22 replies to this topic

[Dave_L]

Howdy all,

 

Is there a good resource for determining good viewing targets for any given night? I am setting up a scope mid-March and I am looking for a list of top 10 targets. Nothing too faint or difficult... just some eye-candy to enjoy. I am using a Celestron CPC1100 or maybe an NexStar 8SE under Bortle 3 sky in California. Clear skies all.

Edited by Dave_L, 05 March 2021 - 03:04 AM.

[Dynan]

Give https://telescopius.com/ a try...

[havasman]

https://www.cloudyni.../#entry10923636

 

Dave Mitsky has been posting these monthly compendiums of observable objects and phenomenon for years. Toward the bottom you will find "Thirty-five deep sky objects for March", "Top ten binocular objects for March" and "Top ten deep sky objects for March" and you'll be hard pressed to find a better guide.

[Dave Mitsky]

Thanks for the kind words, havasman.

 

There's a seasonal list of Messier objects posted at http://www.messier.s...r/dataRASC.html

 

The RASC's finest NGC objects list at http://www.messier.s...r/rasc-ngc.html is also divided into seasons.

A short seasonal list of Messier and NGC objects can be found at https://www.cambridg...s_january-march

[Dave_L]

Thank you! Good advice as always from the CN community. Keep looking up and clear skies.

[MrJones]

Those are just not good references. Where are the Eskimo Nebula and Hubble’s Variable Nebula? Two March bests. Anyway in the northern hemisphere March is best known as the last good month for Orion and the beginning of galaxy season starting with the Leo Triplet in the East. Get and learn observing software. Stellarium is free, great on desktop and ok for mobile. It’s hard to beat Sky Safari on mobile. Try turning off open clusters to better see everything else.

[alphatripleplus]

Give https://telescopius.com/ a try...

I will second this suggestion. They will also email you monthly recommendations.

[csrlice12]

If nothing else, take it out and point it at the sky and pan around....you will see something.

[Hypoxic]

Give https://telescopius.com/ a try...

This is awesome, thanks!

[erick86]

Those are just not good references. Where are the Eskimo Nebula and Hubble’s Variable Nebula? Two March bests.

Both of those objects are in the RASC Finest NGC list — they are listed in the Winter list, not the Spring.

Edited by erick86, 05 March 2021 - 08:26 PM.

[Daveatvt01]

I’ll second sky safari. It has a “tonight’s best” list that is pretty good.

[MrJones]

Give https://telescopius.com/ a try...

Tried a few times and it’s been useless. Example - top globular cluster for tonight M13!? Not good.

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[MrJones]

Because:

 

 

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[Dave_L]

First, thank you because telescopius.com is amazing! I found a "sort by magnitude" and other helpful tools. This is a great resource. And yes, I have SkySafari 6 Plus and I found the "tonight's best" feature... It is great. It is under the "search" (magnifying glass) icon. Thank you all. Clear skies.

[Dave Mitsky]

Those are just not good references. Where are the Eskimo Nebula and Hubble’s Variable Nebula? Two March bests. Anyway in the northern hemisphere March is best known as the last good month for Orion and the beginning of galaxy season starting with the Leo Triplet in the East. Get and learn observing software. Stellarium is free, great on desktop and ok for mobile. It’s hard to beat Sky Safari on mobile. Try turning off open clusters to better see everything else.

On the RASC's finest NGC objects list of winter objects:

 

31   2392    Gem  PN     07:29.2  +20:55   8.3     13"    !! Clown Face or Eskimo Nebula

33   2261    Mon  E/RN   06:39.2  +08:44  var      2x1    Hubble's Variable Nebula; comet-shaped
 

 

On the Turn Left at Orion seasonal list:

In Gemini: The Clown Face, A Planetary Nebula, NGC 2392
 

 

On the February 2021 Celestial Calendar list:

Fifty deep-sky objects for February: NGC 2146, NGC 2403 (Camelopardalis); M41, NGC 2345, NGC 2359, NGC 2360, NGC 2362, NGC 2367, NGC 2383 (Canis Major); M35, NGC 2129, NGC 2158, NGC 2266, NGC 2355, NGC 2371-72, NGC 2392, NGC 2420 (Gemini); NGC 2419 (Lynx); M50, NGC 2232, NGC 2237, NGC 2238, NGC 2244, NGC 2245, NGC 2251, NGC 2261, NGC 2264, NGC 2286, NGC 2301, NGC 2311, NGC 2324, NGC 2335, NGC 2345, NGC 2346, NGC 2353 (Monoceros); NGC 2169, NGC 2174, NGC 2194 (Orion); M46, M47, M93, Mel 71, NGC 2421, NGC 2423, NGC 2438, NGC 2439, NGC 2440, NGC 2467, NGC 2506, NGC 2509 (Puppis)

 

Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2244, NGC 2264, NGC 2301, NGC 2360

 

Top ten deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2261, NGC 2362, NGC 2392, NGC 2403

 

Challenge deep-sky object for February: IC 443 (Gemini)

 

The objects listed above are located between 6:00 and 8:00 hours of right ascension.

