RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin) A bright, compact Seyfert with a -like nucleus - use high power. The closest Messier to the ecliptic (next is M78). Tough for northern M77 1 G-SABab Cet 2 hr 43m 0° 1' 28.51 17:54 220.65 xx:xx xx:xx 21:27 8.9 7x6 marathoners due to its low altitude at sunset in March. (There is a 64.3 minute RA gap between M77 and M45.)

A large, face-on, faint, illusive spiral. One of the most difficult of the Messier objects especially in M74 2 G-SAc Psc 1 hr 37m 15° 47' 34.79 17:54 246.35 xx:xx xx:xx 21:53 10.2 10.2x9.5 small telescopes and for northern marathoners due to its low altitude at sunset in March.

A large diffuse spiral - requires a dark sky. This face- on spiral can be difficult to see due to it's large size. M33 3 G-SAcd Tri 1 hr 34m 30° 39' 46.22 17:54 258.96 04:41 xx:xx 23:54 6.7 73x45 Use low power (may be easier to spot in finder or binoculars).

!! The Andromeda Galaxy - the brightest galaxy in M31 4 G-SAb And 0 hr 43m 41° 16' 46.2 17:54 280.41 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 4.8 178 the sky, 4° wide. Look for dust lanes. (The smallest Messier RA gap is between M31 and M32.)

The closest companion to M31 - located slightly S M32 5 G-E5pec And 0 hr 43m 40° 52' 45.94 17:54 279.97 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 8.7 8x6 of M31 and visible in the same low power field. (The smallest Messier RA gap is between M31 and M32.)

A companion galaxy to M31, located NNE, with lower surface brightness than M32. (There is a 76.2 M110 6 G-E3pec And 0 hr 40m 41° 41' 46.14 17:54 281.27 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 9.4 17x10 minute RA gap between M110 and M52 and a 3.0 hour RA gap between M110 and M30.)

A bright, young, rich cluster - faint Bubble nearby. (Although it has the highest RA, this object is N circumpolar for latitudes above -28° and can be seen at other times. There is a 103.8 minute RA gap between M52 and M30 and a 76.2 minute RA M52 7 OC Cas 23 hr 24m 61° 35' 47.84 17:54 315.1 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 7.3 13 gap between M52 and M110, or, if you observe M52 out of RA sequence - a total of a 3.0 hour RA gap between M30 and M110 - the largest Messier RA gap and the main reason there is a Messier Marathon at all.) Can be difficult from southern latitudes due to its high Declination. RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin)

A smaller open cluster. Appears triangle-shaped. (3 M103 8 OC Cas 1 hr 33m 60° 42' 62.04 17:54 304.34 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 7.4 6 NGC clusters nearby). Can be difficult from southern latitudes due to its high Declination.

1:42:17ra? The Little Dumbbell Nebula - an 11th magnitude planetary nebula. A smaller version of M76 9 PN Per 1 hr 42m 51° 34' 60.4 17:54 285.42 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 10.1 2.7x1.8 The 'Dumbbell Nebula' in Vulpecula. One of the toughest, faintest Messier objects. A bright, rich open cluster, easily visible in M34 10 OC Per 2 hr 42m 42° 47' 64.41 17:54 257.62 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 5.5 35 binoculars - best at very low power.

!! The 'Pleiades' or 'Seven Sisters' . Very bright and large. Use low power and look for nebulosity. The closest Messier. (There is a 64.3 minute RA gap between M77 and M45 and a 97.5 M45 11 OC Tau 3 hr 47m 24° 7' 56.64 17:54 212.42 xx:xx xx:xx 01:03 1.6 110 minute RA gap between M45 and M79, or, if you observe bright M45 out of RA sequence, a total of a 161.8 minute RA gap between M77 and M79 - the second largest Messier RA gap.)

