Messier Object distances MESSIER NUMBERTYPEDISTANCE(light years)NAME M1 nebula6,300Crab (supernova in 1054) M2 globular cluster36,800 M3 globular cluster32,300 M4 globular cluster9,900 M5 globular cluster24,800 M6 open cluster2,000Butterfly M7 open cluster780 M8 nebula dif5,150Lagoon Nebula M9 globular cluster22,500 M10 globular cluster14,300 M11 open cluster5,600Wild Duck Cluster M12 globular cluster17,900 M13 globular cluster23,500Hercules Cluster M14 globular cluster33,300 M15 globular cluster30,600 M16 nebula dif8,200Eagle Nebula M17 nebula dif5,700Swan or Omega Nebula M18 open cluster4,900 M19 globular cluster34,600 M20 nebula dif6,650Trifid Nebula M21 open cluster4,200 M22 globular cluster10,100 M23 open cluster2,100 M24 asterism16,000 M25 open cluster1,900 M26 open cluster5,100 M27 nebula plan.980Dumbbell Nebula M28 globular cluster19,900 M29 open cluster4,100 M30 globular cluster26,700 M31 galaxy2,300,000Andromeda galaxy M32 galaxy2,300,000 M33 galaxy2,400,000Pinwheel galaxy M34 open cluster1,400 M35 open cluster2,800 M36 open cluster4,100 M37 open cluster4,400 M38 open cluster4,300 M39 open cluster880 M40 asterism M41 open cluster2,300 M42 nebula dif1,550Great Orion Nebula M43 nebula dif1,550 M44 open cluster525Beehive Cluster M45 open cluster400Pleiades or Seven Sisters M46 open cluster5,400 M47 open cluster100 M48 open cluster2,000 M49 galaxy58,000,000 M50 open cluster3,000 M51 galaxy35,000,000Whirlpool galaxy M52 open cluster5,200 M53 globular cluster55,400 M54 globular cluster70,100 M55 globular cluster17,000 M56 globular cluster31,000 M57 nebula plan.2,000Ring Nebula M58 galaxy58,000,000 M59 galaxy58,000,000 M60 galaxy58,000,000 M61 galaxy58,000,000 M62 globular cluster19,600 M63 galaxy35,000,000Sunflower galaxy M64 galaxy25,000,000Black Eye galaxy M65 galaxy29,000,000 M66 galaxy29,000,000 M67 open cluster2,600 M68 globular cluster31,300 M69 globular cluster33,600 M70 globular cluster35,200 M71 globular cluster18,000 M72 globular cluster56,400 M73 asterism M74 galaxy M75 globular cluster59,300 M76 nebula plan.3,600Little Dumbbell M77 galaxy60,000,000Seyfert galaxy M78 nebula dif M79 globular cluster43,400 M80 globular cluster27,100 M81 galaxy7,400,000 M82 galaxy7,000,000 M83 galaxy10,000,000 M84 galaxy58,000,000 M85 galaxy40,000,000 M86 galaxy58,000,000 M87 galaxy58,000,000 M88 galaxy M89 galaxy58,000,000 M90 galaxy58,000,000 M91 galaxy M92 globular cluster25,400 M93 open cluster3,600 M94 galaxy20,000,000 M95 galaxy29,000,000 M96 galaxy29,000,000 M97 nebula plan.1,300Owl Nebula M98 galaxy35,000,000 M99 galaxy47,000,000 M100 galaxy40,000,000 M101 galaxy15,000,000 M102 galaxy (?) M103 open cluster8,500 M104 galaxy40,000,000Sombreo galaxy M105 galaxy M106 galaxy M107 globular cluster19,200 M108 galaxy M109 galaxy M110 galaxy2,300,000 * A LIGHT YEAR is a measure of distance. It's the distance light will travel in 1 year at the speed of 186,282 miles per second. 1 light year = 5.88 trillion miles Note: These distances are the best estimates I gotten from several sources. Burhanham's, Voyager, and some "experts" on the net who felt the distances in Burnhams were too small. These values may well change over time given different assumptions about standards for judging distances in space. Messier Object Descriptions(Descriptions take from several sources including Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Original credits cited at bottom of page.) M1 - NGC 1952: "Crab" Nebula in Winter Constellation TAURUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright and Very Large. Extended Along Position Angle 135 Degrees. Very Gradually Brightening a Little Toward the Middle; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford Description: "An object which is important astrophysi- cally, as a supernova remnant whose age is precisely known [dating from] July 4, 1054...we see a 9th-magnitude oval, which reveals progressively more detail as optical power is increased...The filaments which are so prominent in red light photographs are dim but detectable with a large telescope...In smaller amateur telescopes, an oval glow with a few faint stars scattered around is all that may be seen." - "Observing the Constellations" by John Sanford The original 1888 NGC descriptions often described some types of extended objects as 'r' : 'resolvable (mottled, not resolved)'. It was believed that these objects would probably or eventually be resolved into stellar components; we now realize that, in the case of the diffuse nebulae, they cannot be resolved into stars. Most current references use the RNGC descriptions, corrected in the 1970s. The filaments mentioned above are not likely to have been visible to the old NGC's observers, using inefficient speculum metal reflectors. The blue and green filaments (around 5000 angstroms) were seen by the author with a 17.5 inch f/4.5 scope, in skies near Santa Cruz with a magnitude limit of about 5, using a narrowband nebula filter. Even at the author's home in the Santa Clara valley's ghastly light pollution, the Crab was evident at 25X using an 80-mm refractor; any type of nebular filtering dramatically improves its clarity. M2 - NGC 7089: Globular Cluster in Autumn Constellation AQUARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Very Large. Gradually Pretty Much Brighter Toward the Middle; Well Resolved, Extremely Small [faint] Stars. John Sanford description: "...one of the better globulars in the sky. M2's total integrated magnitude is 6.0, so it may be visible to a sharp-eyed observer on a really dark night. The cluster becomes a ball of faint and very evenly bright stars of 13th magnitude and fainter in a 10-inch (25-cm) telescope." When the spectacular summer Milky Way globulars M22 and M4 have sunk into the West, turn your binoculars or telescope to Aquarius to view M2 and M72. At 13 arcminutes diameter, M2 is only slightly smaller than the great Hercules cluster M13; were it high overhead, M2 would be given its due recognition by northern hemisphere observers. The author has resolved it into many sparkling points in scopes of 3.5 - 4 inch aperture. M3 - NGC 5272: Globular Cluster in Spring Constellation CANES VENATICI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Extremely Bright, Very Large. Very Suddenly Brightens Toward the Middle. Stars of 11th Magnitude. Much the same description of M2 may be said of M3. The cluster is so recognizable and breathtaking that it and M5 are near the head of the dynasty of globulars after the monarch of the northern sky, M13. The author's most astonishing glimpse of M3 came one early winter night in his driveway under the bath of photons from sodium- vapor streetlights. After testing the alignment of a small 5-inch richest-field scope with an anonymous bright star, he walked away from the instrument, and returned an hour later to peer into the eyepiece and behold M3 in its (attenuated) glory! Thus, any optical aid under the most adverse conditions may reveal M3 peeking out of the constellation Canes Venatici. M4 - NGC 6121: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SCORPIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, With 8 or 10 Bright Stars in Line. Well Resolved Into Stars. John Sanford description: "There is a "bar" of 11-th magnitude and fainter stars across the center running almost vertically. M4 is a showpiece for any telescope, and one of the better globulars for smaller instruments." M4 is an excellent test for the collimation and resolution of scope optics, as well as for the transparency of the northern sky, since the cluster generally lies so near the horizon for North American observers. A superb 80-mm refractor might possibly resolve some of the brighter stars of the cluster under optimal conditions. M5 - NGC 5904: Globular Cluster in Spring Constellation SERPENS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large, Extremely Compressed in Middle. 11th to 15th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "M5 is one of the premier globulars in the sky, and it is easily found near the star 5 Serpentis, only 22 arcminutes away." The author became aware of the enormous superiority of visual observing over long-exposure photography for delineating the aesthetic qualities of stellar objects, when observing M5 in a 22-inch Cassegrain telescope at Lick Observatory at Mount Hamilton. The experience was so shattering that he spent most of his precious borrowed time at the instrument on this one dramatic object, not fully comprehending the unfathomable quantity of pinpoint-sharp stars that filled the entire brilliant field of a wide-angle eyepiece! M6 - NGC 6405: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SCORPIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Large, Irregularly Round. Loosely Compressed. Stars from 7th to 10th Magnitude. This naked-eye object may or may not seem like a butterfly, depending upon the imagination of the observer. An apparently-nebulous patch without optical aid, it resolves into a bright cluster of stars even with 3X opera glasses. M6 currently has the distinction of being the only Messier object yet viewed by the author from an airplane: it was dramatically obvious when riding over the Santa Clara valley one early summer evening, while scanning the skies with 8 X 42 binoculars for other aircraft. The cluster jumped into view as a welcome and very unexpected sight! M7 - NGC 6475: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SCORPIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Very Bright, Pretty Rich. Loosely Compressed. Stars from 7th to 12th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "M7 is much the larger [than M6], appearing as a fuzzy spot to the eye, against the background of the bright Milky Way. The diameter is nearly double that of the full Moon..." Messier's catalog contains only 7 objects of -30 declination or lower, and M7 has the distinction of being the southernmost. It must have been "in the mud" of smoky Parisian nighttime skies! M8 - NGC 6523: "Lagoon" Bright Nebula in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Very Bright, Extremely Large, Extended Irregular Figure, With a Large Cluster [Cluster is NGC 