Mizar, Zeta Ursae Majoris (ζ UMa), is a quadruple star system in Ursa Major. It lies at a distance of 82.9 ly. It is one of the stars that form the Big Dipper.| Star Facts
Alkaid (η UMa) is a main sequence star located at a distance of 103.9 ly in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). It is the easternmost star of the Big Dipper.| Star Facts
Messier 51 (M51), better known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a famous grand-design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. The Whirlpool Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and lies at an approximate distance of 23 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 5194 in the New General Catalogue. Messier… Read More »Messier 51: Whirlpool Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 83 (M83), also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Hydra. M83 lies at a distance of 15.21 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.54. It has the designation NGC 5236 in the New General Catalogue. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy… Read More »Messier 83: Southern Pinwheel Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 33 (M33), also known as the Triangulum Galaxy, is a famous spiral galaxy located in the small northern constellation Triangulum. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third largest galaxy in the Local Group, after the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way. It is also the second nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and the… Read More »Messier 33: Triangulum Galaxy| Messier Objects
The Triangulum Galaxy, also known as Messier 33 (M33) or NGC 598, is a famous spiral galaxy located in Triangulum constellation.| www.constellation-guide.com
Hydra is the largest constellation in the sky. Located in the southern celestial hemisphere, the constellation contains the open cluster Messier 48, the Porpoise Galaxy (NGC 2936), and the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83).| www.constellation-guide.com
Draco is one of the largest northern constellations. It represents the dragon Ladon in Greek mythology. The constellation is home to the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), the Spindle Galaxy (M102), and the Tadpole Galaxy (Arp 188).| www.constellation-guide.com
Boötes (the Herdsman or Plowman) is a large northern constellation dominated by a kite-shaped asterism. The constellation is home to Arcturus, the brightest northern star, and the contrasting double star Izar.| www.constellation-guide.com
The Caldwell catalogue is a list of 109 bright deep sky objects that can be observed with amateur telescopes. It serves as a supplement to the Messier catalogue and includes deep sky objects in the far southern sky.| www.constellation-guide.com
Centaurus is a large constellation located in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is home to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to Earth, the bright galaxy Centaurus A, and the globular cluster Omega Centauri.| www.constellation-guide.com
Messier 103 (M103) is an open star cluster located in the northern constellation Cassiopeia. The cluster lies at a distance of 10,000 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.4. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 581. M103 occupies an area 6 arc minutes in apparent size, corresponding to… Read More »Messier 103| Messier Objects
Coma Berenices is a faint constellation in the northern sky. It is home to the Black Eye Galaxy (M64), the Needle Galaxy (NGC 4565), the grand design spiral galaxy Messier 100, and the bright nearby Coma Star Cluster.| www.constellation-guide.com
The Big Dipper is an asterism formed by the seven brightest stars in the constellation Ursa Major. It is also known as the Plough, the Saucepan, and the Great Wagon.| www.constellation-guide.com
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is the largest constellation in the northern sky. It is home to the Big Dipper asterism, formed by its seven brightest stars, and to many well-known deep sky objects.| www.constellation-guide.com
Charles Messier’s Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters (Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d’Étoiles) is an astronomical catalogue of 110 bright deep sky objects that may be mistaken for comets. Even though it was compiled for the purpose of helping observers distinguish between permanent and transient objects in the night sky, the Messier catalogue… Read More »Messier Catalogue| Messier Objects
The Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way. With over a thousand known members, the cluster spans an area of the sky about 5 by 3 degrees in size. While some of the most prominent members can be seen in smaller instruments, a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160… Read More »Virgo Cluster| Messier Objects