Image Credits: Joe Haberthier, Steve Childers, Bill Rankin, and other FAS members.
One of the biggest challenges for someone starting out in astronomy is to learn and navigate the night sky. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you. If you are just starting out, see our Introduction to Astronomy & Stargazing or our Night Sky Basics.
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Highlights and Sky Charts
Several resources publish Highlights and Sky Charts of the night sky for various times of the year.
Night Sky Highlights
NASA Skywatching
NASA What’s Up
In The Sky (Astronomy Magazine)
This Week’s Sky (Sky &Telescope)
This Month’s Sky (Cosmic Pursuits)
Monthly Night Sky (Farmers’ Almanac)
The Sky Live
In-The-Sky.org
The Seasonal Night Skies (FAS Articles)
Other Resources
The Moon
The Moon is often an interesting target to observe. Although, it is best observed during a first or third quarter moon and not during a full moon (which is too bright).
Moon Phases (Introduction)
The Moon takes around 27 days to orbit the Earth. However, because the Earth and Moon are moving around the Sun, it takes just over 29 days to complete one set of phases.
- A new moon is high at noon when the far side of the moon is completely illuminated by the Sun.
- A crescent is when the sunlight is just visible before or after a new moon.
- A 1st quarter moon rises mid-day and a 3rd (Last) quarter moon rises near midnight. Both occur when half of the near side and half of the far side are illuminated.
- A gibbous is between a quarter and full moon. This is when you will see a “daytime moon.”
- A waxing gibbous occurs just before a full moon and is visible in the afternoon to the east.
- A waning gibbous occurs just after a full moon and is visible in the morning to the west.
- A full moon is high at midnight when the near side is fully illuminated by the Sun.
Current Phase of the Moon
Find and follow the current phase of the Moon with these references.
Moon Features
The Moon has many features visible through even a small telescope. The most obvious are the maria (which is Latin for seas). Although, these are not seas in the traditional sense – they are large smooth basaltic plains covered with solidified lava that bubbled up onto the surface a few billion years ago. The Seas of Fertility, Tranquility, and Serenity are off to the east. To the west are the Sea of Rain (north) and Sea of Clouds (south). Further to the west is the large Ocean of Storms. Two of the more prominent craters are Tyco, with its rays, to the south, and Copernicus more in the center.
Full Moons (and their names)
Full Moons are given names, not so much for how the Moon might look, but for the time of the year associated with each full moon.
More on the Moon
(FAS Astronomers Blog)
| Month | Moon Name | Month | Moon Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Wolf Moon | July | Buck Moon |
| February | Snow Moon | August | Stergeon Moon |
| March | Worm Moon | September | Corn Moon |
| April | Pink Moon | October | Hunter’s Moon |
| May | Flower Moon | November | Beaver Moon |
| June | Strawberry Moon | December | Cold Moon |
Meteor Showers
Meteor showers appear when the Earth travels through the debris from a comet or asteroid. Typically, they are best viewed during a new moon, from dark skies, and after midnight.
Deep-Sky Objects
Once you really get going, you can track down some of those Deep-Sky Objects.
Open Star Clusters
Small and younger clusters of stars that formed at approximately the same time. The best known is the Pleiades (M45). Several others such as the Wild Duck cluster (M11), Salt and Pepper cluster (M37), and Beehive cluster (M44) are also visible.
The double cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884 / C14) is a great view. Also, look for the ET Cluster (NGC 457 / C13) in Cassiopeia.
Globular Star Clusters
Larger and older clusters of stars found outside the plane of the Milky Way. These clusters are over 10 billion years old and contain hundreds of thousands to millions of stars.
Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae are the two brightest, but are primarily visible from the southern hemisphere.
The Hercules clusters (M13 & M92), Great Sagittarius Cluster (M22), Pegasus Cluster (M15) are among those visible from the northern hemisphere.
There are also several globular clusters found in the constellation Ophiuchus (M9, M10, M12, M14, and more).
Galaxies
Galaxies are large collections of stars such as the Milky Way.
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31),
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), Bode’s Galaxy (M81), and Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) are five of the more popular targets.
The spring is considered “galaxy season” with many galaxies visible in the night sky. Look for the Leo Triplet (M65, M66, and NGC 3628), Markarian’s Chain (M84, M86, …), and many others.
Emission Nebulae
Gaseous clouds, typically composed mostly of hydrogen where new stars are forming. Most are named after the objects they resemble.
The best known is the Orion Nebula (M42). Nearby is the Flame nebulae (IC 434) in Orion and the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244) in the constellation Monoceros.