 

[MrJones]

So you agree with me? He asked for top 10 eye candy objects for a C11 or C8 in mid-March. He actually asked for resources to determine this. NGC 2392 “Eskimo Nebula” is arguably a top 10 bright and interesting object for most people with these scopes. It can be jaw dropping in a C11. It’s not on your March list and yet here it is at 10:30pm for me on Mar 15.

 

 

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[CarolinaBanker]

Here’s an edited list of “Tonight’s Best Objects” from StarSense:

M44 Beehive Cluster;

M47;

Lagoon Nebula M8;

M25;

Andromeda Galaxy M31;

M39;

Double Cluster in Perseus NGC869/884;

M35;

Pleiades M45;

Hyades;

M41;

Orion Nebula M42;

Hercules Cluster M13;

Bode’s Nebula M81;

NGC 2362;

 

Double Stars:

Almach;

Mizar;

Albireo;

Castor;

Vega;

Capella;

Rigel;

Procyon;

Betelgeuse

[Dave Mitsky]

So you agree with me? He asked for top 10 eye candy objects for a C11 or C8 in mid-March. He actually asked for resources to determine this. NGC 2392 “Eskimo Nebula” is arguably a top 10 bright and interesting object for most people with these scopes. It can be jaw dropping in a C11. It’s not on your March list and yet here it is at 10:30pm for me on Mar 15.

I agree that NGC 2392 is an excellent planetary nebula.  However, I don't agree that NGC 2392 should be considered a spring object simply because it's still visible in March. 

M42 can be seen in the early morning in September.  Does that make it a fall object? 

Winter

M#    NGC# Con Type  ra    dec   B      D          d      Remarks

                                                                                        
M42  1976 Ori 4 05 35.4 -05 27  4.0   85x60       1.6    !! Orion Nebula !; a magnificent object

The globular cluster M4 is visible in the morning during March.  Does that make it a spring object?

Summer

M#    NGC# Con Type  ra    dec   B      D          d      Remarks

 

M4  6121 Sco 2 16 23.6 -26 32  6.4   26.3        6.8    bright globular near Antares

http://www.messier.s...r/dataRASC.html

My DSO lists are broken down into 2 hour swaths of right ascension so that there is no duplication of objects from month to month.

[maroubra_boy]

Howdy all,

 

Is there a good resource for determining good viewing targets for any given night? I am setting up a scope mid-March and I am looking for a list of top 10 targets. Nothing too faint or difficult... just some eye-candy to enjoy. I am using a Celestron CPC1100 or maybe an NexStar 8SE under Bortle 3 sky in California. Clear skies all.

I know you asked for eye-candy, Dave.  What I am about to suggest is mental eye-candy being out of left field, the Virgo Quasar.

 

3c 273 is the brightest quasar in the sky, lying in the constellation Virgo, at magnitude 12.9, so JUST doable in your C8.

 

Certainly only stellar in appearance, but the chase I think is worth it so find something that is 2.5 billion light years away.

 

Alex.

[treadmarks]

March is reputed to be the month when the most DSO are visible, due to the equinox (or something). So you can pretty much take your pick and have it all. In the evening you can look at the best winter or fall objects - M45, M42, M35, M31, M33 etc. and in the morning you can look at the best summer objects - M24, M8, M11, M13 etc.

 

As for optimal spring objects according to some definition, I'd just say M44, M65, M51, M81 are pretty good.

[Dave Mitsky]

A number of notable galaxies make an appearance before the Leo Triplet does.  These include NGC 2683 (the UFO Galaxy) in Lynx, NGC 3115 (the Spindle Galaxy) in Sextans, and NGC 2903 in Leo. 

[Mizzmi27]

I know you asked for eye-candy, Dave.  What I am about to suggest is mental eye-candy being out of left field, the Virgo Quasar.

 

3c 273 is the brightest quasar in the sky, lying in the constellation Virgo, at magnitude 12.9, so JUST doable in your C8.

 

Certainly only stellar in appearance, but the chase I think is worth it so find something that is 2.5 billion light years away.

 

Alex.

I love these types of recommendations, thank you. Hope I can go check it out tonight.

[MrJones]

Tried a few times and it’s been useless. Example - top globular cluster for tonight M13!? Not good.

re: telescopius.com

I'm going to recant on this! My mistake was trying to use it on a phone. The desktop version is better. It's obviously astrophotography friendly with some too dim visual results that are hard to filter out but still one of the best of these kinds of sites I've used.