After seeing it for myself, I don’t think I’ll ever see any other shape from that collection of stars. 2. Look for a small parallelogram of stars near Vega which forms the frame of the harp. These are the brightest and most interesting nebulae listed in the Messier Catalog. Enjoy! – Coordinates: RA: 07h … This small but significant constellation features several fascinating deep-sky objects that amateur astronomers can view with a backyard telescope. The name means “Tail of the Eagle”. Double Cluster , NGC 869 & NGC 884 – Close Open Clusters. The Universe, when you see it for yourself, never disappoints. and when and where to look to see various meteor showers. – Coordinates: RA: 09h 5m 33.2s | Dec: +69° 03’ 55” my list for free that more people see the brightest deep-sky objects in a different light and get acquainted with some of the lesser known ones. The Sun appears bright as it is so close to the Earth. – Object type: Open cluster. – Coordinates: RA: 22h 29m 38.55s | Dec: –20° 50’ 13.6” The Andromeda Galaxy (or M31, its catalogue number) and open star cluster, the Pleiades, M45, are the most observed deep-sky objects with the naked eye. With an apparent magnitude of -26.7, it is by far the brightest object in the sky. The table appears on the next three pages (click below on Next Page). To find it, start at Altair and follow the imaginary line that connects it to Vega. Also known as the Owl Cluster, or the Kachina Doll Cluster, this open cluster is one of many in the constellation Cassiopeia, but what makes this particular cluster so inviting to view is its close resemblance to the famous movie character E.T. Unlike most planetary nebulae, its color differences can be seen even in small telescopes, as it contains a diffuse spheroidal shape with a “double-wedge” shape in a different color, as though someone is well on their way to winning a cosmic game of Trivial Pursuit. Is that really what astronomers call it? – Other designations: NGC 3031, M81. It’s one of the night sky’s greatest examples of what our Sun might look like in the distant future, and it’s visible all summer long. Caroline’s Cluster. Under dark skies, the view is truly spectacular. Auriga (The Charioteer) Constellation. The Dumbbell Nebula, as imaged here through an 8" amateur telescope, was the first planetary nebula ... [+] ever discovered: by Charles Messier in 1764. the "double wedge" shape silhouetted against a spheroidal background is readily apparent through any modestly sized telescope, and makes one of the best targets for casual skywatchers. Locate Hercules by looking for the trademark trapezoidal keystone within the constellation. Yes, star clusters are absolutely a go. – Distance: 2,400 light-years Some of the natural highlights of our night sky are easy to overlook. – Distance: 444 light-years Once the Sun goes down, the planets and the brightest stars are the first to come out. As a matter of interest though, the Veil Nebula appears the way it does because the debris cloud released during the supernova event that had created the nebula is moving through the surrounding gas clouds at about 600 000 km/hour, creating complex shock fronts as it expands. Through a larger telescope, you can identify the central white dwarf, larger than most known white dwarfs and possibly still in the process of forming. – Distance: 275,000 light-years Although the Veil Nebula should really be viewed as a completes structure, it is so large that some parts of it have been given their own names and designations, one of which is the Western Veil Nebula, arguably the most beautiful part of the larger structure. If you look near Vega, you’ll see a parallelogram of four stars, which compose (along with Vega) the constellation of Lyra: the lyre. – Constellation: Cygnus telescope can achieve this level of detail just yet, this deep-sky object remains a treat for summer skywatchers everywhere in Earth's northern hemisphere. We’ve looked at objects near Vega and Deneb, and now it’s time to head over to the third vertex of the Summer Triangle: Altair. The chart is interactive, so you can click on the settings, to the top left of the chart, to change date and time, or your latitude, to suit your own astronomical set-up. The Messier Catalog is a list of 110 of the brightest deep sky objects (including star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies) visible from the Northern Hemisphere. The Summer Triangle, with the stars visible to the naked eye illustrated here, along with the seven ... [+] deep-sky objects that every skywatcher with reasonably dark skies and any sort of telescope at all can enjoy seeing during the summer months. The summer skies are there every year to offer us a respite from the hardship of our daily lives, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they remain one of the few sights that almost all of us still have some opportunity to take in. M110 (mag 8.1) is visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 17:40 (PST) as the dusk sky fades, 75° above your eastern horizon. 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