The Moon can look spectacular, although you will need to use the polarizing filters to cut down the brightness to bearable levels. Lunar features look best at quarter phase, when sunlight hits them at a low angle and casts long shadows. You can find lists of good features on S&T's Moon page.
The major planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn – make for excellent visual and CCD targets. RDRO observers have spotted the phases of Venus, moons and bands of Jupiter, and rings and moons of Saturn. Some have claimed to have also seen the Martian polar caps. Uranus and Neptune, while much less impressive, are visible as well. The locations of the planets can be determined most readily from Sky & Telescope's Sky at a Glance page, or from the hard copy S&T in the library (which should be borrowed for only as long as it takes to xerox, not for a night's observing run).
The S&T website has dozens of other useful tools, including:
Mercury has not been reported in the RDRO observing logs, but should be readily visible at certain times.
The IAU Minor Planet Center maintains a complete list of cometary ephemerides, although many of these will be far beyond the capabilities of our telescopes. This list is incorporated into Starry Night's database as part of its update process.
If there's a good comet around, it will likely be featured on S&T's Sky at a Glance page or its comets page.
S&T lists the best asteroids at any given time on its asteroid observing page. True to their name, though, even the "best" asteroids still look like stars!
The IAU Minor Planet Center maintains a complete list of asteroid ephemerides and look up tools. Starry Night regularly updates its own asteroid data as well.
The International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, and Space Shuttle are some of the brightest satellites in low Earth orbit. S&T has a calculator that can predict when these three satellites will be visible. For other satellites, or more detailed predictions such as finder charts, your best resource is Heavens Above. Heavens Above can also predict Iridium flares, but you'll have to give your position to within a few miles – just saying "Los Angeles" won't cut it.
Name | Designation | RA | Dec | Mags | Color | Separation | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
η [eta] Cas | 00h 49.1m | +57° 49′ | 3.5, 7.2 | yellow, purple | 13″ | ||
Almach | γ [gam] And | 02h 03.9m | +42° 20′ | 2.1, 4.8 | yellow, greenish-blue | 10″ | |
ι [iot] Cas | 02h 29.1m | +67° 24′ | 4.5, 6.9, 8.4 | yellow, blue-white, blue-white | 3″, 7″ | ||
32 Eri | 03h 54.3m | -02° 57′ | 4.7, 5.9 | yellow, blue-green | 7″ | ||
Rigel | β [bet] Ori | 05h 14.7m | -08° 12′ | 0.1, 6.8 | blue, white | 10″ | |
26 Aur | 05h 38.6m | +30° 30′ | 6.0, 6.3, 8.0 | yellow, blue, ? | 12″ | ||