A 20-cm telescope is needed to resolve the . Tough for northern marathoners due to its low M79 12 GC Lep 5 hr 25m -24° 33' 11.07 18:16 179.99 xx:xx 18:16 21:27 8.4 8.7 altitude at sunset in March. (There is a 97.5 minute RA gap between M45 and M79) !! The famous 'Orion Nebula' - the brightest and easiest to find emission nebula in the winter sky - a M42 13 E/RN Ori 5 hr 35m -5° 27' 30.17 18:27 180.02 xx:xx 18:27 23:49 4 85x60 magnificent object - this nebula will fill a low power eyepiece field of view.

A fainter, detached part of Orion Nebula resembling M43 14 E/RN Ori 5 hr 36m -5° 16' 30.35 18:27 179.96 xx:xx 18:27 23:50 9.1 20x15 a bloated coma. In the same field as M42.

A featureless reflection nebula - one of the easiest reflection to observe. Use medium M78 15 RN Ori 5 hr 47m 0° 3' 35.67 18:38 180.04 xx:xx 18:38 00:31 10.3 8x6 magnification, without filters. (The 2nd closest Messier to the ecliptic (closest is M77).

!! The famous Crab Nebula - the brightest example M1 16 SNR Tau 5 hr 35m 22° 1' 57.63 18:26 179.98 xx:xx 18:26 02:33 8.2 6x4 of a supernova remnant, formed in 1054 and still expanding. The only SNR .

!! Gemini's finest open cluster, visible to the naked M35 17 OC Gem 6 hr 9m 24° 20' 59.95 19:00 180 xx:xx 19:01 03:26 5.3 28 eye under good conditions. (Look for small cluster NGC 2158 1/4° SW.) RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin)

M37 18 OC Aur 5 hr 52m 32° 33' 68.17 18:44 180.06 xx:xx 18:44 04:38 6.2 24 !! The finest of the 3 Auriga clusters - very rich.

A bright, easy, scattered open cluster. Naked eye M36 19 OC Aur 5 hr 36m 34° 8' 69.75 18:28 180.02 xx:xx 18:28 04:48 6.3 12 from a dark location. Best at low power. 28.4ram? The faintest of Auriga's Messier clusters. M38 20 OC Aur 5 hr 29m 35° 50' 71.45 18:20 180.05 06:28 18:20 xx:xx 7.4 21 Many bright stars, arranged in pairs. (Look for the small cluster NGC 1907 1/2° S.) 46ram? 4° The finest open cluster in Canis Major - bright but coarse, about 4° south of Sirius. Easily M41 21 OC CMa 6 hr 47m -20° 44' 14.88 19:38 180 xx:xx 19:39 23:22 4.6 38 visible in binoculars, or to the naked eye from a dark site. M93 22 OC Pup 7 hr 45m -23° 52' 11.75 20:36 179.97 xx:xx 20:36 23:53 6 22 A compact bright cluster, fairly rich. M47 23 OC Pup 7 hr 37m -14° 30' 21.12 20:28 179.96 xx:xx 20:28 00:55 4.5 30 A coarse cluster, 1.5° W of M46. M46 24 OC Pup 7 hr 42m -14° 49' 20.8 20:33 180 xx:xx 20:33 00:58 6 27 !! Contains planetary nebula NGC 2438.

A bright open cluster between Sirius and Procyon, naked eye under ideal conditions. Look for several M50 25 OC Mon 7 hr 3m -8° 20' 27.28 19:54 179.96 xx:xx 19:55 01:00 6.3 16 arcs of stars, and a single red star 7 arc minutes south of the cluster's centre. Use low power.

A large, sparse cluster. A former 'lost' Messier M48 26 OC Hya 8 hr 14m -5° 48' 29.82 21:05 180.03 xx:xx 21:05 02:25 5.3 54 object.

!! The Beehive Cluster or 'Praesepe' - appears as a M44 27 OC Cnc 8 hr 40m 19° 59' 55.6 21:31 179.95 xx:xx 21:31 05:24 3.7 95 hazy patch of light. Use low power for a wide field.

A bright open cluster. Located five times as distant M67 28 OC Cnc 8 hr 50m 11° 49' 47.43 21:41 179.98 xx:xx 21:42 04:41 6.1 30 as M44, one of the oldest clusters, at 3.2 billion years. Easy in binoculars or finderscope.

