DEEP SKY OBSERVING
by Mark Wagner
| February 2007 third quarter to new moon observing
list. Primary targets are generally easy. Secondary targets range from more
difficult to very difficult and are near the primary targets as you star
hop. The list begins in the north and moves sourthward. Objects are within
roughly a two hour section of right ascension that is at a comfortable elevation
the east at astrnomical dark. |
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| Primary Target |
Secondary Target
|
Type
|
Size
|
Mag.
|
RA
|
Dec
|
|
NGC 2366
|
GX
|
8.2' x 3.3'
|
11.5
|
07h 28m 53s
|
69d 12' 44"
|
|
| Large, elongated, low surface brightness galaxy with giant HII region at one end. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2403
|
GX |
22.1' x 12.4'
|
8.9
|
07h 36d 51s
|
65d 36' 10"
|
|
| Low surface brightness, chaotic spiral galaxy, tremendous wealth of detail, two broad diffuse arms, dark lanes, mottling and HII regions. | ||||||
|
|
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|
Arp 336
|
GX
|
4.5' x 2.4'
|
11.2
|
08h 55m 35s
|
58d 44' 02"
|
|
| NGC 2685, spindle shaped galaxy with a redshift descrepancy. | ||||||
|
|
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|
Arp 285 |
GX
|
1.6' x 0.6'
|
13.8
|
09h 24m 03s
|
49d 12' 14"
|
|
| Double galaxy - NGC 2854 has S shape, and NGC 2856 - galaxies are infalling. Arp 1 - NGC 2857 nearby. | ||||||
|
|
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|
AGC779
|
GXCL
|
2.4' x 1.9'
|
11.9
|
09h 19m 46s
|
33d 44' 59"
|
|
| NGC 2832 is brightest member at mag 11.9. One other galaxy under mag 15, many over mag 15. | ||||||
|
|
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|
AGC671
|
GXCL
|
0.3
|
14.3
|
08h 28m 03s
|
30h 22' 52"
|
|
| IC 2376 is the brightest member at mag 14.3. Many other members over mag 15. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2419
|
GC
|
4.6'
|
10.3
|
07h 38m 08s
|
38d 52' 56"
|
|
| Globular cluster known as the Intergalactic Wanderer, furthest globular from the Sun. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2371/2372
|
PN
|
55.0"
|
13.0
|
07h 25m 34s
|
29d 29' 22"
|
|
| "The Peanut" bilobed planetary nebula with two bright knots. Small, bright, encased by very dim halo. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2420
|
OC
|
10.0'
|
8.3
|
07h 28m 34s
|
21d 34' 24"
|
|
| Excellent open cluster, rich, small area, widely varying star magnitudes. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2392
|
PN |
50.0"
|
9.9
|
07h 29m 11s
|
20d 54' 39"
|
|
| Eskino Nebula - planetary, very bright. Central star, concentric rings with detail at higher powers. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2395
|
OC |
12.0'
|
8.0
|
07h 27m 13s
|
13d 36' 30"
|
|
| Sparse scattered cluster of about 50 stars, very near Abell 21. | ||||||
|
|
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|
Abell 21 |
PN
|
11.7'
|
11.3
|
07h 29m 04s
|
13d 14' 55"
|
|
| Medusa Nebula - large, dim, round, needs filter, no detail. | ||||||
|
|
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| Abell 20 |
PN
|
67.0"
|
16.3
|
07h 22m 57s
|
01d 45' 34"
|
|
| Faint round even brightness pn approx 60" diameter. | ||||||
|
|
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| Abell 22 |
PN
|
2.1' x 1.4'
|
15.4
|
07h 36m 08s
|
02d 42' 24"
|
|
| Faint elongated pn with bright spots. | ||||||
|
|
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| Abell 24 |
PN
|
6.0' x 5.5'
|
13.6
|
07h 51m 39s
|
03d 00' 29"
|
|
| Faint elongated pn with slight mottling. | ||||||
|
|
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|
M48
|
OC
|
54.0'
|
5.8
|
08h 13m 44s
|
-05d 45' 00"
|
|
| Big and bright, 30+ bright stars in a diffuse OC. Appears to be close to 1/2 deg across. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2506 |