σ [sig] Ori | 05h 38.7m | -02° 36′ | 3.7, 6.3, 6.7, 8.8 | yellow, blue-white, orange | 11″, 13″, 43″ | ||
γ [gam] Lep | 05h 44.5m | -22° 27′ | 3.6, 6.3 | yellow, red | 96″ | ||
ε [eps] Mon | 06h 23.8m | +04°36′ | 4.5, 6.5 | gold, blue | 13″ | ||
β [bet] Mon | 06h 28.8m | -07° 02′ | 4.7, 5.2, 6.2 | yellow-white | 7″, 3″ | ||
12 Lyn | 06h 46.2m | +59° 27′ | 5.4, 6.0, 7.3 | 2″, 9″ | |||
145 CMa | 07h 16.6m | -23° 19′ | 4.8, 6.0 | yellow, blue | 27″ | ||
Castor | α [alf] Gem | 07h 34.6m | +31° 53′ | 2.0, 2.9 | white, yellow-white | 4″ | |
Tegmen | ζ [zet] Cnc | 08h 12.2m | +17° 39′ | 5.6, 6.0, 6.3 | yellow-white, yellow-orange | 6″ | |
ι [iot] Cnc | 08h 46.7m | +28° 46′ | 4.0, 6.6 | orange, blue | 31″ | ||
HD 81029 | 09h 23.3m | +03° 30′ | 7.3, 8.3 | white, gray | 21″ | ||
Algieba | γ [gam] Leo | 10h 20.0m | +19° 51′ | 2.6, 3.8 | orange, greenish | 4″ | |
54 Leo | 10h 55.6m | +24° 45′ | 4.3, 6.3 | green-white, blue? | 7″ | ||
Alula Borealis | ν [nu] UMa | 11h 18.5m | +33° 06′ | 3.5, 9.9 | 7″ | ||
65 UMa | 11h 55.1m | +46° 29′ | 6.5, 7.0, 8.3 | yellow-white | 63″, 4″ | ||
24 Com | 12h 35.1m | +18° 23′ | 5.1, 6.3 | orange, green | 20″ | ||
Cor Caroli | α [alf] CVn | 12h 56.0m | +38° 19′ | 2.9, 5.6 | yellow-white, pale blue? | 20″ | Colors less well-defined than Albireo. |
Mizar | ζ [zet] UMa | 13h 23.9m | +54° 56′ | 2.2, 3.9 | white | 15″ | |
Izar | ε [eps] Boo | 14h 45.0m | +27° 04′ | 2.3, 4.5 | yellow, bluish | 3″ | |
ν [nu] Boo | 15h 30.9m | +40° 50′ | 5.0, 5.0 | blue-white, red | 628″ | Nice wide binary. | |
ζ [zet] CrB | 15h 39.4m | +36° 38′ | 5.0, 6.0 | white, blue | 6″ | ||
ξ [xi] Sco | 16h 04.4m | -11° 22′ | 4.8, 7.3 | white, gray | 8″ | ||
Akrab | β [bet] Sco | 16h 05.4m | -19° 48′ | 2.6, 4.9 | blue, white | 14″ | |
Jabbah | ν [nu] Sco | 16h 12.0m | -19° 28′ | 4.4, 5.4, 6.7, 7.8 | yellow, orange, ?, ? | 1″, 41″, 2″ | Easy to find, but colorless. |
Rasalgethi | α [alf] Her | 17h 14.6m | +14° 23′ | 3.1-3.9, 5.4 | orange, bluish-green | 5″ | |
95 Her | 18h 01.5m | +21° 36′ | 5.0, 5.2 | green, red | 6″ | Nice close pair. | |
70 Oph | 18h 05.5m | +02° 30′ | 4.0, 6.0 | yellow, red | 4″ | ||
Albireo | β [bet] Cyg | 19h 30.7m | +27° 58′ | 3.1, 5.1 | gold, blue | 34″ | Classic double star. |
ο1 [omi] Cyg | 20h 13.6m | +46° 44′ | 3.8, 4.8, 7.0 | 338″, 107″ | |||
Algedi | α [alf] Cap | 20h 18.1m | -12° 33′ | 3.6, 4.2 | yellow | 378″ | |
γ [gam] Del | 20h 46.7m | +16° 07′ | 4.3, 5.1 | yellow, blue-green | 10″ | Nice close pair | |
61 Cyg | 21h 06.9m | +38° 45′ | 5.2, 6.0 | yellow-orange | 28″ | ||
δ [del] Cep | 22h 29.2m | +58° 25′ | 4.1, 6.3 | orange, blue | 41″ | Nearby stars provide a nice contrast. | |
σ [sig] Cas | 23h 59.0m | +55° 45′ | 5.0, 7.1 | blue, green | 3″ |
Open clusters are a safe target on hazy nights because they're not extended sources. The individual stars are less sensitive to light pollution than nebulosity or unresolved starlight would be.
