The Autumn Sky
M1, Super Nova Remnant in Taurus. Throwing you straight into the deep end here! Despite its premier position in the Messier list, it is very small and very challenging. How Charles Messier managed to find it and yet miss other much brighter objects I will never know. This SNR is of the supernova that appeared in 1050 AD, visible during the day, and recorded by Chinese and Japanese Astronomers.
NGC 1365, Galaxy, Fornax. You may just be able to glimpse its arms. You will need a scope at least 8" to have a chance visially.
M42, The Orion Nebula. Orion. Not just the nebula, but the Trapezium cluster that powers it is not just four stars. A 6 and larger scope will show six stars, and a scope 16 and larger can show as many as 12 stars in this very young and hot cluster. Also within M42 is the Fish Mouth, the easiest dark pillar to see in the whole sky, visible in 7X50 binos. M42 is glowing and sculpted by the intense radiation from the Trapezium. However, the Fish Mouth is resisting this erosion. That is because deep inside it is a cluster of protostars whose combined gravitational power is strong enough to keep the cocoon of gas and dust around themselves from which they are forming.
NGC 2024, The flame Neb. Orion. Challenging because of the bright star next to it.
NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, Gemini. A little Planetary Nebula (PN) that takes magnification well and detailed.
47 Tuc (NGC 104), GC in Tucana. Second biggest globular in the sky. Take your time with this one, let you eye rest on it for a moment, and the swarm of millions of stars will surge out! 47 Tuc is the remnant core of a galaxy that our massive Milky Way galaxy swallowed up long, long ago. And deep at the very centre of 47 Tuc is a black hole that is controlling the stable orbit of so many stars all so close together. Omega Centauri is another such ancient remnant galactic core.
NGC 121, GC in Tucana. After gazing upon the magnificence of 47 Tuc, 121 will challenge you. It is right on the edge of 47 Tuc, but nothing to do with it. Instead, 121 is a GC of another galaxy altogether, the Small Magellanic Cloud. Be patient, it is little and faint, and it will only appear as a small diffuse pimple, but well worth the trouble to locate this remote world.
M46, an OC in Puppis. This lovely OC has a little surprise in it. A line of sight coincidence with a background planetary nebula.
M47, an OC in Puppis. Just one degree away from M46, they can almost be considered Siamese Twins!
NGC 3372, Eta Carina HUGE nebula in Carina. Sooo much to see here! Stars that have just ignited their nuclear fires, a supermassive star that is in its death throes and about to go supernova (the star Eta Carina itself), and dark pillars of skeletal like fingers that harbour protostars stars that are finishing their formation and whose nuclear fires havent started just yet.
A Treasure Trove Trio of Open Clusters, a spectacular trio of very dense, bright and very colourful stars, each a gorgeous treasure on its own:
NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster in Carina
NGC 3766, the Pearl Cluster in Centaurus
NGC 4755, the Jewel Box Cluster in Crux.
NGC 3242, Ghost of Jupiter PN in Hydra. So named for its size resembling Jupiter.
NGC 3115, The Spindle Galaxy in Sextans. For me the most stunning edge-on spiral galaxy in the sky.
NGC 5139, Omega Centauri in Centaurus. The outright KING of globular clusters. Keep an eye out for "The Eye Of Omega" - a line of sight coincidence with a small dusty molecular cloud that makes the centre of Omega Centauri appear devoid of bright stars.
NGC 4945, Galaxy in Centaurus. A very active and large edge-on galaxy. Very different in appearance from the Spindle due to the activity going on.
NGC 5128, Centaurs A in Centaurus. A highly distorted spiral galaxy. Its Hamburger like appearance is a consequence of a major collision with another galaxy, and it is slowly settling into a more stable structure.
M83, the Southern Pinwheel galaxy in Hydra. One of the easiest galaxies to spot its spiral arms, but it requires at least a 12 scope to have a chance at resolving them. One of the larger spiral galaxies in the sky that shows a large disk with a bright core.
M104, the Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo. A small but intense edge on galaxy that has a very prominent dark dusty lane cutting across it, giving the galaxy its sombrero-like appearance. Though small in the telescope, M104 is a true behemoth of a galaxy, making our own massive Milky Way look like a midget! If you have access to an 18 or larger scope, you might want to chase down some of the more than 1000 globular clusters that swarm around this monster galaxy.
If you have any questions, would like other suggestions, or would like to offer your own suggestions, please ask and post them here
Alex.