M31, The Andromeda Galaxy (NGC 224), Andromeda. RA 00:42 7, DEC 41:16
M31 The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the favourite sky targets for amateur astronomers, it is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way at just 2.5 million light years. M31 is part of the local group of galaxies of which our Milky Way is a member, together with the Triangulum Galaxy and about 30 other smaller galaxies. Observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope estimated 1 trillion suns in M31, far more than our Galaxy. It can be seen well with the naked eye under dark skies, M31 is at magnitude 3.4
M31 The Andromeda Galaxy
M32 (NGC 221), Andromeda. RA 00:42 7, DEC 40:52
M32 is the small satellite galaxy of the Great Andromeda Galaxy, an elliptical dwarf of about 3 billion solar masses containing mainly older stars. It can be seen as quite a bright object just 22 arc minutes south of M31. For an observer in M32, the view in the sky of the massive Andromeda Galaxy must be quite a sight. M32 is at magnitude 8.1
Galaxy M32
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy (NGC 598), Triangulum. RA 01:33 9, DEC 30:39
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy is part of our local group of galaxies, it is a spiral 3 million light years away, a bit further away than the Andromeda Galaxy. It is sometimes called the Pinwheel Galaxy because of it’s spiral nature. It is third in size behind the Milky Way in our galaxy group, Andromeda being the largest. M33 has a magnitude of 6.3
M33 The Triangulum Galaxy
M34 (NGC 1039), Perseus. RA 02:42, DEC 42:47
M34 is an easy open cluster to find on a clear night, it is 1,400 light years away, and has around a 100 stars in it. It is also called the Spiral Cluster and is 180 million years old. M34 covers more than the area of the full Moon at 35 arc minutes, it can be seen well in binoculars, and is best as a low power object in telescopes. M4 is at magnitude 5.5
Open cluster M34
M35 (NGC 2168), Gemini. RA 06:08 9, DEC 24:20
M35 is an open cluster of a few hundred stars, and with most open clusters it is best viewed at low power to look it’s best. M35 is 2,800 light years away and 100 million years old. Lying close to M35 is NGC 2158 but you will need a larger telescope to see this one well, whereas M35 can often be seen with the naked eye under good conditions. M35 covers an area the size of the full Moon and is at magnitude 5.3
Open cluster M35
M36 (NGC 1960), Auriga. RA 5:36 12, DEC 34:08 4
M36 is one of three open clusters that form a line in the south of Auriga along the Milky Way. M36 is the middle cluster, with M38 above and M37 below. M36 is about 4,100 light years away, just 25 million years old, 14 light years across, and has around 60 stars. This cluster has a star 360 times brighter than our Sun, and there are also some stars that are rotating rapidly. M36 has a magnitude of 6.3
Open cluster M36
M37 (NGC 2099), Auriga. RA 05:52 4, DEC 32:33
M37 is the brightest and has the most stars of the three open clusters in Auriga with around 500 members. It is about 4,100 light years away, and far older than M36 at 300 million years. In binoculars and small telescopes M37 looks nebula like, but larger telescopes will show the cluster very well. M37 is at magnitude 6.2
Open cluster M37
M38 (NGC 1912), Auriga. RA 05:28 4, DEC 35:50
M38 is the third open star cluster in Auriga 4,100 light years away, 220 million years old, and contains a yellow giant star that has the luminosity of 900 Suns. M38 is the faintest of the three Auriga clusters and a larger telescope will be needed. M38 is at magnitude 7.4
Open cluster M38
M39 (NGC 7092), Cygnus. RA 21:32 2, DEC 48:26
M39 is another open cluster, this time it’s in the Milky Way rich area of the constellation Cygnus, although it is seperate from the star clouds so it’s impressive and stands out. With just 30 stars as members, 800 light years away, and 7 light years in diameter. It is a loose cluster and spread across an area larger than the Moon so low power is needed here. It forms a triangle shape with a bright star at each corner. M39 is between 230 and 300 million years old, and is approaching us at 28 km/sec. M39 is a magnitude 4.6 open cluster.
Open cluster M39
M40 (WNC 4), Ursa Major. RA 12:22 4, DEC 58:05
M40 is an odd Messier object at around 500 light years away, it is classed as a double star but is more probably two stars lining up along our line of sight, so they look like they are close together. The two are at similar brightness and look like one star to the naked eye, but when viewed through a small telescope they split into two seperate stars. M40 is at magnitude 8.4
Double star M40...look for the star Delta in the "Big Dipper" (the top left star of the bowl shape) about 1 degree north of this you will see a star, then slightly above this one you will find M40