Name | Catalog | RA | Dec | Mag | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Double Cluster | NGC 869 | 02h 19.0m | +57° 09′ | 4.3 | 30′ | |
Double Cluster | NGC 884 | 02h 22.4m | +57° 07′ | 4.4 | 30′ | |
M 34 | 02h 41.1m | +42° 45′ | 5.2 | 35′ | ||
Pleiades | M 45 | 03h 47.0m | +24° 07′ | 1.5 | 1.8° | Good Questar target, too sparse for other telescopes. |
M 37 | 05h 52.3m | +32° 33′ | 5.6 | 24′ | ||
M 35 | 06h 08.9m | +24° 21′ | 5.1 | 28′ | ||
M 41 | 06h 46.0m | -20° 45′ | 4.5 | 38′ | ||
Praesepe, Beehive Cluster | M 44 | 08h 40.4m | +19° 40′ | 3.1 | 1.3° | Rich field. Best spring cluster. |
M 67 | 08h 51.4m | +11° 49′ | 6.9 | 30′ | ||
M 23 | 17h 56.9m | -19° 01′ | 5.5 | 27′ | ||
Small Saggitarius Star Cloud | M 24 | 18h 17.4m | -18° 36′ | 4.6 | 1.5° | |
M 25 | 18h 31.7m | -19° 07′ | 4.6 | 32′ | Bright, compact cluster. Some members clearly red or blue. | |
Wild Duck Cluster | M 11 | 18h 51.1m | -6° 16′ | 6.3 | 14′ | Rich, but faint. Barely visible in the C-8, clearer in C-14. |
Globular clusters can look quite nice on a clear night, and make spectacular CCD targets.
Name | Catalog | RA | Dec | Mag | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NGC 4147 | 12h 10.1m | +18° 32′ | 10.3 | 4′ | ||
M 53 | 13h 12.9m | +18° 10′ | 7.7 | 13′ | ||
M 3 | 13h 42.2m | +28° 23′ | 6.3 | 18′ | ||
NGC 5466 | 14h 05.5m | +28° 32′ | 9.1 | 11′ | ||
M 5 | 15h 18.6m | +02° 05′ | 5.7 | 23′ | ||
Hercules Cluster | M 13 | 16h 41.7m | +36° 28′ | 5.8 | 20′ | Most accessible globular cluster from Pasadena. |
M 71 | 19h 53.8m | +18° 47′ | 8.4 | 7′ | ||
M 15 | 21h 30.0m | +12° 10′ | 6.3 | 18′ | Faint, but visible. | |
M 2 | 21h 33.5m | -00° 49′ | 6.6 | 16′ |
Name | Catalog | Type | RA | Dec | Mag | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crab Nebula | M 1 | SNR | 05h 34.5m | +22° 01′ | 8.4 | 6′ | Invisible in even the C-14 eyepiece. Great CCD target, though. |
Orion Nebula | M 42 | H II | 05h 35.4m | -05° 27′ | 3.7 | 1.1° | Easily visible even on hazy nights. |
Eskimo Nebula | NGC 2392 | PN | 07h 29.2m | +20° 55′ | 9.2 | 0.7′ | |
Ghost of Jupiter | NGC 3242 | PN | 10h 24.8m | -18° 38′ | 7.8 | 0.6′ | |
Cat's Eye Nebula | NGC 6543 | PN | 17h 58.6m | +66° 38′ | 8.1 | 0.3′ | Easy to see, but no detail. |
Lagoon Nebula | M 8 | H II | 18h 03.8m | +24° 23′ | 4.6 | 1.5° | Barely discernible in the C-14 on a good night. Nice cluster, though. |
Omega/Horseshoe/Swan Nebula | M 17 | H II | 18h 21.1m | -16° 11′ | 6 | ||
Ring Nebula | M 57 | PN | 18h 53.6m | +33° 02′ | 8.8 | 1.4′ | Clear ring even in hazy weather |
Dumbbell Nebula | M 27 | PN | 19h 59.6m | +22° 43′ | 7.3 | 6′ | Visible in C-14, but hard to see structure. |
Saturn Nebula | NGC 7009 | PN | 21h 04.2m | -11° 22′ | 8 | 0.4′ | Easy to see, but no detail. |
Blue Snowball | NGC 7662 | PN | 23h 25.9m | +42° 32′ | 9 | 2.2′ |
