Messier 12 is a globular cluster located closer to the center of the Milky Way than many other clusters. Observers can view M12 in late spring and summer. It’s bright and dense character make it a great target of summer in the constellation Ophiuchus. It’s also known as the Gumball.
Author Archives: Wayne McGraw
Messier 14 (NGC 6402): Globular Cluster with an Elongated Glow
Messier 14 (NGC 6402) is a globular cluster in Ophiuchus best viewed in summer. It is slightly elongated in shape and looked fairly dim in my 8-inch SCT scope from the suburbs as my sketch shows. Still, it’s bright enough to see with binoculars from dark skies.
Messier 10 (NGC 6254): Rich Cluster Close to the Galaxy’s Heart
Messier 10 is a globular cluster located closer to the center of the Milky Way than many other clusters. Observers can view M10 in late spring and summer. It’s bright and dense character make it a great target of summer in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Algieba (Gamma Leonis): A Pretty Double Star with a Planet in Leo
Algieba is an exceptional double star, which would easily be placed in a list of TOP 10 double stars visible to backyard astronomers.
Izar (Epsilon Boötis): A Bit of Science Fiction and Loveliness
The binary star named Izar, also known as Epsilon Boötis, is located in the constellation Boötes and is best viewed in late spring. It takes a decent telescope and clear skies to split this double, but the effort pays off!
Messier 49 (NGC 4472): The Brightest Galaxy of the Virgo Cluster
Messier 49 (M49 and NGC 4472) happens to be the brightest galaxy in the Virgo Cluster. It’s also the brightest galaxies amateur astronomers can view from the backyard. Learn more of this large elliptical galaxy viewable as a hazy patch of light from the suburbs.
Messier 85 (NGC 4382): An Intriguing Haze in a Cluster of Galaxies
Messier 85 happens to be one of the brightest galaxies among the Como-Virgo cluster and is best viewed in May. So if you are a backyard astronomer fighting light pollution, be sure to give this object a try.
Messier 84 (NGC 4374): A Cotton Ball in a Field of Many
Messier 84 (M84), also designated as NGC 4374, lies in the springtime sky amongst the plethora of viewable galaxies in Virgo. Using a small scope, one can also find it among the array of galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and the stretch of galaxies in Markarian’s Chain. It looks a faint smudge in small to mid-sized scopes from the backyard.
The Garden Astronomer 