6530: Bright, Large, Pretty Rich ] M8 may be second only to M42 as the most glorious nebular object in the sky that is visible from Northern latitudes. Doubters who do not believe that deep-sky observing is possible from modern light-polluted cities should try observing this stunning and richly-variegated cloud of hydrogen with a narrowband oxygen-line or general nebula-line filter. With an 80-mm refractor in downtown San Jose, M8's dark lane could be spotted with a 2mm exit pupil using the O-III filter; with a nebular filter, the shape if not the detail was evident, as was the fainter and smaller nearby M20. In a dark sky, with scopes from 5 inches of aperture, M8's immense range of luminosity, from tiny dark spots to brilliant bright outbursts in the central region, will be far more palpable than in photographs, which tend to overexpose and create a "poster-like" unreality. M9 - NGC 6333: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Large, Round. Extremely Compressed Middle. Well Resolved Into Stars of 14th Magnitude. John Sanford's description: "...a heavily-obscured southern globular, which is on the edge of a dark lane in the Milky Way." M10 - NGC 6254: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Very Large, Round. Gradually Brightening to Much Brighter Middle. Well Resolved Into Stars of 10th to 15th Magnitude. Globular clusters are far from similar to one another. A striking example of their disparity may be had by comparing M9 and M10. The latter is half again as large as M9, and is comparable in diameter to the giant Hercules cluster M13. Yet M10 is neither as rich as M13, nor is it as favorably located high in Northern skies. Diminutive M9, by contrast, is smallest of this summer constellation's globulars. M11 - NGC 6705: "The Wild Duck" Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SCUTUM Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Cluster, Very Bright, Large. Irregularly Round, Rich. 9th Magnitude Star Among 11th Mag. Stars. Few photographs make clear sense of 19th-century amateur observer Admiral William Smyth's apt description of this object as a "flight of wild ducks." Spotting the cluster with low power in a pair of 11 X 80 binoculars or in a richest-field scope providing the ultimate bright- ness and contrast, the viewer will see portrayed a wedge-shape of close stars against a fainter field of the Milky Way. Photos often reduce the dynamic contrasts of bright and faint stars, and thus diminish the striking effect. So dense is M11 that in his early observing days, the author mistook its rich field for the tight knot of a globular! The old NGC reference to a 9th magnitude star (" *9, st 11...'") in Dreyer's code may signify the multiple star J 107, whose A and B components are separated 5.8" at 8 and 12.4 magnitude, or slightly more distant ä 2391, a wide 38" double of of 6.5 and 9.8 magnitude stars, some 3 or 4 arcminutes from M11 to the southeast. M12 - NGC 6218: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Very Large. Irregularly Round, Gradually Much Brighter Toward Middle, Well Resolved Stars of 10th Magnitude and Fainter. John Sanford description: "The globulars of Ophiuchus are too numerous to describe here, but some outstanding examples [include] M12 (NGC 6218), a 10th-arcminute-diameter ball of 11th-magnitude and fainter stars..." M13 - NGC 6205: "Hercules Cluster" - Globular In Summer Constellation HERCULES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Extremely Bright, Very Rich. Very Gradually Increasing to Extremely Compressed Middle. 11th Magnitude Stars. M13 has the reputation of a sure-fire test object for public star parties, and is one of the few deep-sky objects that may be found by beginners with 60-mm refractors in urban sites. Yet, this regal aggregate of 30,000 suns, the brightest of which resolve into fine diamond-dust with a very good 80-mm refractor, will yield new pleasures at each observation. Many visual observers with scopes above about 6 inches aperture have noted the uneven distribution of bright stars across the face of M13, forming three apparent dark chains. Not a trace of this is evident in photographs, which "burn-out" the exposure of the brighter regions and flatten the contrast range. In a good telescopic view, M13 appears almost three-dimensional, and will bear high magnification. M14 - NGC 6402: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Very Large, Round, Extremely Rich. Very Gradually Becoming Brighter Toward Middle. Well Resolved Into 15th Magnitude Stars. A smooth, bland sphere of undefined stars lacking resolution or a bright nuclear region unlike many other globulars. Very large aperture (and high-resolution) amateur telescopes may begin to hint at individual stellar components. M15 - NGC 7078: Globular Cluster in Autumn Constellation PEGASUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large, Irregularly Round, Very Suddenly Much Brighter in Middle. Well Resolved Into Very Small Stars. John Sanford description: "...a showpiece for small telescopes... there may be a black hole at the center...M15 is also the only globular cluster known to contain a planetary nebula, Pease 15, which is beyond the range of most backyard telescopes (3 arc- seconds diameter, 15th magnitude)." M16 - NGC 6611: "Eagle" Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SERPENS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, At Least 100 Large and Small Stars. The "Eagle" has been dubbed "The Star-Queen Nebula" by Lowell Observatory astronomer and author Robert Burnham, Jr., for the aristocratic glories visible in long-exposure photographs. The open cluster M16 is associated with an enveloping hydrogen cloud which records on film its dramatic red billowing curtains. Amateur telescopes of moderate aperture may reveal a trace of diffuse greenish-blue hydrogen-Beta nebulosity at the wavelength of 4861 angstroms with the help of a nebula-line filter, but the phenomenal ruddy patterns are mostly invisible to human eyesight. The bright stars of the cluster are nevertheless a majestic and soaring sight. M17 - NGC 6618: "Omega" or "Swan" Bright Nebula in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Bright, Extremely Large. Extremely Irregular Figure, Hooked Like a Letter "2". The "Omega" is a delight to explore with telescopes of any aperture In the smallest instruments, it is a tight knot of bright luminosity against the unresolved Milky Way background; with telescopes of at least 6 - 8 inches, the former vague "checkmark" shape resolves into a stately waterfowl in a frothy celestial pond. In a 17.5" scope equipped with a nebula-line filter, a deep-black void under the head of the swan draws the observer into its profound depths, while the swirling patterns of glowing hydrogen around the bright foreground of the nebula stream sinuously like a smoky bonfire. M18 - NGC 6613: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Poor, Very Little Compressed. In the days before sensitive spectroscopes and the study of astro- physics, there was little for even a professional astronomer to know about such an object other than its position, the magnitude and quantity of its stelar components, and the aesthetic appearance of the object viewed in the eyepiece. The secondary meaning of J. L. E. Dreyer's NGC code letter "P" -- usually defined as 'poor' but really indicating 'sparse' -- may be more apt to describe this galactic cluster of about a dozen stars; poor it truly is when compared to other riches of the nearby Milky Way region. M19 - NGC 6273: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large, Round. Very Compressed in Middle; Well Resolved Into Stars of 16th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...the westernmost of the southern globulars. It is a bright ball of faint stars with two brighter ones on either side of the nucleus, probably field stars." M20 - NGC 6514: "Trifid" Bright Nebula in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Trifid. Double Star Involved. The brilliant astronomer Sir John Herschel evoked the now-obscure term derived from the Latin word "trifidus" -- split into three -- to describe the rifts of dark matter that appear to trisect the flower-like face of this beautiful nebula. Color photographs reveal the spectral signature of the predominantly red wavelengths of hydrogen in the larger circular structure, blending into the brilliant blue light of the reflection nebula adjoining at the north. In a small telescope, or under indifferent skies, M20's glow is barely visible at low powers. The magnification necessary to increase the image to appreciable sizes robs the surface brightness and may render the dark lanes invisible. In larger scopes, the lanes appear at moderate magnifications with exit pupils in the proper operating range of typical nebular filters. The author has found that to perceive the lanes, it is generally necessary to boost the power to the point where the triple star at the heart of M20 (HN 40, with two visual components of 7.6, 10.7 magnitude, separated 6") is clearly resolved; this may require 40 to 60X in an 8 inch aperture scope. The dark structures are elusive, and benefit from averted vision and the use of nebular filters. An interesting experiment is to compare the relative brightness of the red and blue components of M20 when employing in turn a narrowband nebula filter (primarily for enhancing the hydrogen beta wavelengths in the green region) with an oxygen-line filter (intended to improve the visibility of a band of doubly-ionized oxygen nebulosity at slightly shorter bluish wavelengths.) The eye cannot detect the faint red light of M20, but is sensitive to the hydrogen-Beta line at 4861 angstroms in the greenish-blue part of the spectrum. A nebular filter passes these colors while diminishing others, and will increase the apparent diameter of M20 by a few times, while slightly reducing the visibility of the blue region. The O-III filter increases the apparent amplitude of the blue by greatly reducing response at other frequencies. Alternating the filters with eyepieces providing differing exit pupils within the range recommended in this program will