Name | Catalog | Type | RA | Dec | Mag | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andromeda Galaxy | M 31 | S | 00h 42.7m | +41° 16′ | 3.5 | 3×1° | |
Sculptor Filament | NGC 253 | S | 00h 47.6m | -25° 17′ | 7.1 | 25×7′ | |
NGC 2903 | S | 09h 32.2m | +21° 30′ | 9 | 13×7′ | ||
Bode's Galaxy | M 81 | S | 09h 55.6m | +69° 04′ | 6.9 | 21×10′ | |
Cigar Galaxy | M 82 | S(p) | 09h 55.8m | +69° 41′ | 8.4 | 9×4′ | |
M 95 | SB | 10h 44.0m | +11° 42′ | 9.7 | 4×3′ | ||
M 96 | S | 10h 46.8m | +11° 49′ | 9.2 | 6×4′ | ||
M 105 | E | 10h 47.8m | +12° 35′ | 9.3 | 2′ | ||
M 65 | S | 11h 18.9m | +13° 05′ | 9.3 | 8×1.5′ | ||
M 66 | S(p) | 11h 20.2m | +12° 59′ | 9 | 8×3′ | ||
NGC 3628 | S(p) | 11h 20.3m | +13° 36′ | 9.5 | 14×4′ | ||
3C 273 | QSO | 12h 29.1m | +02° 03′ | 12.7 | |||
M 49 | E | 12h 29.8m | +8° 00′ | 8.4 | 8′ | ||
Virgo Galaxy | M 87 | E | 12h 30.8m | +12° 24′ | 8.6 | 7′ | |
Sombrero Galaxy | M 104 | S | 12h 40.0m | -11° 37′ | 8 | 9×4′ | |
M 94 | S | 12h 50.9m | +41° 07′ | 8.2 | 7×3′ | ||
Black Eye Galaxy | M 64 | S(p) | 12h 56.7m | +21° 41′ | 8.5 | 9×5′ | |
Whirlpool Galaxy | M 51 | S(p) | 13h 29.9m | +47° 12′ | 8.4 | 8′ |
The following list of easy-to-find stars will be useful for calibrating a telescope's setting circles or GO-TO system. All of the stars listed here are on the C-14's Bright Star List, accessible from Objects->Strs or from within the Star-Sync or 2-Star calibration routines.
Star | Location | RA | Dec |
---|---|---|---|
Alpheratz | Andromeda-Pegasus border | 00h 08m 23s | +29° 05′ 26″ |
Mirfak | Follow Andromeda northeast to a bright star | 03h 24m 19s | +49° 51′ 40″ |
Aldebaran | The "V" northwest of Orion | 04h 35m 55s | +16° 30′ 34″ |
Capella | 05h 16m 41s | +45° 59′ 53″ | |
Betelgeuse | Northeast shoulder of Orion | 05h 55m 10s | +07° 24′ 25″ |
Alphard | 09h 27m 35s | -08° 39′ 31″ | |
Regulus | Bottom of the sickle of Leo | 10h 08m 22s | +11° 58′ 02″ |
Spica | 13h 25m 12s | -11° 09′ 41″ | |
Alkaid | Tip of Big Dipper's handle | 13h 47m 42s | +49° 18′ 48″ |
Arcturus | Follow Big Dipper's handle to a bright, isolated star | 14h 15m 40s | +19° 10′ 57″ |
Rasalhague | 17h 34m 56s | +12° 33′ 36″ | |
Vega | Westernmost star in Summer Triangle | 18h 36m 56s | +38° 47′ 01″ |
Nunki | Northeast tip of "teapot's" handle | 18h 55m 16s | -26° 17′ 48″ |
Altair | Southernmost star in Summer Triangle | 19h 50m 47s | +08° 52′ 06″ |
Deneb | Short end of Cygnus, northeast star in Summer Triangle | 20h 41m 26s | +45° 16′ 49″ |
Fomalhaut | Bright star in south in October-December | 22h 57m 39s | -29° 37′ 20″ |
Anyone who wants to do "true-color" astrophotography needs to worry about color balance. To human vision, sunlight appears white, so solar twins serve as an excellent white-light standard to set the relative scaling of the red, green, and blue frames.
