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.
Author Archives: Wayne McGraw
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.
54 Leonis: An Attractive Double with an Aquamarine Star
54 Leonis is a double star with an exceptionally pretty secondary star, which is aquamarine in color. Some observers describe it as icy blue. Either way, it’s an awesome double to see in Leo.
Zeta Coronae Borealis: A Double Once Referred to as Smalt Blue
In August 1831, astronomer Admiral Smyth described the color of this double star as “smalt blue” — an intriguing description for pale blue stars. Regardless of various accounts of their color, the pair make for a pretty pair of late spring in Corona Borealis.
Messier 53 (NGC 5024): An Old, Bold Globular Cluster on the Outskirts of the Milky Way
Messier 53 is a globular cluster on the outskirts of our galaxy at nearly 60,000 light years above us. M53 is also unique as it has a more blue straggler stars than other globulars.
NGC 2129: Gemini’s Youthful Star Cluster
Not much is written about NGC 2129 in Gemini as this is a small cluster, but it houses two bright stars that are likely a binary. And, it’s a very young cluster in our galaxy.
NGC 2506: A Star Cluster in a Black Ocean
NGC 2506 is fainter open cluster in the constellation of Monoceros in winter. Around 150 stars make up the cluster, and it looks best through a telescope. Amateur astronomers also know the cluster by the names Caldwell 54, Melotte 80, and Collinder 170.
Messier 46 (NGC 2437): Rich Cluster in Puppis Featuring a Bonus Nebula
Messier 46 is a rich cluster of more than 500 stars. It makes its home in the southern constellation of Puppis.
The Garden Astronomer 