A bright barred spiral with a bright central core and with M96 in the same field. (M95 can be difficult, M95 29 G-SBb Leo 10 hr 44m 11° 42' 47.32 23:35 179.99 xx:xx 23:35 xx:xx 10.4 4.4x3.3 M96 is bigger and brighter.) The bar and outer ring of material will require a large aperture and dark skies.

M96 30 G-SABab Leo 10 hr 47m 11° 49' 47.43 23:37 179.95 xx:xx 23:38 xx:xx 9.1 6x4 A brighter barred spiral, with M95 in the same field.

A small elliptical galaxy, but has very high surface brightness. Very near M95 and M96. M105 is the M105 31 G-E1 Leo 10 hr 48m 12° 35' 48.2 23:38 179.95 xx:xx 23:39 xx:xx 9.2 2 biggest object in a field with NGC 3384 and NGC 3389 (dimmer). RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin)

!! A bright elongated spiral galaxyg with M65 and NGC 3628 in same field. (M66 is smaller and M65 32 G-SABa Leo 11 hr 19m 13° 5' 48.7 00:09 179.94 xx:xx 00:10 xx:xx 9.3 8x1.5 brighter than M65.) Very high surface brightness showing good detail in medium sized scopes.

!! A bright with M65 and NGC 3628 in M66 33 G-SABb Leo 11 hr 20m 12° 59' 48.6 00:11 179.95 xx:xx 00:11 xx:xx 8.2 8x2.5 same field.

!! A bright spiral, with M82 1/2° N. (M81 is rounder and brighter than M82.) Visible in binoculars from a M81 34 G-SAab UMa 9 hr 56m 69° 4' 75.32 22:46 0.03 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 7.9 21x10 good viewing site. Can be difficult from southern latitudes due to its high Declination - it is the 2nd most northerly Messier (M82 is higher).

!! The 'exploding galaxy', with M81 1/2° S. Look for structure. Can be difficult from southern latitudes M82 35 G-I0 UMa 9 hr 56m 69° 41' 74.7 22:47 359.99 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 8.8 9x4 due to its high Declination - it is the most northerly Messier (next is M81). !! The Owl Nebula - a planetary nebula very close to M97 36 PN UMa 11 hr 15m 55° 1' 89.37 00:05 0.95 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 9.9 3.4x3.3 M108. Appears brighter than 11.2 mag low surface brightness.

A bright, nearly edge-on spiral, very close to M97. M108 37 G-SBcd UMa 11 hr 12m 55° 40' 88.72 00:02 0.73 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 10.7 8x1 Shows dark patches and mottling in larger scopes.

A barred spiral near gamma UMa. Shows spiral M109 38 G-SBbc UMa 11 hr 58m 53° 23' 89 00:48 179.23 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 10.8 7x4 structure easily in larger scopes. The double star Winnecke 4 - separation of 50 arc M40 39 OC 2 stars UMa 12 hr 22m 58° 5' 86.3 01:13 0.32 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 9.1 0.8 seconds near Megrez in the Big Dipper. The most disappointing of the Messier objects. M106 40 G-SABbc CVn 12 hr 19m 47° 18' 82.92 01:09 179.87 xx:xx 01:10 xx:xx 8.6 19x8 !! A large, bright spiral galaxy. A bright, compact, tightly wound galaxy, with a very M94 41 G-SAab CVn 12 hr 51m 41° 7' 76.73 01:41 180.07 xx:xx 01:41 xx:xx 7.9 7x3 intense comet-like nucleus. !! The Sunflower Galaxy - bright, elongated, a bright M63 42 G-SAbc CVn 13 hr 16m 42° 2' 77.65 02:06 179.93 xx:xx 02:06 xx:xx 9.5 10x6 core is visible in smaller scopes.

M51 43 G-SAbc CVn 13 hr 30m 47° 12' 82.82 02:20 179.81 xx:xx 02:20 xx:xx 8.1 11x7 !! The Whirlpool Galaxy - superb in big telescopes.