Star | RA | Dec | V Mag |
---|---|---|---|
HIP 996 | 00h 12m 28.3s | +20° 14′ 04″ | 8.2 |
HIP 2894 | 00h 36m 43.4s | +48° 49′ 42″ | 8.7 |
HD 6204 | 01h 02m 57.4s | -09° 51′ 40″ | 8.6 |
HD 11195 | 01h 49m 42.9s | -18° 56′ 10″ | 8.9 |
HD 12264 | 02h 00m 05.3s | -13° 32′ 46″ | 8.0 |
HD 15632 | 02h 31m 24.2s | +22° 05′ 15″ | 8.0 |
HIP 11915 | 02h 33m 49.0s | -19° 36′ 43″ | 8.9 |
HIP 14614 | 03h 08m 44.3s | +15° 20′ 05″ | 7.8 |
HD 24552 | 03h 54m 22.6s | +01° 15′ 42″ | 8.0 |
HD 36152 | 05h 28m 59.1s | -17° 25′ 45″ | 8.3 |
HD 59711 | 07h 30m 40.0s | -15° 59′ 41″ | 7.7 |
HD 63487 | 07h 48m 06.0s | -27° 31′ 11″ | 9.2 |
HIP 41317 | 08h 25m 49.5s | -29° 55′ 50″ | 7.8 |
HD 77006 | 09h 01m 37.0s | +49° 44′ 13″ | 7.9 |
HIP 44935 | 09h 09m 10.3s | +10° 49′ 18″ | 8.7 |
HD 78660 | 09h 09m 53.9s | +14° 27′ 24″ | 8.3 |
HIP 49572 | 10h 07m 10.2s | +29° 27′ 23″ | 9.3 |
HIP 49756 | 10h 09m 23.4s | +02° 22′ 16″ | 7.6 |
HD 91909 | 10h 37m 59.6s | +54° 53′ 14″ | 9.2 |
HD 92074 | 10h 39m 05.9s | +55° 30′ 45″ | 8.6 |
HIP 55409 | 11h 20m 51.8s | -23° 13′ 02″ | 8.0 |
HD 98618 | 11h 21m 29.1s | +58° 29′ 04″ | 7.7 |
HIP 64150 | 13h 08m 51.0s | +05° 12′ 26″ | 6.8 |
HD 115169 | 13h 15m 47.4s | -29° 30′ 21″ | 9.2 |
HIP 64794 | 13h 16m 48.4s | +12° 24′ 56″ | 8.4 |
HD 115739 | 13h 19m 17.7s | -15° 34′ 03″ | 8.9 |
HIP 73815 | 15h 05m 13.2s | +06° 17′ 24″ | 8.2 |
HD 134902 | 15h 11m 37.1s | +24° 13′ 58″ | 8.9 |
HD 138159 | 15h 30m 25.2s | -01° 19′ 08″ | 9.2 |
HD 142331 | 15h 54m 19.8s | -08° 34′ 49″ | 8.8 |
HIP 88194 | 18h 00m 38.9s | +29° 34′ 19″ | 7.1 |
HIP 100963 | 20h 28m 11.8s | +22° 07′ 44″ | 7.1 |
HIP 102152 | 20h 41m 54.6s | -27° 12′ 57″ | 9.2 |
HD 209562 | 22h 04m 49.7s | -23° 43′ 46″ | 8.9 |
HIP 109931 | 22h 15m 54.7s | +24° 55′ 41″ | 8.9 |