allow the visual observer to detect at least some of the glories of this superb nebula. M21 - NGC 6531: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Pretty Rich, Little Compressed. Stars from 9th to 12th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a cluster of bright stars northeast of the Trifid, with several dozen covering a diameter of 12 arcminutes." M22 - NGC 6656: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Very Large. Round, Very Rich and Very Much Compressed. Stars From 11th to 15th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a fat ball of stars, slightly flattened, which resolves well in almost any telescope...In photographs there is an interesting dark spot visible in the cluster...This may be an interstellar dust cloud superimposed on the cluster stars..." This software's author and colleagues agree that M22 is one of the finest half-dozen globular clusters in the sky visible from Northern latitudes, and at 24 arcminutes it is larger in angular diameter than M13. However, the locale in the southern Milky Way relatively low in the sky diminishes the magnificence of this object. EYEPIECE-LE's primary author is not an astrophographer of the rank of Professor Sanford or associate author Ron Wood; yet EYEPIECE-LE's author's own photograph of M22 demonstrated the amazing ease with which such a spectacular object may be captured on film. However, it requires high-definition pictures of the quality of Sanford's to reveal the subtle details he describes above. M23 - NGC 6494: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Bright, Very Large, Pretty Rich, Little Compressed. Stars of 10th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a large open cluster lying to the west of the Small Cloud [part of M24 in Sagittarius]. It is made up of about 100 stars clustered in a 25 arcminute diameter with attractive curves of stars of similar brightness." M24 - Milky Way Star Cloud in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Cluster, Very Rich, Very Much Compressed, Round. Milky Way, Stars of 15th Magnitude. (NGC-6603) A spectacular, detached segment of the Summer Milky Way, about a degree and a half in diameter, visible to the naked eye; formerly attributed to the small 5 arcminute open cluster NGC-6603, which Dreyer described above. Now Messier authorities attribute M24 NOT to the object described by Dreyer, but to the "Large" Star Cloud in Sagittarius, with NGC-6603 representing the "Small" Star Cloud. This exceptionally dense region also contains a superb example of a Barnard dark nebula, B92. John Sanford description: "The Small Sagittarius Star Cloud appears, with a little imagination, like a pilot with flying helmet, seen as the darker dusty areas surrounding the cloud and passing behind it...this Small Cloud is distinctively more blue-colored than the Large Sagittarius cloud to the south." M25 - IC 4725: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITARRIUS Dreyer Summary (Index Catalog): Cluster, Bright, Large, Little Compressed. A galactic cluster of about 50 stars brighter than 12th magnitude, containing the Cepheid variable star U Sagittarii. Not included in the New General Catalog, because it had been omitted in John Herschel's "General Catalog" compiled fourteen years earlier. M26 - NGC 6694: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation SCUTUM Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Considerably Large, Pretty Rich and Compressed. 12th to 15th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "...not a strong object in an 8-inch (20-cm). It contains about 40 stars gathered into a 15 arcminute field." M27 - NGC 6853: "Dumbbell" Bright Nebula in Summer Constellation VULPECULA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Very Bright and Large, Bi-Nuclear. Irregularly Extended, Dumbbell Shape. Considering the fame of this object, its brightness, and its relatively comfortable angular diameter of nearly 6 arcminutes, M27 is rather difficult to find! There are few very close bright "hopping" stars, and the Milky Way field near Cygnus is replete with innumerable faint eyepiece stars that may bewilder the observer. Sanford recommends: "...fix your telescope on the point of [Sagitta's] arrow, Gamma Sagittae, lock the RA axis, and move the telescope 3 degrees north in declination." Users of the famous Telrad (r) brand of reflex sight that projects red circles on a view of the sky may get very close to M27 by placing the outer 4-degree circle on Gamma, with the opposite side directed toward the central star of the Northern Cross, Gamma Cygni. Once there, M27 is a feast to the eyes, and is one of the few deep- sky objects that may show just a trace of color in the largest scopes. Photographs are rich with yellow, gold, blue, and reddish tendrils in the gases rushing outwards from the central explosion that produced this phenomenal planetary nebula. In fact, M27 is often catalogued not with the planetaries, but with the "Bright Nebulae." 19th century visual observers could not detect the faint extensions of the shock-wave of gases that close fully around the center, but discerned a figure-8 or dumb-bell shape. With modern filters that enhance the nebular lines, these dim extensions and the dusky greyness therein become visible, permitting the view through a telescope of 10-inch or larger aperture to be as detailed and rewarding as a long-exposure monochrome photograph. Telrad(r) is a registered trademark (c) Steve Kufeld M28 - NGC 6626: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large, Round. Gradually Increasing To Extremely Compressed Middle. Well Resolved Into Stars of 14th to 16th Magnitude. Robert Burnham, Jr. describes M28 as "not one of the more striking globulars for moderate telescopes;" to author Alan Dyer it is "compact;" to J. Mallas it is "intense" with an "oddly-shaped" center. The twenty-eighth of Messier's nebular discoveries is just one more of the panoply of noteworthy objects in the rich treasure trove of the southern Milky Way. M29 - NGC 6913: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation CYGNUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Poor, Little Compressed. Large and Small [bright and faint] Stars. The Cygnus region possesses such a wealth of large-scale bright nebulae, dark Milky Way rifts, and challenging deep-sky objects that cluster Messier 29 seems truly poor in comparison. A homely arrangement of a dozen fairly bright stars of nearly 8th magnitude, the cluster might appear more brilliant were it not for the heavy interstellar absorbing matter present. Perhaps Messier would have never mistaken this gathering for a comet, but included it as a prudent warning to eager tyros! M30 - NGC 7099: Globular Cluster in Autumn Constellation CAPRICORNUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Large, A Little Extended. Gradually Pretty Much Brightening Toward Middle. Stars of 12th to 16th Magnitude. In the sparse and rather faint constellation Capricornus there are few interesting deep-sky objects for amateur scopes. M30 is undistinguished in a small instrument; in a larger scope like the authors' 17.5" aperture reflector, it resembles M13 seen in a lowly 80-mm refractor. Locating M30 without setting circles is relatively difficult; the Telrad (r) finder is quite helpful by centering on Zeta Capricorni; M30 will be found just outside the 4-degree circle toward the east. M31 - NGC 224: "Andromeda" Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Autumn Constellation ANDROMEDA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Most Extremely Bright, Extremely Large, Very Much Extended. This naked-eye galaxy is an inexhaustible source of pleasure and instruction. No surer demonstration of the viewer's ability to gain perceptive skill with time spent observing is to record one's earliest description of M31, and then to compare it with ones made some 5, 10, 20, or more years later. At first, M31 may appear a pale and fuzzy, featureless blob. With increasing skills, the viewer will be able to trace fine detail in the dark lane; the galaxy's outer globular clusters may be discerned, the fascinating galactic core will be explored at high magnifications where it appears almost stellar; and the outer boundaries of the galaxy will extend to several times the diameter noted at earliest observations! The author recalls five landmark sightings of M31: finding it in a dark sky with naked eyes as a youngster; the first "discovery" with 7 X 50 binoculars nearly 30 years ago; the inaugural view with a 17.5" telescope; tracing the extension to over 4 degrees in a dark desert sky with 11 X 80 binoculars; and the first view through a state-of-the-art diffraction-limited 8" instrument and a 16-mm wide field eyepiece, in a beautiful star-studded field complete with companion galaxies M32 (below) and NGC-205. M32 - NGC 221: Elliptical Galaxy (E2) in Autumn Constellation ANDROMEDA Dreyer Summary (NGC): VERY Bright, Large, Round. Pretty Suddenly Much Brighter in the Middle To a Nucleus. Were it not for the proximity of the overpowering M31, companion M32 would be given more attention, for it would rival the "faint fuzzies" of the Virgo galaxy cluster or such favorites as M63 (the "Sunflower" Galaxy) or M64 ("The Blackeye"). M33 - NGC 598: "Triangulum" Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Autumn Constellation TRIANGULUM Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Extremely Bright and Large, Round. Very Gradually Brightening in Middle To a Nucleus. The Triangulum Galaxy is a difficult object, despite its ostensible naked-eye brightness and size. It can be glimpsed without optical aid in a very dark, transparent sky, by following a line from M31 to Beta Andromedae, and extending it just about the same distance opposite the star as one found M31. Yet, due to the enormous angular diameter of more than a degree in M33's longer axis, the surface brightness is low, despite the conven- tional figure of 5.7 integrated visual magnitude. The late, famous "Sky and Telescope" columnist Walter Scott Houston, even in his eighties, delighted in pointing out M33 by means of the naked eye while observers