Actual Astronomy - 12 Months of Messier

Episode 531.

Just a reminder for people to write in with their questions for David Nagler.

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. [e-mail]

 

Some binocular astronomy targets:

- M40 - 9.6 Magnitude 1.7’

This is a pair of faint stars located in Ursa Major. They are a tough find in binoculars, and you will be challenged to split them with binoculars. In telescopes, they appear to be an identical pair of stars and easy to split even at low power.

 

- M108 - 10th Mag. 4x1.7’ - Edge on, rich in mottled detail

This galaxy will appear as a thin streak of light in telescopes, there is a definite brightening towards the middle. M108 is a very tough object for the largest binoculars.

 

- M97 - Owl Nebula - 9.8 mag. 3.4x3.3’

This planetary nebula in Ursa Major, also called the Owl nebula, appears as a fairly large, round, hazy patch of light in a telescope. It is in the same field of view as M108 at low to medium powers. Use averted vision to see the faint glow of the Owl nebula through binoculars. Lorde Ross drawing through his massive scope.

 

- M109 Theta like spiral - 9th mag. 11x4’

This spiral galaxy in Ursa major appears as a small, oval patch of light. It can be found in the same field of view as Gamma UMa at low to medium power in a telescope. Use large binoculars under good conditions for a chance of seeing this one.

 

- M106 - large spiral 19x8’, Mag. 8.4

This galaxy in Canes Venatici appears as an oval patch of light, larger than M109, with a fairly bright core. A tough, but possible binocular target.

 

- M95, 96 &105 10th magnitude galaxies in Leo

M95 This galaxy appears as a faint round patch of light with a bright nucleus. 

Look for M96 in the same low power telescope field as M95. Another round patch of light, slightly larger and brighter than M95, it too has a stellar core. M105  is a small elliptical galaxy, and can be found in the same low power field as M96. It look like a small fuzzy star. M105 has a close companion galaxy, NGC 3384, which is only slightly smaller and fainter than M105. To prevent confusion, M105 is the closer of the pair to M96. Not possible in binoculars, except maybe with averted "imagination".

 

- Leo Trio - 3 9th magnitude galaxies

M65 A small, but relatively bright galaxy in Leo. It is an elongated oval patch of light with a bright stellar core. A tough, but possible binocular target.

 

- M66 A close companion galaxy to M65, it can be seen in the same low to medium power field as M65. M66 is another oval patch of light, brighter and slightly wider than M65. Another possible binocular target. While you are here be sure to look for the a thin streak of light which is the galaxy NGC 3628. It can be found north of M66 in the same low power telescope field as both M65 and M66.

 

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