OC
|
6.0'
|
7.6
|
08h 00m 02s
|
-10d 46' 12"
|
|
| Multi-textured with bright and faint stars; ESE of 26 Mon Interesting open cluster. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2525 |
GX
|
2.9' x 1.9
|
12.3
|
08h 05m 38s
|
-11d 25' 37"
|
|
| This galaxy's dim spiral arms make it appear "crabby" in shape. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2396 |
OC
|
10.0'
|
7.4
|
07h 28m 00s
|
-11d 43' 00"
|
|
| A dozen or so stars in an open cluster. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2374 |
OC
|
19.0'
|
8.0
|
07h 23m 57s
|
-13d 15' 48"
|
|
| Large, loose, well resolved open cluster with about two dozen stars in an irrigular shape. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2359
|
EN
|
13.0' x 11.0'
|
07h 18m 31s
|
-13d 14' 00"
|
||
| Thor's Helmet. With the strand catalogued as 2361, this is a great Wolf-Rayet illuminated nebula region with an OIII filter. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2414 |
OC
|
4.0'
|
7.9
|
07h 33m 13s
|
-15d 27' 12"
|
|
| Looping open cluster with a mag 8.2 star at its center. Try it at high power. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2360 |
OC
|
12.0'
|
7.2
|
07h 17m 44s
|
-16d 38' 30"
|
|
| Nice bright, large, splashy OC. Rich fine little pinpoints, mostly similar mag. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2423 |
OC
|
19.0'
|
6.7
|
07h 37m 07s
|
-13d 52' 18"
|
|
| Large open cluster sometimes mistaken for M46, which is nearby. | ||||||
|
|
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|
M47
|
OC
|
29.0'
|
4.4
|
07h 36m 36s
|
-14d 29' 00"
|
|
| Large rich but coarse open cluster. Interesting contrast to M46. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2438
|
PN
|
64.0"
|
10.1
|
07h 41m 50s
|
-14d 44' 06"
|
|
| Annular planetary nebula nw of the center of M46. Believed to be foreground. | ||||||
|
|
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|
M46
|
OC
|
27.0'
|
6.1
|
07h 41m 47s
|
-14d 48' 36"
|
|
| Large very rich open cluster with many stars near the same magnitude. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2509 |
OC
|
8.0'
|
9.3
|
08h 00m 48s
|
-19d 03' 00"
|
|
| Small, condensed, rectangular, maybe 24 stars. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2479 |
OC
|
7.0'
|
9.6
|
07h 55m 06s
|
-17d 42' 00"
|
|
| About 50 faint stars spread out in a 10' diameter over some haze. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2440
|
PN
|
70.0"
|
10.8
|
07h 41m 55s
|
-18d 12' 31"
|
|
| Bipolar planetary with lots of detail at high mag. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2432 |
OC
|
7'
|
10.2
|
07h 40m 54s
|
-19d 05' 06"
|
|
| Three dozen faint stars in a very elongated string. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2421 |
OC
|
10'
|
8.3
|
07h 36m 12s
|
-20h 36' 42"
|
|
| Two to three dozen stars of similar mag, roughly triangular. | ||||||
|
|
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|
M93
|
OC
|
22'
|
6.2
|
07h 44m 30s
|
-23d 51' 12"
|
|
| Large - a degree, visible in finder, wedge shaped. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2482 |
OC
|
12.0'
|
7.3
|
07h 55m 10s
|
-24d 15' 00"
|
|
| A dozen stars of roughly equal mag, triangular in shape. | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2467 |
OC/Neb
|
15.0'
|
7.1
|
07h 52m 30s
|
-26d 25' 48"
|
|
| This Open cluster with nebulosity has been described as a poor man's Lagoon Nebula. | ||||||
|
|
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| NGC 2489 |
OC
|
8.0
|
7.9
|
07h 56m 16s
|
-30d 03' 54"
|
|
| Small, condensed | ||||||
|
|
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|
NGC 2362
|
OC
|
6.0'
|
3.8
|
07h 18m 42s
|
-24d 57' 18"
|
|
| Contains the mag 3.8 star Tau Canis Majoris in the center. | ||||||