many decades his junior failed to spot this mighty galaxy! In a telescope, M33 may be nearly as vague and pale as the large planetary nebula NGC-7293 ("The Helix") in Aquarius, which is rated on the same visual magnitude scale as 13! Use the "finder power" or "widest field" mode of your telescope; better yet, employ 7 X 50 to 11 X 80 binoculars. Once you have studied the dim oval face of the galaxy and are comfortable in recognizing any detail -- mottling, unevenness, or a trace of shape -- try to glimpse the bright knots of hydrogen gas in the spiral arms' H-II regions. In large telescopes, the author has been successful in discerning them with the specialized hydrogen-á filter, which blocks virtually any trace of the galaxy other than the 4861-angstrom light from the small H-II spots. M34 - NGC 1039: Open Cluster in Autumn Constellation PERSEUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Bright, Very Large, Little Compressed. Scattered Stars of 9th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a fine open cluster which can just be glimpsed with the naked eye. It lies on a line almost halfway between Algol and Gamma Andromedae, the easternmost bright star in the group. It contains about 80 stars in the half-degree diameter, including several pairs." M35 - NGC 2168: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation GEMINI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Very Large, Considerably Rich, Pretty Compressed. Stars from 9th to 16th Magnitude. M35 and the two large galactic clusters inside Auriga, M36 and M37, make up a wonderful winter trio for star parties. Sanford calls M35 "an outstanding and large object...just at the toe of the more northern Twin, 2.5 degrees northwest of Eta Geminorum. This glorious grouping of several hundred stars has many loops and lines of stellar points in a medium-sized telescope." M36 - NGC 1960: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation AURIGA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Bright, Very Large and Very Rich, Little Compressed. Stars 9th to 11th Magnitude, Scattered. M36 and M37 in Auriga, along with M35 lying just outside Gemini, the constellation to the east, are excellent objects for study even in light-polluted city skies, for they are readily discernible in an 80-millimeter aperture instrument. In the same low to medium power eyepiece field of view, M36 will be accompanied by the larger yet dimmer M38. M37 - NGC 2099: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation AURIGA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Rich, Pretty Compressed in the Middle, With Large and Small Stars. One of the author's joys to observe in the fall and winter! M37 is beautifully resolved as a broad expanse of faint stars in an 80 millimeter scope, but really shines in apertures of 5 inches or larger. Then, a red giant star near the center is bright enough to the eye to register its color in contrast to the pale white surrounding stars. In a superb instrument with perfect stellar resolution, the overworked cliche "diamond dust" seems the only apt description! "Gaze at it well and long" - Reverend T. W. Webb, cleric and astronomer. M38 - NGC 1912: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation AURIGA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Bright, Very Large, Very Rich. With Irregular Figure, Large and Small Stars. John Sanford's description: "...a large open cluster which has streams of stars leading into a rather dark middle. This is a rich neighborhood, with the smaller galactic cluster NGC 1907 almost directly south." M39 - NGC 7092: Open Cluster in Summer Constellation CYGNUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Very Large, Very Poor, Very Little Compressed. 7th Magnitude to 10th Magnitude Stars. A larger but equally mundane open cluster in comparison to the constellation Cygnus' other such Messier object, M29. 19th-century observers like Webb found it a "grand" sight, but they did not have the benefit of modern nebular filters and wide-field oculars for the perusal of the stunning but faint nebulae in the region. M40 - Winnecke 4: Double Star in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR The most likely candidate for Messier's fortieth catalog entry is the double star Wnc 4, cataloged by Winnecke in 1863, with a separation of 50 arcseconds and similar visual magnitudes of about 9th for each component. According to Robert Burnham, both Hevelius and Bode considered the object to be nebulous, as did Messier: perhaps their eras' inferior optics were to blame. M41 - NGC 2287: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation CANES MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Very Large, Bright, Little Compressed, 8th Magnitude and Fainter Stars. John Sanford's description: "...visible to the naked eye, located where you would find the Dog's heart. It contains several fairly bright stars and multiples. The cluster is almost half a degree in diameter, so is best seen with low powers." M42 - NGC 1976: "Great Orion" Bright Nebula in Winter Constellation ORION Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Theta Orionis [multiple star system called "The Trapezium"] and the Great Nebula. Whether viewing the intensely-bright central region with its fascinating multiple star system Theta in a small scope, or tracing the full bowl of faint extended nebulosity in the "Herschel loop" with a large instrument, the observer of M42 will be rewarded with a full evening's enjoyment that may be inexhaustibly repeated for a lifetime. The author made a study of the monumental pre-photographic research paper on the central region of the Great Orion Nebula by the first Lick Observatory director, Professor Holden. It contained woodcuts reproducing the most famous drawings of the nebula from its earliest depictions in the 1600s up to the time of the first photograph in 1880. Despite the glaring errors made by Holden in attempting to prove that the nebula was variable, the enduring merit of the work was the dramatic confirmation that even the most skilled of visual observers will perceive utterly differing views of a celestial object if they are not prejudiced by having studied a photograph. The author made attempts to duplicate the observing conditions of some of these early sightings, and could replicate certain aspects of the odd shapes of the drawings by employing very small aperture instruments or very imperfect optics. Some early astronomers saw the Great Nebula as a grotesque elephant head with mouth jutting open and trunk erect; others drew it with razor-sharp angularity; still others saw a milky, resinous, shapeless mass. Messier's drawing was quite good, though he represented the bright stars in very incorrect spatial relationships. M42 is a veritable catalog of different object types, including multiple stars and reflection plus emission nebulosity. Try to view Orion's "Great Nebula" on every possible occasion with any kind of optical instrument as well as naked eye: it is truly a "chameleon- like" object, for it can seem to take on a variety of shapes and contrasts that truly will surprise you! M43 - NGC 1982: Bright Nebula in Winter Constellation ORION Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Very Bright, Very Large. Round With a Tail, Much Brighter in the Middle. Contains a Star of Magnitude 8. In small, long-focus refractors of the type used often in the 19th-century, M43 may have seemed more conspicuous as a distinct object than it does to modern viewers, who may consider it to be simply an extension of the Great Nebula in Orion. An 8th magnitude star excites the hydrogen cloud of M43, which is approximately opposite the "fish mouth" central region of M42 and the Trapezium. M44 - NGC 2632: "Beehive" Open Cluster in Spring Constellation CANCER Dreyer Summary (NGC): Praesepe Cancri [originally attributed to M14 and not M44 in error in original edition.] Named derived from the Latin term for stall, crib or manger. Ancient observers universally recognized it as a nebulous patch in the sky; Galileo discovered its stellar identity and counted three dozen stars, which have been expanded tenfold by modern techniques. Since Praesepe is a naked-eye object, it is one of the easiest Messier objects to locate with a telescope, but -- sadly -- beginners with inexpensive refractors will find that its 95-arcminute-diameter will not fit into the available field of view: use binoculars or richest-field scopes. M45 - Melotte 22: "The Pleiades" Open Cluster in Winter Constellation TAURUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Not Included Not an object cataloged by Dreyer in the NGC or IC, the ancient name for this group -- The Seven Sisters -- was not a particularly accurate description, for almost twice this number of stars may be glimpsed by keen naked-eye observers in a dark sky. Percival Lowell claimed he could see 18; young Ryan Wood, son of EYEPIECE-LE co-author Ron Wood, counted 16. The renowned nebulosity of the Pleiades, discovered visually by comet-hunter Wilhelm Tempel in 1859, and confirmed by the Henry Brothers in 1885 with photography, may be spotted on nights of exceptional atmospheric clarity by using high-resolution optics and employing a typical broadband LPR filter, to accentuate the reflection nebulosity around the stars Merope, Alcyone, and some of the other bright stars in the cluster. Do not be mistaken by reflections, flaring, and light scattering around the bright stars in average-quality telescopes. Small beginners' refractors will not provide the field of view necessary for appreciating the entire group. Binoculars, a richest-field scope, or even a good finderscope will give the proper perspective to this beautiful aggregation. M45 is so bright that it is possible to obtain a sufficiently wide field by using an ocular that produces an exit pupil of 10 to 12 mm, reducing the apparent scope aperture and light gathering but permitting the full two degrees of the cluster to be accommodated. Of course, users of reflector scopes will have to "dodge" the dark spot in the center of the field that appears when employing an exit pupil larger than the pupil of the viewer's eye. M46 - NGC 2437: Open Cluster (With Planetary Nebula NGC 2438) in Winter Constellation PUPPIS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Cluster, Very Bright, Very Rich, Very Large, Involving a Planetary Nebula John Sanford description: "If you look closely at M46 you'll see a 50-arcsecond-diameter planetary nebula among the stars in its northeast quadrant. With 8-inch (20-cm) telescopic apertures and above you can see that it is a round nebula, with the three stars projected upon it. In fact, the nebula is about twice as far away as the cluster, and they just happen to be in our line of sight together." M47 - NGC 2422: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation PUPPIS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Bright, Very Large, Pretty Rich, With Large and Small Stars. John Sanford description: "M46 (NGC 2437) lies just following M47, and is a cloud of small stars. The two clusters make a nice contrast, with M47 a coarse, sparser grouping and M46 a richer, but fainter cluster." M48 - NGC 2548: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation HYDRA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Very Large, Pretty Rich, Pretty Much Compressed Toward Middle. 