!! The Pinwheel Galaxy - a large, diffuse, face-on spiral. Difficult to observe due to low surface M101 44 G-SABcd UMa 14 hr 3m 54° 21' 89.97 02:53 176.73 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 9.6 22 brightness. Sky conditions are more important than aperture. RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin)

A bright but almost featureless lenticular galaxy. M102 45 G-SA0* Dra 15 hr 7m 55° 46' 88.62 03:56 0.82 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 10 5.2x2.3 Appears originally to be a duplicate observation of M101. (Look for NGC 5907 nearby.)

A bright, but small, globular cluster. Difficult to M53 46 GC Com 13 hr 13m 18° 10' 53.78 02:03 180.06 18:16 02:03 xx:xx 7.6 12.6 resolve - use a 15-cm telescope and high power.

!! The . An abnormally smooth and featureless galaxy except for a large dark dust M64 47 G-SAab Com 12 hr 57m 21° 41' 57.3 01:47 179.99 xx:xx 01:47 xx:xx 8.8 9.3x5.4 cloud near the nucleus, which gives it the appearance of a black eye - the 'eye' needs a large aperture to resolve. !! A bright globular cluster, visible in binoculars - M3 48 GC CVn 13 hr 42m 28° 23' 64 02:32 179.96 xx:xx 02:33 xx:xx 6.3 16.2 contains many variable stars. An elongated, nearly edge-on spiral near star 6 M98 49 G-SABab Com 12 hr 14m 14° 54' 50.52 01:04 180.03 xx:xx 01:04 xx:xx 11.7 9.5x3.2 Comae B. It has Low surface brightness (the faintest mv).

M99 50 G-SAc Com 12 hr 19m 14° 25' 50.03 01:09 180.04 xx:xx 01:09 xx:xx 10.1 5.4x4.8 A bright, circular, nearly face-on spiral near M98.

M100 51 G-SABbc Com 12 hr 23m 15° 49' 51.43 01:13 180.01 xx:xx 01:13 xx:xx 10.6 7x6 A face-on spiral galaxy with starlike nucleus. A bright elliptically shaped, lenticular galaxy. A M85 52 G-SA0* Com 12 hr 25m 18° 11' 53.8 01:16 179.94 xx:xx 01:16 xx:xx 9.3 7.1x5.2 member of the Virgo . !! M84 and M86 are a bright pair of elliptical galaxies in the heart of the Coma-Virgo galaxy M84 53 G-E1 Vir 12 hr 25m 12° 53' 48.5 01:16 180.06 18:02 01:16 xx:xx 9.3 5 cluster. Part of the 'Markarian Chain'. Many NGC's nearby - lots to explore! !! M84 and M86 are a bright pair of elliptical M86 54 G-E3 Vir 12 hr 26m 12° 57' 48.57 01:17 180.02 18:03 01:17 xx:xx 9.7 7.5x5.5 galaxies in the heart of the Coma-Virgo galaxy cluster. Another bright elliptical galaxy. One of the largest and most luminous know galaxies, also a strong M87 55 G-E0-1 Vir 12 hr 31m 12° 24' 48.02 01:21 180.05 18:11 01:21 xx:xx 9.2 7 radio and X-ray source - the one with the famous jet and black hole.

M89 56 G-E Vir 12 hr 36m 12° 33' 48.17 01:26 179.97 18:15 01:26 xx:xx 9.5 4 An elliptical galaxy resembling M87, but smaller.