Several, such as the Lagoon nebula (M8), Eagle nebula (M16), Omega/Swan nebula (M17), and Trifid nebula (M20), are visible toward the south during the summer.
Reflection Nebulae
Reflection nebulae are areas of gas that reflect the light from nearby stars and nebulae.
Two of the best known reflection nebula are the nebulae within the Pleiades (M45) and the Iris nebula (NGC 7023). Don’t forget Casper the Friendly Ghost nebula (M78).
Absorption (Dark) Nebulae
Absorption nebula are clouds of dust that block or absorb light from other nebulae.
The best known absorption nebulae are the Horsehead nebula (IC 434) and the Elephant Trunk nebula (IC 1396).
Supernova Remnants
Material ejected from a supernova explosion.
Two well known examples are the Crab nebula (M01) and Veil nebulae (NGC 6960 and NGC 6992).
Planetary Nebulae
The remnants of stars after they expanded into a red giant where material was blown away from the surviving star core. They were once thought to be planets, hence the name.
The Ring nebula (M57), Dumbbell nebula (M27), Jellyfish nebula (IC 443), and Helix nebula (NGC 7293 / C63) are well known examples.
Here are two handouts listing many of the more interesting deep-sky objects.
Resources (Deep Sky Objects)
Featured Resources
- Left Turn at Orion by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis. You can find this book on Amazon. They have a Left Turn at Orion webpage as well.
- Dominic Ford. “Objects In the Night Sky.” In-The-Sky.org. Information about what is currently visible.
- Steve Berardi. “All Sky Map” Amazon. skyatlas.app. A map of the night sky showing many Deep-Sky objects.
- Anton Vamplew. “Deep-Sky Catalogues: A Guide To Astronomical Referencing.” BBC Sky at Night Magazine. An introduction to Deep-Sky Catalogs.
- Michael Vlasov. “Illustrated Deep-Sky Observing Guide.” Deep-Sky Watch. A more detailed list of deep sky objects.
- “Astronomy Tools & Astrophotography/Targets for Your Telescopes.” Telescopius. A list of viewing targets.
- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter night skies (including deep-sky objects by season). FAS.
- “Deep Sky Designations (M, NGC, IC, and more).” FAS.
Messier Catalog
A hundred or so of the most noticeable deep-sky objects are classified as Messier objects (with designations M##). This catalog was developed by Charles Messier in the 18th century as a list of objects to avoid when searching for comets. It is now some of the favorite targets for amateur astronomers.
- “Messier Objects.” Constellation Guide.
- “Messier Catalogue.” Messier Objects.
- Dominic Ford. The Messier Objects.” In-The-Sky.org.
- “Messier Catalog: A List Of Deep-Sky Objects.” starlust.
- “Messier Catalog.” Celestron.
- Michael Vlasov. “Illustrated Messier List.” Deep Sky Watch.
- “Hubble’s Messier Catalog.” NASA Science.
- “Messier Catalog – Globular Cluster.” Celestron.
- “Mastering the Messier Objects.” Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. Astronomical League.
Caldwell Catalog
In December 1995, Patrick Moore expanded on Messier’s catalog with the Caldwell Catalog, which contains an additional 109 objects not included in Messier’s list (C1-C109).
- “Caldwell Catalogue.” Constellation Guide.
- “Hubble’s Caldwell Catalog.” NASA.
- Dominic Ford. “The Caldwell Objects.” In-The-Sky.org.
- “Caldwell Catalog.” Go Astronomy.
NGC & IC Catalogs
John Louis Emil Dreyer produced the New General Catalog (NGC) in 1888. It was followed by two index catalog supplements (IC) in 1895 and 1909. Dreyer’s NGC/IC catalogs are still in use today and NGC/IC numbers are commonly used to identify many deep sky objects.
- “Dominic Ford. The New General Catalog (NGC).” In-The-Sky.org.
- Dominic Ford. “The Index Catalog.” In-The-Sky.org.
- Michael Vlasov. “Illustrated NGC Objects List.” Deep-Sky Watch.
- “NGC List of Deep-Sky Objects.” Go Astronomy.
Other Catalogs
- William, Caroline, and John Herschel compiled an extensive list of over 5,000 objects in the late 1700s. Herschel’s 400 object deep sky catalog is a subset of this list and provides amateur astronomers with more challenging objects than those in the Messier and Caldwell catalogs.
- “Herschel 400 Catalogue (274).” Deep-Sky Corner.
- “Herschel 400 Catalog.” Go Astronomy.