9th to 13th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "M48 is a fine open cluster situated on the outskirts of the Galaxy, at the western boarder of the constellation. It makes an equilateral triangle with Procyon and the small asterism at the head of Hydra. This group of about 50 stars can be seen as a tiny spot with the naked eye, and presents a lovely field in a low-power eyepiece. There are several yellowish stars seen together with mostly white ones, making a beautiful impression." M49 - NGC 4472: Elliptical Galaxy (E4) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Large, Round, Much Brighter Toward the Middle, Mottled - Not Resolved. This bright elliptical galaxy is classified as "E4" which refers to how oblate, or flattened, is the shape. An E0 galaxy would be perfectly round, while an E7 is very flat with a small central bulge. M50 - NGC 2323: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation MONOCEROS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Cluster, Very Large, Rich, Pretty Compressed, Extended. 12th to 16th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "...a large star cluster in southern Monoceros, with an integrated magnitude of 6.3. It consists of about fifty stars in an area about 10 arcminutes in diameter...a good cluster for small instruments, and is located halfway between Sirius and Procyon in the night skies." M51 - NGC 5194/5: "The Whirlpool" Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation CANES VENATICI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Great Spiral Nebula Galaxies were often described as "nebulae" before the work of astronomers Slipher, Curtis, and Hubble incontrovertibly established such objects as being distinct "island universes" distant from our own galaxy. The wealthy English amateur astronomer Lord Rosse was first to detect the spiral shape of such 'nebulae' with his newly-built 72-inch reflector telescope in the spring of 1845. His drawing showed an image considerably more jumbled and complex than modern photographs reveal the spiral arms to be. The author has occasionally detected a trace of the spiral nature in moderately light-polluted skies of 4 - 5 (naked eye) stellar magnitude with 5 to 6 inch aperture scopes; it is much easier with apertures above 10 inches. An amateur observer reported to the author that he had the opportunity to view M51 with the great 82-inch telescope at MacDonald Observatory in Texas: he swept awestruck across the billowing gas clouds of the H-II regions in the arms of the galaxy! M51 is a very easy object to find with binoculars: just star-hop to the east about a field-of-view's width from Alkaid, the tip of the Great Bear's tail. It companion galaxy NGC-5195 should show up in apertures of 80 millimeters and larger. M52 - NGC 7654: Open Cluster in Autumn Constellation CASSIOPEIA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Large, Rich, Much Compressed in the Middle, Round. Stars from 9th to 13th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a large (13-arcminute diameter) scattered but rich cluster of the Pleiades type. Nearby, some 36 arcminutes to the southwest, is the Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635...See what you can see after you find M52!" M53 - NGC 5024: Globular Cluster in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Very Compressed, Irregularly Round. VERY Much Brighter Stars Toward Middle. Stars of 12th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "A globular cluster worth finding... about a degree northeast of Alpha. It is a compact, rich object in a 10-inch (25-cm) telescope." M54 - NGC 6715: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large, Round. Gradually Increasing Brightness, then Suddenly Much Brighter Towards the Middle; Well Resolved Into Stars of 15th Magnitude. This very compact globular may remain a fuzzy and unresolved object in most telescopes. Located in the lower left region of Sagittarius' "Teapot" asterism, M54 is easy to find by star-hopping a degree and a half west of Zeta Sagittarii, or by centering the Telrad (r) finder on that bright star and looking near the perimeter of second red ring. M55 - NGC 6809: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Pretty Bright, Large, Round, Very Rich, Very Gradually Brightening Towards Middle. Stars of 12th to 15th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "Of the many other globular clusters in Sagittarius, M55 (NGC 6809) stands out. It is a loose aggre- gation of thousands of faint stars spread over a 10 arcminute area." M56 - NGC 6779: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation LYRA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Large, Irregularly Round. Gradually Very Much Compressed Toward Middle. Well Resolved Into Stars of 11th to 14th Magnitude. The "other" Messier object in Lyra, M56 is overshadowed by the famous "Ring" Nebula described below. This dense globular may perhaps be within a wide-angle binocular field with the bright star Gamma Lyrae at or near the edge; follow a line projected along the Gamma and Beta Lyrae toward the southwest. M56 stands out from a rich and beautiful star field of the Milky Way. The author and his colleague Richard Page have been volunteers for Lick Observatory public event projects, and were privileged to select and view a few items with the historic 36-inch Clark refractor at Mt. Hamilton. Rich chose M56 which at the time was precisely overhead. One of the least-observed Messier objects, it is well-suited for viewing by a giant f/19 observatory instrument. We recall the pleasure of seeing a slightly shimmering M52 at almost 500 power, with brilliance in the starpoints of a small globular which otherwise is rather uninteresting in small amateur telescopes. M57 - NGC 6720: "The Ring" Bright Nebula in Summer Constellation LYRA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Magnificent. Ring Nebula, Bright, Planetary Nebula, Considerably Extended, in Lyra. A wonderful object for the smallest to largest of telescopes, M57 was recognized as an 'annular' (ring) nebula from William Herschel's time onward, though the great late 18th-century observer suspected that it might eventually be resolved into stars! However, we now know that it consists not of faint stars but of a thick shell of nebulosity with very high surface brightness: M57 appears as a hollow ring because we see through the shell, revealing the edges of the envelope of gases. The late Walter Scott Houston reported seeing a peppering of faint stars inside the Ring; the author has spotted one or two of them with an 8- inch scope at about 500 power. The faint 15th magnitude central star is easily photographed, but eludes most visual observers. The internal region of the Ring is filled with milky nebulosity in a large scope's view: the central star appears only slightly brighter than the background illumination, and may (as in the author's experience) wink in and out with averted-vision glances across the field, using a scope with at least 16 - 17 inches aperture under a dark sky. Here is one of the few non-stellar deep-sky objects that can be enjoyed with a typical beginner's 60-mm refractor: M57 jumps out of the field when sweeping in a straight line from Beta to Gamma Lyrae. Almost any magnifying power that can reveal the non-stellar nature of this fuzzy spot may be useful for some type of observation. With narrowband nebula and oxygen filters, one may begin to study the details in the faint fluffy extensions along M57's lengthier axis. M58 - NGC 4579: Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Large, Irregularly Round, Very Much Brighter in Middle, Mottled - Not Resolved. Messier's fifty-eighth object is a "barred" spiral galaxy, one of the two major classifications of galaxies with spiral arms. In the galaxy classification system, "S" refers to the spiral structure, and "b" denotes spiral arms whose mass appears about equivalent to that of the nucleus of the galaxy. Other Messier galaxies that share this characteristic include M31, the great Andromeda galaxy, plus the pairs M65/M66 and M95/96 in Leo, and the mighty M81 and M101 in Ursa Major. M59 - NGC 4621: Elliptical Galaxy (E5) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Pretty Large, Little Extended, Very Suddenly Very Much Brighter in the Middle, Two Stars Preceding. John Sanford description: see M60 below. M60 - NGC 4649: Elliptical Galaxy (E1) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Pretty Large, Round, the Following Part of a Double Nebula This observation refers to M60's pairing with the galaxy M59, some 25 arcminutes to the west, visible in the same low- to moderate- power eyepiece field of view. John Sanford description: "M60 is directly north of Sigma [Virginis] and is among another group of galaxies [including the elliptical M59, above]. It is a round diffuse ball rising in brightness toward the center." M61 - NGC 4303: Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Very Suddenly Brightening Towards a Middle Like a Star, Bi-Nuclear. Seen face on, this galaxy is revealed by long-exposure photographs to have two very dense arms, which were undoubtedly detected visually by the contributors to the NGC but interpreted as "bi- nuclear". Look for these details with large scopes. M62 - NGC 6266: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large. Gradually Much Brighter Toward Middle, Well Resolved Into Stars of 14th to 16th Magnitude. Globular M62, along with another such object in Ophiuchus (M19) is not a perfect sphere of stars, though it is not as oblate as M19. M63 - NGC 5055: "Sunflower" Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation CANES VENATICI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Large, and Pretty Much Extended in Position Angle 120 Degrees. Very Suddenly Much Brighter in the Middle Towards a Bright Nucleus. John Sanford description: "...another island universe in Canes Venatici. It is a large, bright oval surrounding a strong nucleus. Then many spiral arms are only perceived in a soft glow...