades Brightest star clusters in July what an excellent resource! Magnitude:7.86 I bought an inexpensive CCD camera and realize that I will have to get a better camera either CCD or DSLR. Included in this guide: 1 Celestron NexStar 8SE Check Price 2 Sky-Watcher. Dawn. And we are done with the 15 best targets to photograph for the Spring season! I am right in the middle of testing a new CCD camera, and just tonight got some decent results. Here is my list of the best Deep Sky Objects for you to hunt down and observe or image during this time of year. Messier 106 can be found in the constellation of the hunting dogs: Canes Venatici. Spring is famously known as "Galaxy Season" and, besides three exceptions listed below, the remaining best and easiest targets for Spring astrophotography are all galaxies! It is a pretty unique-looking galaxy, which is why it is very popular for amateur astrophotographers. Unlike Messier 104, the Rosette Nebula is much larger, it also contains its own cluster of stars, NGC 2244, in its center. NGC 6752 (Caldwell 93, the Great Peacock Globular) is the third-brightest globular cluster in the sky (magnitude 5.4). Check it out if you are planning on capturing the two as we talk about several important things to know including how to frame the pair nicely. Photographically, the core of the Pinwheel Galaxy is evident even in short exposures. Together with NGC 6633, they make up a duo of the Tweedledee and Tweedledum clusters, named after the characters of Lewis Carrolls book Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Using an unmodified DSLR camera is not the best option to image this object, unless using filters. You should easily be able to capture all three objects easily unless you are using a very large instrument. The book that taught thousands of people about astrophotography has been completely revised and updated in this second edition. Ring Nebula (M57) 5. Most of the images were taken from "NGC/IC project" site, and a few of them are from other sources (see copyright information). We have taken test shots several times but never went through with spending several hours on it and stacking our results. Find out! This blog generates income via sponsored ads. The image shown above was created using a large refractor telescope (Sky-Watcher Esprit 150) and LRGB filters from my backyard in the city. list of hand-picked best ~650 DSOs sorted by constellation and magnitude, List of best 650 DSO (name) (PDF, 120KB, 11 pages) list of hand-picked best ~650 DSOs sorted by name, List of best 650 DSO (const-name) (PDF, 120KB, 11 pages) Hi Jim. Astrophotography Books . Updated: 8:58 AM EST Mar 2, 2023. I hope that this article has assisted and/or inspired your own astrophotography endeavors. The Whirlpool Galaxy is classified as an interacting, grand-design galaxy. However, youll need very sharp eyesight and a dark, clear sky to see it, so its easier to observe the cluster via binoculars or a telescope. The list is sorted by constellation and magnitude (sorting by name is also available). My initial experimentation with this on the RGB version was to set no custom no White Balance where I took about 50 images, but too short an exposure, and the whole image is red with it hard to separate the nebula from the rest of the image. You can now see some of the fine details and textures of this grand spiral design galaxy in detail. The photo above was captured using my rarely used Orion 8 F/4 Newtonian. The distance between them will be 3.9. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Top 10 Best Deep Sky Objects: Winter Night Sky. Ora Biaego 48, 59-920 Bogatynia, Poland, EU. Messier 63 was one of the first galaxies studied where a spiral structure was identified. It's bright, vast, and colorful. In Nevada, we usually start the season waiting by the telescope with coats and hand warmers, but end it in t-shirts! However, a number of galaxies have nebulae located within them such as the Triangulum galaxy. Check our article about the top 15 star clusters that can be spotted with the naked eye some of them may be visible right now in your region. A long total exposure time will of course help, but if you really want the gas to be obvious in your own work, we would recommend adding a couple of hours of exposure using a DSLR Ha Clip-On filter. Powered by Invision Community. The three objects can easily fit in most telescope/camera's frame of view without being cut off, and are bright enough to be seen even with a short exposure shot. Deep-sky objects: Small telescope and binocular targets. Just above Hyades, you will find the Pleiades. Sign up for a new account in our community. Using the finest optical telescopes available for amateur work, superior eyepieces and the darkest site on Earth, he describes and sketches the view from the telescope as never . To find an object youre interested in, tap the magnifier icon, write the objects name or catalog designation in the search field, and choose it from the list. M92 star cluster What is a deep-sky object? This nebula is nicknamed the "Jellyfish Nebula" because, when photographed, the gases look like the shape of a jellyfish's head and body. Sometimes also called "The Skull", the Rosette Nebula is an impressive object that can be photographed in both Winter and early Spring. Thank you and I absolutely love your work! Processing it is also easy, and can be really fun as the galaxy will appear to bloom (pun intended) in details and colors as you go through your processing workflow. Note, that for those sites where objects are visible, they will culminate (rise to the highest point in the sky) around midnight local time. I just got my first telescope last month (Celestron Evolution 9.25) and have been working on the easy stuff so far. Processing your data might be a little bit difficult because of how bright the core of the Needle Galaxy is (similar to, M106 is not a highly popular target, probably because it doesn't have a nickname like most other main Messier objects, but it has a very unique shape which makes it one of the most beautiful deep sky objects of the Spring season. Most named stars, if not surrounded by nebulae, are described in the "Special stars" section ofthe IAU Constellation page. The cluster will shine at a magnitude of 3.1 in the constellation Cancer, and the 5%-illuminated waxing crescent Moon will be barely visible; look for it in the constellation Taurus. Even with moderate light pollution, my 8 inch Dobsonian telescope can pick up a grayish teal color coming from this deep sky object. Thanks, Kenneth. Also, share this article with your friends via messengers or social media, and enjoy stargazing together!