What nightglass can point at

Deep sky (62)

• Andromeda Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 224 · mag 3.4 · 178′

  The nearest large spiral galaxy, and the most distant thing most people will ever see.

  J2000 10.685° +41.269°

• Triangulum Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 598 · mag 5.7 · 73′

  A face-on spiral that rewards dark skies and averted vision.

  J2000 23.462° +30.660°

• Orion Nebulanebula

  NGC 1976 · mag 4.0 · 85′

  The brightest nebula in the sky, a stellar nursery visible to the naked eye.

  J2000 83.822° -5.391°

• Pleiadescluster

  Melotte 22 · mag 1.6 · 110′

  An open cluster wrapped in blue reflection nebulosity; the seven sisters are naked-eye.

  J2000 56.750° +24.117°

• Hercules Clustercluster

  NGC 6205 · mag 5.8 · 20′

  Around 300,000 stars in a ball 145 light-years across.

  J2000 250.423° +36.461°

• Ring Nebulanebula

  NGC 6720 · mag 8.8 · 1.4′

  A dying star's shed outer layers, visible as a tiny smoke ring.

  J2000 283.396° +33.029°

• Dumbbell Nebulanebula

  NGC 6853 · mag 7.4 · 8′

  The first planetary nebula discovered, and the brightest.

  J2000 299.902° +22.721°

• Whirlpool Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 5194 · mag 8.4 · 11′

  A grand-design spiral caught mid-interaction with its companion.

  J2000 202.470° +47.195°

• Bode's Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 3031 · mag 6.9 · 27′

  A bright spiral, the easiest of the Ursa Major group.

  J2000 148.888° +69.065°

• Cigar Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 3034 · mag 8.4 · 11′

  An edge-on starburst galaxy shaped by a close encounter with M81.

  J2000 148.969° +69.680°

• Sombrero Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 4594 · mag 8.0 · 9′

  A brilliant dust lane and an enormous central bulge.

  J2000 189.998° -11.623°

• Crab Nebulanebula

  NGC 1952 · mag 8.4 · 6′

  The wreckage of the supernova of 1054, still powered by a pulsar.

  J2000 83.633° +22.015°

• Lagoon Nebulanebula

  NGC 6523 · mag 6.0 · 90′

  A vast emission nebula bisected by a dark dust lane.

  J2000 270.904° -24.387°

• Trifid Nebulanebula

  NGC 6514 · mag 6.3 · 28′

  Three dust lanes splitting an emission region, in one eyepiece.

  J2000 270.623° -22.971°

• Eagle Nebulanebula

  NGC 6611 · mag 6.0 · 35′

  The Pillars of Creation stand inside this star-forming region.

  J2000 274.700° -13.807°

• Omega Nebulanebula

  NGC 6618 · mag 6.0 · 46′

  The Swan, one of the brightest nebulae in the Milky Way.

  J2000 275.196° -16.177°

• Owl Nebulanebula

  NGC 3587 · mag 9.9 · 3.4′

  A round planetary nebula whose eyes need a big aperture or dark skies.

  J2000 168.699° +55.019°

• C78nebula

  NGC 2068 · mag 8.3 · 8′

  A reflection nebula north of Orion's belt, a ghost reflected starlight.

  J2000 86.691° +0.079°

• Wild Duck Clustercluster

  NGC 6705 · mag 5.8 · 14′

  One of the richest open clusters in the sky, in a shape like a flight of ducks.

  J2000 282.766° -6.270°

• Sagittarius Clustercluster

  NGC 6656 · mag 5.1 · 32′

  A great globular low on the southern horizon from mid latitudes.

  J2000 279.100° -23.905°

• Rose Clustercluster

  NGC 5904 · mag 5.7 · 23′

  A globular that resolves completely in a modest scope.

  J2000 229.638° +2.081°

• Great Pegasus Clustercluster

  NGC 7078 · mag 6.2 · 18′

  A tight, highly concentrated globular near the Square of Pegasus.

  J2000 322.493° +12.167°

• M3cluster

  NGC 5272 · mag 6.2 · 18′

  Half a million stars in a dense ball, superb in small scopes.

  J2000 205.548° +28.377°

• M35cluster

  NGC 2168 · mag 5.1 · 28′

  A bright, sprawling open cluster beside Gemini's feet.

  J2000 111.000° +24.333°

• M92cluster

  NGC 6341 · mag 6.3 · 14′

  A concentrated globular, the sixth brightest in the sky.

  J2000 259.281° +43.136°

• M2cluster

  NGC 7089 · mag 6.3 · 16′

  A detached globular in Aquarius, one of the nearest.

  J2000 323.500° -0.824°

• M10cluster

  NGC 6254 · mag 6.6 · 20′

  Paired with M12 across a degree of sky.

  J2000 262.960° -4.100°

• M12cluster

  NGC 6218 · mag 6.7 · 16′

  A looser, older companion cluster to M10.

  J2000 260.533° -1.948°

• M4cluster

  NGC 6121 · mag 5.9 · 26′

  The closest bright globular, only 7200 light-years away.

  J2000 245.897° -26.526°

• Butterfly Clustercluster

  NGC 6405 · mag 4.2 · 25′

  A bright open cluster whose brighter stars trace butterfly wings.

  J2000 265.083° -32.250°

• Ptolemy Clustercluster

  NGC 6475 · mag 3.3 · 80′

  A naked-eye cluster with a bright core, above the Scorpion's sting.