M90 57 G-SABab Vir 12 hr 37m 13° 10' 48.78 01:27 180.06 18:12 01:27 xx:xx 10 9.5x4.5 A bright spiral galaxy, near M89. M88 58 G-SAb Com 12 hr 32m 14° 25' 50.03 01:22 179.98 18:00 01:23 xx:xx 10.2 7x4 A bright multiple-arm spiral galaxy. (Some lists say M91 is M58 or NGC 4689 M91 59 G-SBb Com 12 hr 35m 14° 30' 50.12 01:26 179.95 18:03 01:26 xx:xx 9.5 5.4x4.4 (12:47.8,+13.8), not NGC 4548.) M58 60 G-SABb Vir 12 hr 38m 11° 49' 47.43 01:28 179.97 18:21 01:28 xx:xx 9.2 5.5x4.5 A bright barred spiral. (M59 and M60 1° E.) RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin) M59 61 G-E5 Vir 12 hr 42m 11° 39' 47.27 01:32 179.99 18:27 01:33 xx:xx 9.6 5x3.5 A bright elliptical galaxy paired with M60. A bright elliptical galaxy paired with M59 and NGC M60 62 G-E2 Vir 12 hr 44m 11° 33' 47.17 01:34 179.98 18:29 01:34 xx:xx 8.9 7x6 4647. M49 63 G-E2 Vir 12 hr 30m 8° 0' 43.62 01:20 180.05 18:36 01:20 xx:xx 8.5 9x7.5 A very bright elliptical galaxy. M61 64 G-SABbc Vir 12 hr 22m 4° 28' 40.08 01:12 180 18:48 01:12 xx:xx 10.1 6x5.5 A face-on two-armed spiral galaxy. !! The '' features a prominent dust M104 65 G-SA Vir 12 hr 40m -11° 37' 24 01:30 179.99 20:38 01:31 06:16 8.7 9x4 lane. Tilted almost edge-on. M68 66 GC Hya 12 hr 40m -26° 45' 8.87 01:30 180.03 22:29 01:30 04:20 8 12 15-cm telescope needed to resolve A face-on Sc spiral - large and diffuse, tough from M83 67 G-SABc Hya 13 hr 37m -29° 52' 5.75 02:27 180.03 00:01 02:27 04:40 7.6 11x10 northern latitudes.

!! One of the finest globulars - should be 'naked eye' M5 68 GC Ser 15 hr 19m 2° 5' 37.7 04:09 180.04 21:58 04:09 xx:xx 6.2 17.4 under good skies. (In Serpens Caput.)

!! The Hercules cluster - one of the finest globulars M13 69 GC Her 16 hr 42m 36° 28' 72.08 05:31 179.95 xx:xx 05:32 xx:xx 5.7 16.6 in the northern hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye from a dark site. NGC 6207 is 1/2° NE.

A bright globular cluster, almost as spectacular as M13. Stars are more compact and fainter than M13, M92 70 GC Her 17 hr 17m 43° 8' 78.75 06:07 179.95 xx:xx 06:07 xx:xx 6.5 11.2 requires more magnification and aperture to resolve. 9° NE of M13. A fine object but often overlooked.

!! The Ring Nebula - a bright ring shaped planetary M57 71 PN Lyr 18 hr 54m 33° 2' 64.91 06:28 140.71 21:24 xx:xx 17:54 8.8 1.4x1.0 nebula. (The mag 15 central star is very tough.)

A bright globular cluster within a rich star field. M56 72 GC Lyr 19 hr 17m 30° 11' 60.12 06:28 134.14 22:31 xx:xx xx:xx 8.2 7.1 Difficult to resolve with small scopes.

M29 73 OC Cyg 20 hr 24m 38° 32' 58.09 06:28 102.6 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 7.1 7 A small, poor open cluster 2° S of gamma Cygni.

M39 74 OC Cyg 21 hr 32m 48° 26' 54.2 06:28 74.88 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 5.2 32 A very sparse cluster near pi Cygni - use low power.

!! The Dumbbell Nebula - one of the brightest M27 75 PN Vul 19 hr 60m 22° 43' 48.85 06:28 126.13 00:27 xx:xx xx:xx 7.4 8.0x5.7 planetary nebula, it is easily visible in a finder scope or binoculars - a superb object.

A bright, loose globular cluster, easily resolved with M71 76 GC Sge 19 hr 54m 18° 47' 46.08 06:28 130.72 00:51 xx:xx xx:xx 9 7.2 larger scopes - looks like an open cluster.

