Deep Sky Object NGC7009 (PN) Aquarius ra: 21h 04m 10.9s dec: -11° 21’ 49” Magnitude (visual) = 8.0 Size = 35” Description: The Saturn Nebula was the first discoveries of William Herschel on September 7, 1782, when he started his great survey. This remarkable planetary nebula has its name from its appearance, which resembles a faint suggestion of the planet Saturn with rings nearly edge-on (Lord Rosse named it in the 1840s). According to Admiral Smyth, the Saturn Nebula was one of Struve's nine "Rare Celestial Objects." While the Saturn nebula measures 36" in diameter, it has an extended halo of about 100", according to the Sky Catalogue 2000.0. Its central star is rather bright with magnitude 11.5. The distance of the Saturn Nebula is not known very accurately. Hynes gives 2,400 light-years (adopted here), the Sky Catalogue 2000.0 about 2,900, and Burnham adopts O'Dell's (1963) estimate of 3,900 light years. Source: http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n7009.html AL: Herschel 400, Caldwell [55], Planetary Nebula; TAAS 200 Challenge Object NGC 6217 (GX) Ursa Minor ra: 16h 32m 38.6s dec: +78° 11’ 55” Magnitude (visual) = 11.2 Size = 3.0’ x 2.5’ Position angle = 153° Description: NGC 6217 is a barred spiral galaxy located some 67 million light years away, in the constellation Ursa Minor. It can be located with a 10 cm (4 in) or larger telescope as an 11th magnitude object about 2.5° east-northeast of the star Zeta Ursae Minoris. NGC 6217 has been characterized as a starburst galaxy, which means it is undergoing a high rate of star formation compared to a typical galaxy. As a result, the spectrum is dominated by stellar photoionization from young, hot stars. This component is less than 10 million years old, producing a blue-hued spectral continuum with absorption weak lines from elements other than hydrogen and helium. At the core of the galaxy is a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus which has formed an H II region. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_6217 AL: Herschel 400 Binocular Object Theta Sagittae (DS) Sagitta ra: 20h 09m 56s dec: +20° 54’ 53” Magnitudes (visual) = 6.6, 8.9, 7.5 Separations = 12”, 89” Description: Theta Sagittae (Theta Sge, θ Sagittae, θ Sge) is a multiple star system in the constellation of Sagitta, with an apparent magnitude of +6.51. The primary component is a yellowish white F-type subgiant. It is approximately 147 light years from Earth. The star's age is estimated to be 1.9 billion years but is certainly no less than 1.5 billion years and no greater than 2.2 billion years. Theta Sagittae is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 49.5 km/s relative to the Sun. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 18,500 and 25,900 light years from the center of the Galaxy. Theta Sagittae will come closest to the Sun 777,000 years from now – so mark your calendars! – when it will brighten to magnitude 4.97 from a distance of 72 light years. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theta_Sagittae AL: Binocular Double Star Double Star Gamma Andromedae (DS) Andromeda ra: 02h 03m 54s dec: +42° 19’ 47” Magnitude (visual) = 2.26 Separations = 12”, 89” Description: Gamma Andromedae (Gamma And, γ And, γ Andromedae) is the third brightest point of light in the constellation of Andromeda. It is also known by the traditional name Almach (also spelled as Almaach, Almaack, Almak, Almaak, or Alamak). In 1778, Johann Tobias Mayer discovered that γ Andromedae was a double star. When examined in a small telescope, it appears to be a bright, golden yellow star (γ1Andromedae) next to a dimmer, indigo blue star (γ2 Andromedae), separated by approximately 10 arcseconds. It is often considered by stargazers to be a beautiful double star with a striking contrast of color. It was later discovered that γ2 Andromedae is itself a triple star system. What appears as a single star to the naked eye is thus a quadruple star system, approximately 350 light-years from the Earth. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Andromeda AL: Double Star .