  J2000 268.463° -34.793°

• M23cluster

  NGC 6494 · mag 5.5 · 45′

  A rich, uneven open cluster on the Milky Way.

  J2000 343.500° -18.983°

• M21cluster

  NGC 6531 · mag 5.9 · 13′

  A compact open cluster beside the Lagoon Nebula.

  J2000 269.633° -22.500°

• Sagittarius Star Cloudcluster

  IC 4715 · mag 4.6 · 90′

  Not a cluster at all but a vast star cloud, one of the richest in the sky.

  J2000 274.200° -18.550°

• M25cluster

  IC 4725 · mag 4.6 · 32′

  An open cluster that rewards a dark sky.

  J2000 289.933° -19.233°

• M55cluster

  NGC 6809 · mag 6.3 · 19′

  A large southern globular with a shed halo of stars.

  J2000 295.038° -30.965°

• M54cluster

  NGC 6715 · mag 7.6 · 12′

  A distant globular hiding among the Sagittarius star clouds.

  J2000 283.396° -18.708°

• Beehive Clustercluster

  NGC 2632 · mag 3.7 · 95′

  A naked-eye smudge in Cancer that splinters in any telescope.

  J2000 130.100° +19.667°

• M41cluster

  NGC 2287 · mag 4.5 · 38′

  An open cluster just south of Sirius, unmistakable in a small scope.

  J2000 67.750° -20.717°

• M47cluster

  NGC 2422 · mag 4.2 · 30′

  One of the nearest open clusters, best in binoculars.

  J2000 109.200° -6.267°

• M46cluster

  NGC 2437 · mag 6.1 · 27′

  A rich open cluster beside a ghostly planetary nebula.

  J2000 111.533° -14.817°

• M67cluster

  NGC 2682 · mag 6.1 · 30′

  An ancient, metal-rich open cluster, a stellar fossil.

  J2000 132.250° +7.400°

• Southern Pinwheel Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 5236 · mag 7.5 · 13′

  A barred spiral with tightly wound arms and active star formation.

  J2000 204.250° -29.833°

• Cetus Agalaxy

  NGC 1068 · mag 8.9 · 7′

  A Seyfert galaxy with an exceptionally bright active nucleus.

  J2000 40.267° -0.050°

• Sculptor Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 253 · mag 7.1 · 27′

  A dusty starburst spiral seen almost edge-on.

  J2000 11.889° -25.288°

• Centaurus Agalaxy

  NGC 5128 · mag 6.8 · 26′

  A giant elliptical bisected by a dark dust lane.

  J2000 201.365° -43.019°

• North America Nebulanebula

  NGC 7000 · mag 4.0 · 120′

  A huge emission complex whose shape outlines a continent.

  J2000 314.750° +44.367°

• Western Veil Nebulanebula

  NGC 6960 · mag 7.0 · 70′

  Filaments from a supernova exploded 10,000 years ago.

  J2000 311.750° +30.750°

• Eastern Veil Nebulanebula

  NGC 6992 · mag 7.0 · 60′

  The other half of the Cygnus Loop, fainter and wider.

  J2000 313.000° +31.750°

• Pinwheel Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 5457 · mag 7.9 · 29′

  A huge, low-contrast spiral needing a dark sky and averted vision.

  J2000 210.802° +54.349°

• Sunflower Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 5055 · mag 8.6 · 12.6′

  A flocculent spiral with tightly wound patchy arms.

  J2000 198.955° +42.029°

• Black Eye Galaxygalaxy

  NGC 4826 · mag 8.5 · 10′

  A spectacular dark dust band across its nucleus.

  J2000 194.182° +21.683°

• Leo Triplet membergalaxy

  NGC 3623 · mag 9.3 · 8′

  A faint, elongated spiral sharing the field with M66 and NGC 3627.

  J2000 169.733° +13.092°

• Leo Triplet membergalaxy

  NGC 3627 · mag 8.9 · 9′

  A barred spiral with a dramatic tidal tail.

  J2000 170.063° +12.992°

• Owl Clustercluster

  NGC 457 · mag 5.4 · 13′

  An oddly shaped open cluster, owl-like to the eye of the imagination.

  J2000 17.343° +58.083°

• NGC 663cluster

  NGC 663 · mag 7.1 · 7′

  A compact, colourful cluster in Cassiopeia beside the Bubble Nebula.

  J2000 18.867° +61.500°

• NGC 752cluster

  NGC 752 · mag 5.7 · 75′

  A large, loose, magpie-flecked open cluster in Andromeda.

  J2000 29.233° +37.800°

• h Perseicluster

  NGC 869 · mag 5.3 · 30′

  Half of the Double Cluster in Perseus, the densest naked-eye cluster.

  J2000 34.740° +57.133°

• Chi Perseicluster

  NGC 884 · mag 6.1 · 30′

  The other half of the Double Cluster, even richer in stars.

  J2000 35.570° +57.135°

• Horsehead Nebulanebula

  IC 434 · mag 6.8 · 60′

  The dark silhouette of a horse's head against a glowing hydrogen cloud.

  J2000 85.246° -2.458°

• Rosette Nebulanebula

  NGC 2237 · mag 9.0 · 80′

  A vast circular flower of hydrogen with a bright central cluster.

  J2000 97.979° +4.942°

• Seagull Nebulanebula

  IC 2177 · mag 6.0 · 120′

  A head and wings of glowing gas, stretched over three degrees.

  J2000 106.917° -9.500°

Bright stars (first 40)