M107 77 GC Oph 16 hr 33m -13° 3' 22.57 05:22 180.03 00:39 05:22 xx:xx 9.2 10 A small, faint globular. M12 78 GC Oph 16 hr 47m -1° 57' 33.67 05:37 180.03 23:49 05:37 xx:xx 6.6 14.5 A loose globular cluster. RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin) M10 79 GC Oph 16 hr 57m -4° 6' 31.52 05:47 179.97 00:11 05:47 xx:xx 6.7 15.1 A rich cluster with M12 3° NW.

M14 80 GC Oph 17 hr 38m -3° 15' 32.37 06:27 179.95 00:46 06:27 xx:xx 7.7 11.7 A 20-cm telescope is needed to resolve the stars.

M9 81 GC Oph 17 hr 19m -18° 31' 17.1 06:09 179.96 02:01 06:09 xx:xx 7.3 9.3 The smallest of the Ophiuchus globulars. A bright globular cluster near Antares. One of the M4 82 GC Sco 16 hr 24m -26° 32' 9.08 05:13 179.99 02:11 05:14 xx:xx 6.4 26.3 most easily resolved globular clusters, having a loose, unconcentrated structure. M80 83 GC Sco 16 hr 17m -22° 59' 12.63 05:07 179.97 01:33 05:07 xx:xx 7.7 8.9 A bright but very compressed globular. M19 84 GC Oph 17 hr 3m -26° 16' 9.35 05:52 180.02 02:47 05:52 xx:xx 6.6 13.5 An oblate cluster with M62 4° S. M62 85 GC Oph 17 hr 1m -30° 7' 5.5 05:51 180.03 03:28 05:51 xx:xx 6.6 14.1 Unsymmetrical, in rich star field. !! The Butterfly Cluster - best at low power. Can be M6 86 OC Sco 17 hr 40m -32° 13' 3.4 06:28 179.74 04:37 xx:xx xx:xx 5.3 15 difficult from northern latitudes due to its low Declination. !! A bright open cluster excellent in binocular or rich- field scope. Can be difficult from northern latitudes M7 87 OC Sco 17 hr 54m -34° 49' 0.74 06:28 176.92 05:48 xx:xx xx:xx 4.1 80 due to its low Declination - it is the Most southerly Messier (next is M69). !! The Wild Duck Cluster - perhaps the best open M11 88 OC Sct 18 hr 51m -6° 16' 27.49 06:28 159.68 02:17 xx:xx xx:xx 6.3 14 cluster. M26 89 OC Sct 18 hr 45m -9° 24' 24.7 06:28 161.95 02:29 xx:xx xx:xx 9.3 15 A bright coarse cluster. 18.8ram? 47decm? The Eagle Nebula with an M16 90 EN+OC Ser 18 hr 19m -13° 58' 21.13 06:28 169.66 02:30 xx:xx xx:xx 6.4 7 embedded open cluster - use a nebula filter. (In Serpens Cauda.) !! The Swan or Omega Nebula - very high surface M17 91 EN Sgr 18 hr 21m -16° 11' 18.87 06:28 169.36 02:47 xx:xx xx:xx 7.5 11 brightness - use nebula filter. A small open cluster of 12 stars, 1° S of M17. Gets M18 92 OC Sgr 18 hr 20m -17° 8' 17.95 06:28 169.7 02:52 xx:xx xx:xx 7.5 9 'lost' in scopes, due to the high number of background stars.

16.9ram? 29decm? 27decm? The 'Small Sagittarius M24 93 starcloud Sgr 18 hr 17m -18° 50' 16.34 06:28 170.72 03:01 xx:xx xx:xx 4.6 5 Star Cloud' - a naked eye detached section of the milky way - contains open cluster NGC 6603.