[with a 16-inch scope] one begins to discern the "break-up" into condensations that are apparent on photographs." M64 - NGC 4826: "Blackeye" Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Very Bright, Very Large. Very Much Extended in Position Angle 120 Degrees. Brighter Middle With Small, Bright Nucleus. A very easy object for small telescopes, which the author of EYEPIECE-LE first found years ago, standing in his front yard and observing under a streetlight with a 4-inch aperture richest- field scope! Under better conditions and moderate magnification, the distinguishing "black eye" resulting from the asymmetrical cloud of dark matter on the north and east side of the bright nucleus. Find M64 by scanning along a straight line bisecting Alpha and Gamma at the ends of the arms of the Coma Berenices' triangle. M65 - NGC 3623: Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation LEO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Very Large. Much Extended in Position Angle 165 Degrees, Gradually Brightening to a Much Brighter Nucleus. [see M66 below.] M66 - NGC 3627: Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation LEO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Very Large, Much Extended in Position Angle 150 Degrees, Much Brighter Middle. Two Stars North Preceding. Galaxies M65 and M66 will be seen in the same low- to medium- power field with galaxy NGC-3628 in scopes above about 3" aperture in a reasonably-dark sky. M65 is the more oblate of the two galaxies, while the brighter M66 may show more than a trace of its spiral nature in moderate-aperture scopes. The beautiful sight of this lovely pair with the larger-diameter galaxy NGC-3628 opposite them in the same eyepiece field is certainly a justification for owning a wide-field ocular! M67 - NGC 2682: Open Cluster in the Spring Constellation CANCER Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Cluster, Very Bright, Very Large, Extremely Rich, Little Compressed, 10th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "...a total magnitude of 6.9, and is just beyond naked-eye visibility. To be resolved it requires binoculars, but to appreciate its magnificence, a 6- or 8- inch (15- or 20-cm) aperture telescope is needed. It is elongated in an east-west direction and there is a prominent dark space in the middle near the eastern end." M68 - NGC 4590: Globular Cluster in Spring Constellation HYDRA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Large, Extremely Rich, Very Compressed, Irregularly Round. Stars of 12th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...a globular cluster which resolves in a good 6-inch (15-cm) telescope. There are many faint stars of about the same brightness in swirling patterns in this rich cluster." M69 - NGC 6637: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Large, Round, Well Resolved Into Stars of 14th to 16 Magnitude. Alan Dyer describes M69 as "a small poor globular," for indeed it is dwarfed in interest by other glorious objects in the southern Milky Way. M69 is one of the smaller globular clusters in the Messier catalog, sharing its approximate angular diameter with M56, M70 - 72, and M75, though each one in turn appears a slightly different size in the eyepiece due to varying densities and surface brightness. M70 - NGC 6681: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Pretty Large, Round, Gradually Brightening Toward Middle, Stars From 14th to 17th Magnitude. One of the most loose globulars, which at first glimpse may may resemble an open cluster due to nearby field stars that were noted by Messier. Remains an unresolved fuzzy patch in all but the largest telescopes. M71 - NGC 6838: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster [sic], Very Large, Very Rich, Pretty Much Compressed. 11th to 16th Magnitude Stars. Like many other globulars and condensed open clusters, M71 was first noted during the late eighteenth century by comet-hunters, including Messier's colleague Pierre Mechain. There is some disagreement between astronomers as to its precise nature: it may be considered a galactic cluster and not a globular by some. Many field stars and a Herschel open cluster a half-degree away make the region worth exploring. Locate M71 by sweeping the short angle from the "feather" of Sagitta's arrow to its "tip." M72 - NGC 6981: Globular Cluster in Autumn Constellation AQUARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster, Pretty Bright, Pretty Large. Round, Greatly Compressed in Middle, Well Resolved Into Stars. In his CELESTIAL HANDBOOK, astronomer Robert Burnham, Jr. reports detecting a noticeable "mottling" around the edges of this otherwise routine globular. He recommends averted vision to attempt visual resolution of its stellar components. Spectacular M2 is by far the more impressive globular in the constellation Aquarius. M73 - NGC 6994: Asterism in Autumn Constellation AQUARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Extremely Poor, Very Little Compressed, No Nebulosity. A group of only 4 stars of 10th to 12th magnitude, possibly not a related cluster, that Messier mistook for a nebulous patch in his low-resolution telescope optics. M74 - NGC 628: Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Autumn Constellation PISCES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars[sic], Faint, Very Large, Round. Pretty Suddenly Much Brighter Toward the Middle. Partially Resolved Into Stars [sic]. You may be puzzled by the contradiction between J. L. E. Dreyer's NGC description of the object as a "globular" and the accurate modern classification of it as a galaxy. Incorrectly termed by the otherwise sharp-eyed John Herschel as a 'globular' and not a 'nebula' -- the term then used for some objects now known as galaxies -- this spiral galaxy was mistakenly carried forth by Dreyer to the NGC as a globular and not a 'nebula.' John Sanford description: "...the best galaxy in Pisces and is easily found a degree east, and slight north, of Eta...It is not, however, a bright object, and in an 8-inch (20-cm) instrument appears as a featureless disk with a bright core... [a 22-inch telescope] shows the brighter arms quite well, however, demonstrating the power of aperture in observing galaxies." M75 - NGC 6864: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SAGITTARIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Bright, Pretty Large, Round. Very Much Brighter Toward the Middle to a Much Brighter Nucleus, Partially Resolved Into Stars. Extremely distant from us, M75 is one of the farthest of galactic objects, whose distance is estimated from over 50,000 to nearly 100,000 light years. Burnham quotes one of Admiral Smyth's concise and elegant comments: "a lucid white mass among some glimpse stars." M76 - NGC 650 & 651: "Little Dumbbell" Planetary Nebula in Autumn Constellation PERSEUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Preceding and Following Parts of a Double Nebula. A remarkable object, and one of the author's favorites. Not quite a miniature replica of M27, the "little dumbbell" of M76 is quite tight and dense, and has a very high surface brightness. It bears high magnification very well, and maintains its bifurcated pattern at very small exit pupils. With a general nebular-line filter, the object should easily be discerned under adverse conditions or with small apertures. Large instruments may show traces of the turbulent swirling faint gas clouds, but in the author's telescopes up to 8-inch aperture, M76 perfectly resembles the "hourglass" symbol so often seen while waiting for files to load in Microsoft(r) Windows(tm)! M77 - NGC 1068: Galaxy (Seyfert-Type, Sbp) in Autumn Constellation CETUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Pretty Large, Irregularly Round. Suddenly Brighter Toward the Middle of a Partially Resolved Nucleus, With Some Stars Seen. John Sanford description: "A much brighter and easier object [than other faint galaxies in Cetus] is the face-on spiral M77. It is simply found about 1 degree southeast of Delta Ceti. This is a 'Seyfert' galaxy, one of a class with an active nucleus that is brighter than normal. Current thinking is that there may be a massive black hole at the center...M77 shines at 9th magnitude and has a fainter set of arms outside the fairly bright ones visible in a 10-inch (25-cm) 'scope." M78 - NGC 2068: Bright Nebula in Winter Constellation ORION Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Large Wisp, Gradually Much Brighter Towards Nucleus, With Three Stars Involved With Partially Resolved Nucleus. Work up to the Great Nebula M42 by FIRST observing the lesser M78; the other way around, you may be disappointed by this interesting but small object that is about as far north of Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) as M42 is located south of it. While preparing a research paper on the nearby "Horsehead" nebula, the author had the pleasure of perusing the Lick Observatory archives, and found one of the very first photographs ever taken