The Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way. With over a thousand known members, the cluster spans an area of the sky about 5 by 3 degrees in size. While some of the most prominent members can be seen in smaller instruments, a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160 galaxies in this region on a clear night.
Read More »Virgo Cluster
Messier 104 (M104), also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is a majestic unbarred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 8.98 and lies at a distance of 29.3 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 4594 in the New General Catalogue.
Read More »Messier 104: Sombrero Galaxy
Messier 83 (M83), also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Hydra. M83 lies at a distance of 15.21 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.54. It has the designation NGC 5236 in the New General Catalogue.
Read More »Messier 83: Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
Messier 61 (M61) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Virgo. M61 can be found in the southern portion of the Virgo Cluster. It occupies an area of 6 arc minutes, corresponding to a spatial diameter of about 100,000 light years.
The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10.18 and lies at a distance of 52.5 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 4303 in the New General Catalogue. The best time of year to observe M61 is during the spring.
Read More »Messier 61
Messier 44 (M44), also known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe (the Manger), is an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer. Praesepe is a bright, large cluster with an apparent magnitude of 3.7. It lies at a distance of 577 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 2632 in the New General Catalogue.
Read More »Messier 44: Beehive Cluster
Messier 5 (M5) is a bright globular cluster located in the northern constellation Serpens. It lies at a distance of 24,500 light years from Earth, in the galactic halo of the Milky Way. It has the designation NGC 5904 in the New General Catalogue.
With an apparent magnitude of 6.65, Messier 5 can be seen without binoculars, but only under extremely dark skies and it only appears as a faint star near the star 5 Serpentis. Binoculars will reveal the object to not be a star, but a fuzzy patch of light, and small telescopes will show a bright glowing core.
Read More »Messier 5