Learn about Messier 102 (NGC 5866), a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Draco. View how it looks through a 8-inch SCT from the light-polluted city or suburbs. Page includes sketch drawing of the galaxy along with historical facts.
Category Archives: Galaxies
Messier 63 (NGC 5055): The Sunflower Galaxy
Learn about Messier 63 (M63), a beautiful spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. Observers refer to the galaxy as the Sunflower Galaxy. It is part of the M51 galaxy group.
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.
NGC 6885 (Caldwell 37): A Cluster with a Shining Star Center
NGC 6885, also known as Caldwell 37, is a star cluster in the constellation Vulpecula and best viewed in summer or early autumn.
Messier 104 (NGC 4594): The Stunning Sombrero Galaxy
We view this stunning galaxy almost edge-on. In this lair of light lives a supermassive black hole.
Messier 60 (NGC 4649): Hubble’s Fastest Moving Galaxy
Messier 60 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo constellation. It’s best viewed in spring. According to NASA, M60 has a diameter of 120,000 light-years and is as massive as one trillion suns. At its center is a supermassive black hole with a mass 4.5 billion times that of our sun. It’s easy toContinueContinue reading “Messier 60 (NGC 4649): Hubble’s Fastest Moving Galaxy”
The Garden Astronomer 