M25 94 OC Sgr 18 hr 32m -19° 15' 15.5 06:28 167.09 03:19 xx:xx xx:xx 6.5 40 A bright but sparse cluster. M23 95 OC Sgr 17 hr 57m -19° 1' 16.5 06:28 175.58 02:42 xx:xx xx:xx 6.9 27 A bright loose cluster. M21 96 OC Sgr 18 hr 5m -22° 30' 12.92 06:28 173.91 03:16 xx:xx xx:xx 6.5 13 A sparse cluster 0.7° NE of M20. 2.6ram? !! The Trifid Nebula - emission and M20 97 E/RN Sgr 18 hr 2m -23° 2' 12.42 06:28 174.48 03:18 xx:xx xx:xx 9 28 reflection nebula. Observing the trisecting dark lanes requires fairly good skies. RA Dec Max @ @ Rise Tran Sets Size M# Seq Type Cons mv Remarks Observed / Details 2000.0 2000.0 Alt° time Azm° @ @ @ (arcmin) !! The Lagoon Nebula with embedded open cluster M8 98 EN Sgr 18 hr 4m -24° 23' 11.05 06:28 174.22 03:31 xx:xx xx:xx 6 60x35 NGC 6530. M28 99 GC Sgr 18 hr 25m -24° 52' 10.14 06:28 169.5 03:56 xx:xx xx:xx 7.3 11.2 A compact globular near M22,

M22 100 GC Sgr 18 hr 36m -23° 54' 10.74 06:28 166.64 03:59 xx:xx xx:xx 5.9 24 A spectacular globular from southern latitudes.

A small poor globular. Can be difficult from northern M69 101 GC Sgr 18 hr 31m -32° 21' 2.53 06:28 168.92 05:30 xx:xx xx:xx 8.9 7.1 latitudes due to its low Declination since it is the 2nd most southerly Messier (the lowest is M7).

A small globular 2° E of M69. Can be difficult from M70 102 GC Sgr 18 hr 43m -32° 18' 2.21 06:28 166.45 05:41 xx:xx xx:xx 9.6 7.8 northern latitudes due to its low Declination.

M54 103 GC Sgr 18 hr 55m -30° 29' 3.55 06:28 163.63 05:26 xx:xx xx:xx 8 9.1 A compact globular - not easily resolved. M55 104 GC Sgr 19 hr 40m -30° 58' 0.74 06:28 154.38 06:17 xx:xx xx:xx 5 19 A bright, loose globular. A small and distant globular - the smallest of the M75 105 GC Sgr 20 hr 6m -21° 55' 7.42 06:28 145.91 05:13 xx:xx xx:xx 8 6 Messier globulars. A very rich, tightly packed globular with a very bright M15 106 GC Peg 21 hr 30m 12° 10' 28.35 06:28 110 03:10 xx:xx xx:xx 6 12.3 core. A bright globular cluster but a 20-cm telescope is M2 107 GC Aqr 21 hr 34m 0° 49' 16.94 06:28 116.79 04:28 xx:xx xx:xx 6.3 12.9 needed to resolve the stars.

Near NGC 7009 - the Saturn Nebula. Like nearby M72 108 GC Aqr 20 hr 54m -12° 32' 11.49 06:28 131.6 04:56 xx:xx xx:xx 9.8 5.9 M73, may be difficult to observe in morning twilight.

58.9ram? This is one of the most disappointing of the Messier objects - an asterism of 4 stars. Like M73 109 OC 4 stars Aqr 20 hr 59m -12° 38' 10.79 06:28 130.42 05:02 xx:xx xx:xx 9 2.8 nearby M72, may be difficult to observe in morning twilight.

A compact globular cluster. The toughest object (and usually the last one) in a one-night Messier marathon for northern observers due to its low M30 110 GC Cap 21 hr 40m -23° 11' -3.18 06:28 126.84 xx:xx xx:xx xx:xx 8.4 11 altitude at sunrise in March. M30 cannot be viewed not poss in March for observers above 35° N. (There is a 103.8 minute RA gap between M30 and M52 and a 3.0 hour RA gap between M30 and M110.)

Produced for Ravenscar on 9th March 2013 using Larry McNishers Messier Planner http://members.shaw.ca/rlmcnish/darksky/messierplanner.htm and amended for SARAS use.