of M78, done by Professor Keeler in the earliest years of operation of the 36-inch Crossley telescope just before the turn of the century. In his beautiful image, the outer edges of the bright nebula were seen to be obscured by streaming dark matter; at one interesting spot there was a remarkable miniature 'horsehead' notch, about one-tenth the size of the famous equine nebula a few degrees away! Sadly, visual observations have not yet yielded a palpable trace of this tiny creature. M79 - NGC 1904: Globular Cluster in Winter Constellation LEPUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Pretty Large, Extremely Rich, Extremely Compressed, Well Resolved Into Stars. John Sanford description: "M79 was actually discovered by Messier's colleague Mechain in 1780, and is a globular cluster about 50,000 light years distant. In small telescopes it remains unresolved, but shows a few stars around the edges in an 8-inch (20-cm) aperture. A 12-inch (30-cm) or larger instrument will show the object richly resolved into a tight ball of faint stars." M80 - NGC 6093: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation SCORPIUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Large. Very Much Brighter in the Middle (with a variable star). Well Resolved Into 14th Magnitude Stars. John Sanford description: "...a compact-type globular located almost exactly halfway between Antares and Beta. It is some- what difficult to resolve even in an 8-inch (20-cm) telescope, as the stars are magnitude 14 and fainter, but the cluster as a whole is relatively bright." The old NGC description of a variable star at the nucleus refers to the nova of 1860 in which a star was widely observed erupting to a brightness of 7th magnitude; though an unconfirmed recurrence in 1864 was later reported, it has not reappeared. Astronomers have suggested that this may have illustrated the possibility of stellar collisions in dense globulars such as M80, which could have caused the event. M81 - NGC 3031: Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Extremely Bright, Extremely Large. Extended in Position Angle 156 Degrees. Gradually, Then Suddenly, Very Much Brighter Toward a Bright Nucleus. One of the most exciting astronomical events of the recent year 1993 was the March outburst of the supernova now identified as SN 1993J in the great spiral M81. Thousands of amateurs leaped to their telescopes to behold the phenomenon of a single star that for a brief while may have outshone the energy of its entire galaxy. The author spied M81's supernova in a 5-inch reflector and the superb 7-inch apochromat refractor of his colleague Richard Page. With an integrated magnitude of 6.9, M81 is one of the most luminous galaxies in Messier's collection and may be found with almost any binocular or telescope in dark skies. We see it nearly face on, so that long-exposure photographs display narrow, gracefully-wound arms that just begin to be apparent visually with large amateur optics; its thick, rich central region and tight nucleus stand out in a sparse field of 8th to 12th magnitude stars in a region not crowded with competing objects. M81 is paired with M82 (below) on a line bisecting Phecda (Gamma) and Dubhe (Alpha), opposite stars along the larger diagonal of Big Dipper's bowl. Extend this line northeast about as far as the distance inside the bowl, and you will quickly reach M81. M82 - NGC 3034: Irregular Galaxy (Irr) in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Very Much Extended (Ray). John Sanford description: "M83, 38 arcminutes northward [from M81], is one of the enigmas of modern astronomy...the galaxy [may be] exploding...In a telescope, we see a fairly bright cigar-shaped object with several dark lanes running through it, especially across the middle." EYEPIECE-LE's author has always found that M82 is one of the few galaxies that looks very recognizably like its photographs with a telescope of at least a 5 or 6-inch aperture, so dense and bright are its turbulent star- and gas-clouds. M83 - NGC 5236: Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation HYDRA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable, Very Bright, Very Large. Extended in Position Angle 55 Degrees, Extended Suddenly Brighter Toward Nucleus, 3-Branched Spiral. John Sanford description: "...a fine example of a nearby face-on spiral galaxy, which is sometimes classified as a barred spiral. It is one of the few in which the arms and the bar can be seen in amateur-sized telescopes. A 12-inch (30-cm) aperture will show a bright nucleus with a roundish glow, upon which two arms are superimposed." M84 - NGC 4374: Elliptical Galaxy (E1) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Pretty Large, Round, Pretty Suddenly Bright Nucleus; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford description: "M84 and M86 are almost twin elliptical galaxies located at the heart or nucleus of the Virgo Cluster [the great cluster of galaxies in Virgo known by Hubble's term "The Realm of the Nebulae" -- today, galaxies -- for its rich assortment of such objects]. M84 is the westernmost of the two, and is a round, bright diffuse object, rising strongly to the center." M85 - NGC 4382: Elliptical Galaxy (Ep) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Pretty Large, Round, Bright Middle, Star North Preceding. John Sanford reports in "OBSERVING THE CONSTELLATIONS" that about 30 galaxies in the Coma cluster (adjoining the Virgo galactic realm) may be seen in an 8-inch telescope. M85 is a bright elliptical which telescopically outshines M88, M99, M91, and M100 in the same region. M86 - NGC 4406: Elliptical Galaxy (E3) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Large, Round, Gradually Brighter in the Middle Toward Nucleus; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford description: "...slightly elliptical, but also has the smooth brightening towards the center typical of ellipticals. M86 has another elliptical companion within its halo, which I estimate to be about 15th magnitude, on the northern side. " M87 - NGC 4486: Elliptical Galaxy (E1) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Round, Much Brighter in Middle, 3rd of Three [objects, now known to be galaxies, in the field]. John Sanford description: "The huge ball of stars M87 possesses many more stars than the Andromeda Galaxy, or the Milky Way... Something very strange is going on in the nucleus of M87. It emits strong radio signals (Virgo A). There is a very blue jet of unusual matter emerging from the center...Owners of 16-inch (40-cm) and larger telescopes might want to look for the jet, which is on the northwest side and is 20 arcseconds long and 2 arcseconds wide. A nebular filter might help you see it by suppressing the continuum from the galaxy's stars." M88 - NGC 4501: Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Very Large, Very Much Extended. John Sanford description: "...another compact spiral similar in structure to the Great Galaxy in Andromeda, M31. It appears as a grey-coloured ellipse with no structure apparent until it is seen in very large telescopes. There is a wide double star just to the south and also a closer pair seen against the southern part of the galaxy with larger telescopes." M89 - NGC 4552: Elliptical Galaxy (E0) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Pretty Bright, Pretty Small, Round, Gradually Much Brighter Toward Middle. The authoritative Alan Dyer reports that M89 resembles M87, but is smaller in diameter. Robert Burnham finds it about 1 magnitude fainter than M87 in the eyepiece; but the generally accepted estimate of integrated visual magnitude is one-half magnitude fainter. The variable nature of this specification indicates that it does not define adequately the surface-brightness of an object. M90 - NGC 4569: Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Pretty Large, Brighter in Middle Toward Nucleus. Unlike the jump in constellations from one successive Messier number to another in most cases, M90 was discovered at about the same time as M89, and is only a degree or so away, easily accommodated in a wide-field eyepiece at moderately-low magnifying powers. Indeed, it is surprising that Messier recorded so few of the galaxies in the Virgo supercluster: it is difficult to reliably "bag" Messier's Virgo finds in a marathon without accurate setting circles, for such a multitude of fuzzy objects follow one another while sweeping through the region. M91 - NGC 4548: Spiral Galaxy (SBb) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Large, Little Extended, A Little Brighter in the Middle. Note: Some observers believe that Messier's identification of object M91 refers not to NGC-4548, but to NGC-4579, a nearby barred spiral galaxy (Sb) of magnitude 9.8 and 5.4 arcminutes diameter in Virgo. M92 - NGC 6341: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation HERCULES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Very Bright, Very Large, Extremely Compressed Middle, Star to the South, Well Resolved Into Stars. A superb globular of about half the diameter of Hercules' famous great cluster M13, but nonetheless a splendid sight in any telescope, especially of aperture 6 to 8 inches. A bit more difficult a find than M13, M92 is on a line bisecting Eta and Iota Herculi on the northeast corner of the "Keystone," about 9 degrees from the Great Hercules Cluster M13. It is immediately recognizable as a dense fuzzy patch in binoculars or finderscope. M93 - NGC 2447: Open Cluster in Winter Constellation PUPPIS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Large, Pretty Rich, Little Compressed, Stars of 8th to 13th Magnitude. John Sanford description: "...another bright cluster in the rich Milky Way which runs through Puppis. It's a compact group of about 50 bright stars lying 9 degrees south of M46-7." M94 - NGC 4736: Spiral Galaxy (Sbp) in Spring Constellation CANES VENATICI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Large Irregularly Round; Very Suddenly Much Brighter in the Middle Toward a Bright Nucleus; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford description: "...another fine spiral seen almost face-on. It has tightly wound, fairly smooth arms with only a few condensations. The nucleus is bright and a 'sense' of the arms is present in 12-inch (25-cm) or larger apertures." M95 - NGC 3351: Barred Spiral Galaxy (SBb) in Spring Constellation LEO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Large, Round, Pretty Gradually Much Brighter in Middle Toward Nucleus. Another fine pair of galaxies in Leo to study and to contrast with a view of the pair M65/66. Even a modest 80-millimeter refractor will display a bright patch that may be easily distinguished as a galaxy and not a diffuse nebula. M96 - NGC 3368: Spiral Galaxy (Sbp) in Spring Constellation LEO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Little Extended, Very Suddenly Very Much Brighter in the Middle; Mottled - Not Resolved. The same low- to medium-power field will show both galaxies M95 and M96, near the elliptical galaxy M105. M96 is somewhat brighter than M95, and is a satisfying sight even in a 3-inch aperture scope; larger instruments may reveal the dust lane that Dreyer recorded in the NGC as mottling. M97 - NGC 3587: "Owl" Planetary Nebula in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable. Planetary Nebula, Very Bright, Very Large, Round. VERY Gradually, Then Suddenly, Brighter Toward Middle. 