- Philibert J. Melotte, (Mel #) in 1915, and Per Collinder, (Cr #) in 1931, created two additional catalogs of open star clusters.
- Dominic Ford. “The Melotte catalog.” In-The-Sky.org.
- Jeremy Williams. “Melotte Catalog.” Astronomy Scope.
- Dominic Ford. “The Collinder catalog.” In-The-Sky.org
- The Sharpless catalogs are lists of emission nebulae. The first (Sh1 #), published in 1953 has 142 objects. The second (Sh2 #) followed in 1959 with 312 additional objects.
- “Sharpless catalog of 313 nebulae.” GO Astronomy.
- Dean Salman. “The Best of the Sharpless Catalog.”
- The Abell Catalog of planetary nebulae (Abell #) was created by George O. Abell in 1966.
- JR. “Abell Planetaries.” Sky & Telescope. May 1, 2017.
- Dominic Ford. “The Abell catalog of planetary nebulae.” In-The-Sky.org.
- The Abell Catalog of rich galactic clusters (Abell # / ACO #) is a catalog of clusters with 50 members or more. It is an updated version of George O. Abell’s 1958 Northern Survey and Harold G. Corwin’s and Ronald P. Olowin’s 1989 Southern Survey.
- Dominic Ford. “The Abell catalog of rich clusters of galaxies.” In-The-Sky.org.
- Dominic Ford. “The Abell catalog of galaxies clusters (supplement).” In-The-Sky.org.
- “Abell catalogue of galaxy clusters.” Go Astronomy.
- The Hickson catalog (HCG #) is a list of compact galaxy groups.
- JR. “Hickson Compact Groups.” Sky & Telescope. September 1, 2017.
- Vanessa Thomas. “Hickson compact groups.” Astronomy Magazine. February 2003 Issue. February 5, 2003. Updated May 18, 2023.
- Dominic Ford. “The Hickson’s Compact Groups of Galaxies (HCG) Catalog.” In-The-Sky.org.
Additional Resources
- “Best Deep-Sky Objects for Beginners (Northern Hemisphere).” Star Walk. March 7, 2024.
- Michael E. Bakich. “The Deep Sky.” Astronomy.” March 15, 2010.
- David Fuller. “Best deep-sky objects for beginners.” Astronomy. December 6, 2022.
- Michael E. Bakich. “101 cosmic objects you must see.” Astronomy. January 2022 Issue.
- “Deep Sky Objects – Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters.” Celestron.
- Anton Vamplew. “Deep-sky catalogues: a guide to astronomical referencing.” BBC Sky At Night Magazine. August 21, 2020.
- “Observing Galaxies” / “Observación de galaxias.” Astronomical League Handout.
- “Smart” astrophotography telescopes for beginners, including the Seestar S50 and S30 from ZWO. FAS.
- Michael Vlasov. “Illustrated Deep-Sky Observing Guide.” Deep-Sky Watch.
- “The Deep Sky.” FAS Astronomers Blog. June 2022. An introduction to where deep sky objects can be found.
Messier Marathon
If you’re even more adventurous, you might try a Messier Marathon. This is an attempt to find most of the Messier objects in a single night. Good Luck!
- How to observe a Messier marathon (Astronomy Magazine)
- Messier Marathon Guide (Astronomy Magazine)
- The Ultimate Guide to Conquering the Messier Marathon (Celestron)
- Messier Marathon (Messier Objects)
- The Messier Marathon (Messier.sed.org)
- Messier Catalog (AstroPixels)
- Messier Observing Program (Astronomical League)
- Messier Marathon (Memphis Astronomical Society) including an Hour by Hour plan
- Messier marathon sequence (Go Astronomy)
- Messier Marathon: Tips to Capture All 110 Objects in One Night! (Galactic Hunter).
- The Messier Marathon Search Sequence (Don Machholz in his Messier Marathon Observer’s Guide).
- The Messier List, Telrad Finder Charts
Planispheres
If you’re old fashioned, you might try an adjustable “star wheel” known as a Planisphere.
A planisphere allows you to dial in the day of the year and the time of night to see a map of the night sky as it appears on the selected day and time.
Guide to the Stars (Ken Graun/Amazon)
Astronomy Magazines
Information about astronomy, including observing highlights for the current month, are available from several astronomy magazines.
FAS Astronomers Blogs
FAS has several Astronomy Blogs with more information about observing the planets, stars, and other objects.
Celestial Measurements
When you do venture out into the night, there are some helpful hints and rule you should follow:
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