March Targets

These are deep sky targets seen from Caltech 7-10PM Local in March.

Object	Alternative Names	Type	Brightness	Surface Brightness	Size	Suggested Telescope/Eyepiece	Notes	Links for More Information
Pleiades	M45, Subaru	open cluster	1.6	11.1	110'	>= 8" with 32mm+ eyepiece	100 Myr-old star cluster, 440 lyr away, containing ~500 members total.	Astropixels SEDS Wikipedia
Orion Nebula	M42	emission nebula	4.0	13.1	85' x 60'	>= 8" with 32mm+ eyepiece	Bright emission nebula inside the nearest star-forming region. The four 1 Myr-old "Trapezium" stars at the heart are responsible for ionizing the surrounding gas and making it glow. 1.3 klyr away.	Astropixels SEDS Wikipedia
Beehive Cluster	M44	Open Cluster	3.1	12.1	90'	>= 10"	750 Myr old, 600 lyr away	Astropixels SEDS Wikipedia
Double Cluster	NGC869 + NGC884 Caldwell 14	Open Cluster	3.8	10.9	60'	>= 10"	Two bright, resolved star clusters side by side. Need wide FOV. Both are young clusters, 7 klyr away, ~14 Myr old, containing luminous B stars	Astropixels SEDS Wikipedia
Owl Cluster	NGC457, Dragonfly Cluster, ET Cluster	Open Cluster	6.4	12.6	13'	>= 8"	10 klyr distant cluster shaped like a bird with wings, with two bright stars for eyes. Brightest of "eyes" is foreground star, dimmer is a cluster member	Starchart Wikipedia
Christmas Tree Cluster	NGC2264, Cone Nebula	Open Cluster	3.9	8.25	20'	>= 8"	Young star cluster embedded in faint emission nebula; 2.6 klyr away, ~3 Myr old; brightest member is a binary O star	SEDS Wikipedia
Alcor & Mizar	Horse and Rider, Handle of Big Dipper	Double Star	0.33	-	14" apart	>= 6"	Historically used by many cultures as a test of vision to identify the two stars separately; 85 lyr away.	Space.com Wikipedia

Topic revision: r1 - 2016-04-12 - OutreachAdmin