150 Arcsecond Diameter. EYEPIECE-LE's author first tested a nebular filter with M97. While observing under a streetlight in San Jose, looking at a sky which barely showed 3rd magnitude stars, the "Owl" nebula seemed a hopeless quest with a 4-inch richest-field scope. However, a narrowband general nebula-line filter brought out a distinct bland pale disc just above the background luminosity. In a sky of just two magnitudes fainter light-pollution, the nebula began to show a hint of its famous "owl's eyes" in the 4-inch, which distinctly showed up in 8-inch and larger apertures with the filter. Unless you observe in a VERY dark sky far from city lights, the "eyes" will probably be almost indistinguishable without the contrast-enhancement that narrowband nebular or oxygen filters provide. The planetary M97 really cannot be appreciated without these indispensable observing aids. You'll find the "Owl" about a quarter of the distance on a line bisecting the 'bottom' Dipper bowl stars, nearest Merak (Beta). M97 is about a degree away from galaxy M108, just external to the bowl by a star that may be visible to the naked eye for Telrad(r)-aiming. The planetary is considerably larger than M57 but has a much lower surface-brightness. M98 - NGC 4192: Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Bright, Very Large, Very Much Extended Along Position Angle 152 Degrees; Very Suddenly Very Much Brighter Toward the Middle. John Sanford description: "...a large spiral seen almost edge- on, about 3 by 9 arcminutes in size and of 10th magnitude. It is easily located about a half a degree west of the star 6 Comae." M99 - NGC 4254: Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Bright, Large, Round, Gradually Brighter in the Middle, Mottled - Not Resolved. 3-Branched Spiral. John Sanford description: "...a wide-open, face-on with two prominent arms which become evident in a 16-inch (40-cm) telescope." M100 - NGC 4321: Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation COMA BERENICES Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Remarkable. Pretty Faint, Very Large, Round. Very Gradually, Then Pretty Suddenly Brighter Toward the Middle, Mottled Nucleus. 2-Branched Spiral. John Sanford description: "M100 (NGC 4321) has been called the brightest galaxy in the Virgo cluster. It appears as a large haze 6.9 by 6.2 arcminutes across, with a bright nucleus. In 14-inch (35-cm) or larger aperture telescopes, two major arms are seen wrapped around the nucleus." M101 - NGC 5457: "Pinwheel" Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Pretty Bright, Very Large, Irregularly Round. Gradually, Then Very Suddenly Much Brighter Toward a Small Nucleus. Despite its diameter near that of the full Moon, galaxy M101 has a low surface brightness; it is best located if no setting circles are available by means of a good binocular or finderscope. M101 makes a nice equilateral triangle with the stars at the end of the Dipper's handle: Alkaid and the naked-eye double Mizar/Alcor. Use your telescopes lowest power to search for traces of the galaxy's three condensed arms, which fan out in perfect pinwheel shape. Unfortunately, M101 is a deep-sky object which reveals only a fragment of its beauty in to the eye in a telescopic view, though the visual impression gives more than a hint of its true galactic nature. M102 - NGC 5866: Elliptical Galaxy (E6p) in Spring Constellation DRACO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Cluster [sic], Pretty Much Extended in Position Angle 146, Gradually Brighter in the Middle. Possibly, M102 was a mistaken observation of M101. Another galaxy, the 10th-Magnitude, 12-arcminute diameter spiral NGC- 5907, may be seen in the same low-power eyepiece field. Again, as in the case of M74, Dreyer errs in classifying the object now attributed to M102 (elliptical galaxy NGC-5866) erroneously reporting the galaxy as a cluster and not a 'nebula'. M103 - NGC 581: Open Cluster in Autumn Constellation CASSIOPEIA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Cluster, Pretty Large, Bright, Round, Rich. 10th to 11th Magnitude Stars. An enormously rich region, studded with clusters and brilliant asterisms. M103 can be discerned in the same binocular field of view with Delta Cassiopeiae, in the flatter "triangle" of the constellation's famous "W". After enjoying the 40 sparkling stars of M103, sweep the eyepiece about 2 degrees west to three more NGC open clusters, numbers 659, 663, and 654, arranged in a graceful arc. This star-studded region of the northern Milky Way is so packed with interesting sights that the constellation can provide more than one full night's study. M104 - NGC 4594 : "Sombrero" Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation VIRGO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Remarkable, Very Bright, Very Large. Extremely Extended in Position Angle 92 Degrees, Very Suddenly Much Brighter Toward Nucleus. The Sombrero Galaxy's very distinctive dark lane is dramatic in a 4-inch aperture scope situated in a good sky. Little more detail than this may be picked up in a photograph -- even with a giant aperture telescope -- so be appreciative of the fact that most of this unique object is yours to enjoy visually. M105 - NGC 3379: Elliptical Galaxy (E1) in Spring Constellation LEO Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Considerably Large, Round. Pretty Suddenly Brighter in the Middle; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford description: "Nearby [to M95 and M96] is M105 (NGC 3379), a fairly bright elliptical which is a fuzz ball, brighter towards the center. It is in a group which includes NGC 3384." NGC 3384 as described by Sanford is a 9.9 magnitude barred spiral of about 5 by 2 arcminutes, displaying a bright nucleus, one of those objects that Messier or Mechain SHOULD have spotted because of its close proximity and discernibility! M106 - NGC 4258: Spiral Galaxy (Sbp) in Spring Constellation CANES VENATICI Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Very Much Extended In Position North-South, Suddenly Brighter in the Middle Toward A Bright Nucleus. John Sanford description: "...a large, bright galaxy. It can be found in a finder or binoculars by sweeping about halfway from Beta Canes Venatici to Gamma Ursa Majoris (in the 'bowl' of the Great Dipper, equivalent to the 'share' of the Plough). It has a fairly bright spiral arm, which can be seen extending from the body of the galaxy in a 10-inch (25-cm) aperture instrument or larger with good atmospheric conditions." M107 - NGC 6171: Globular Cluster in Summer Constellation OPHIUCHUS Dreyer Summary (NGC): Globular Cluster of Stars, Large, Very Rich, Very Much Compressed. Round, Well Resolved Into Stars. Alan Dyer's list of Messier objects in the "OBERVER'S HANDBOOK", published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, reports M107 to be a small and faint globular. You will find that M9, 10, 12, and 19 are more impressive. Locate M107 in a wide binocular field with the bright star Zeta Ophiuchi, just on the western boundary of the Milky Way in a region rich with stars almost too small and faint to resolve, and much dark obscuring matter. M108 - NGC 3556: Spiral Galaxy (Sc) in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Considerably Bright, Very Large, Very Much Extended at Position Angle 79 Degrees, Pretty Bright in the Middle; Mottled - Not Resolved. John Sanford description: "If you start at Beta to find the Owl [M97], perhaps you will notice a cigar-shaped galaxy roughly between the star and the Owl. This is M108, or NGC 3556. It is a dusty edge-on system, probably similar to our own Galaxy, but at the huge distance of about 35 million light years." M109 - NGC 3992: Barred Spiral Galaxy (Sb) in Spring Constellation URSA MAJOR Dreyer Summary (NGC): Considerably Bright, Very Large, Pretty Much Extended. Suddenly Brighter in Middle to a Bright Resolvable (or Mottled) Nucleus. Enjoy this bland nebulous-looking patch by sweeping your instrument slightly west of the bright star Gamma Ursa Majoris, or Phecda, in the Big Dipper's bowl. Be sure to get this brilliant white-hot 2.4 magnitude star out of the ocular field to preserve your eye's ability to detect extended detail. M110 - NGC 205: Elliptical Galaxy (E6) in Autumn Constellation ANDROMEDA Dreyer Summary (NGC): Very Bright, Very Large, Much Extended in Position Angle 165 Degrees, Very Gradually Then Very Much Brighter Toward Middle. Though not included in his list of nebular objects by Charles Messier, the French comet-hunter apparently did see and describe this companion galaxy to M31. It is now included by many current Messier-object fanciers in the "official" canon of objects. It is a lovely, milky, oval-shaped elliptical void of any noticeable detail in amateur scopes, though observatory images may resolve it into millions of individual stars.