OctoberTargets < Main

---+ October Targets

These are deep sky targets seen from Caltech 9-11PM Local in October.

|  *Object*  |  *Alternative Names*  |  *Type*  |  *Brightness*  |  *Surface Brightness*  |  *Size*  |  *Suggested Telescope/Eyepiece*  |  *Notes*  |  *Links for More Information*  |
|  M13  |  NGC6205, Hercules Cluster  |  Globular Cluster  |  5.8  |  11.0  |  20'  |  &gt;= 10"  |  Appears as a faint white cloud, can resolve some stars: 300,000 stars, 11.6 Gyr old, 22 klyr away; the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message][Arecibo Message]], one of the first attempts at communicating with extraterrestrials was beamed at M13  |  [[http://astropixels.com/globularclusters/M13-01.html][Astropixels]] [[http://messier.seds.org/m/m013.html][SEDS]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_13][Wikipedia]]  |
|  Ring Nebula  |  M57  |  Planetary Nebula  |  8.8  |  10.9  |  230"  |  &gt;= 10"  | Appears as a faintly colored ring, small.  |  [[http://astropixels.com/planetarynebulae/M57-01.html][Astropixels]] [[http://messier.seds.org/m/m057.html][SEDS]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_Nebula][Wikipedia]]  |
|  Albireo | |  Double Star  |  0.33  |  -  |  35" apart  |  &gt;= 6"  |  High constrast binary with one star red, one star blue. Good excuse to talk about stellar types and colors and evolution. |  [[http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/albireo-finest-double-star][EarthSky]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albireo][Wikipedia]]  |
|  Double Cluster  |  NGC869 + NGC884 Caldwell 14  |  Open Cluster  |  3.8  |  10.9  |  60'  |  &gt;= 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 |  [[http://astropixels.com/openclusters/hkPer-B01.html][Astropixels]] [[http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n0869.html][SEDS]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Cluster][Wikipedia]]  |
|  Andromeda Galaxy  |  M31  |  Spiral galaxy  |  3.4  |  13.4  |  178'x63'  |  &gt;= 10"  |  Can only see core in telescope, appears as faint, white cloud. 2.5 Mlyr distant. Similar in mass and luminosity to Milky Way. Moving toward us at 70miles/s; Collision expected in 2.5 Gyr  |  [[http://astropixels.com/galaxies/M31-01.html][Astropixels]] [[http://messier.seds.org/m/m031.html][SEDS]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy][Wikipedia]]  |
|  Pleiades  |  M45, Subaru  |  open cluster  |  1.6  |  11.1  |  110'  | &gt;= 8" with 32mm+ eyepiece  | 100 Myr-old star cluster, 440 lyr away, containing ~500 members total.  |  [[http://astropixels.com/openclusters/M45-01.html][Astropixels]] [[http://messier.seds.org/m/m045.html][SEDS]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades][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  |  [[http://freestarcharts.com/23-guides/caldwell/353-caldwell-13-c13-ngc-457-owl-cluster-open-cluster][Starchart]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_457][Wikipedia]]  |
This topic: Main > WebHome > ObservingResources > OctoberTargets
Topic revision: r1 - 2016-07-04 - OutreachAdmin