Deep sky: star clusters, nebulae & galaxies
Sections in this page
This page is an index to my deep sky photos, tabulated according to published astronomical catalogues.
Most have been taken with a 10 inch (25.4 cm) aperture f/4.8 Newtonian telescope.
Recently photographed objects may not yet be listed here. Look on my latest astrophotos page.
Messier catalogue
We start with objects in Charles Messier's late 18th century catalogue of objects that he thought might be confused with comets. This catalogue of 110 objects is a good starting list for beginners to try to observe and photograph.
| Id & link to my photos | Other names | Type/description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Crab Nebula NGC1952 | Remnant of supernova seen in 1054 | Taurus |
| M3 | NGC5272 | Globular cluster | Canes Venatici |
| M11 | Wild Duck Cluster NGC6705 | Star cluster | Scutum |
| M13 | Hercules Cluster NGC6205 | Globular cluster | Hercules |
| M15 | NGC7078 | Globular cluster | Pegasus |
| M27 | Dumbbell Nebula NGC6853 | Planetary nebula | Vulpecula |
| M29 | NGC6913 | Star cluster | Cygnus |
| M31 | Andromeda Galaxy NGC224 | Spiral galaxy | Andromeda |
| M32 | NGC221, Arp 168 | Elliptical galaxy | Andromeda |
| M33 | Pinwheel Galaxy NGC598 | Spiral galaxy | Triangulum |
| M42 | Great Orion Nebula NGC1976 | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| M43 | NGC1982 | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| M44 | Praesepe Beehive Cluster NGC2632 | Star cluster | Cancer |
| M45 | The Pleiades Seven Sisters | Star cluster | Taurus |
| M51 | Whirlpool Galaxy NGC5194-5, Arp 85 | Spiral galaxy | Canes Venatici |
| M52 | NGC7654 | Star cluster | Cassiopeia |
| M53 | NGC5024 | Globular cluster | Coma Berenices |
| M57 | Ring Nebula NGC6720 | Planetary nebula | Lyra |
| M58 | NGC4579 | Spiral galaxy | Virgo |
| M59 | NGC4621 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M60 | NGC4649, Arp 116 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M64 | Black Eye Galaxy NGC4826 | Spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices |
| M65 | NGC3623, Arp 317 | Spiral galaxy | Leo |
| M66 | NGC3627, Arp 16 | Spiral galaxy | Leo |
| M71 | NGC6838 | Globular cluster | Sagitta |
| M76 | NGC650-1 | Planetary nebula | Perseus |
| M77 | NGC1068, Arp 37, 3C71 | Spiral galaxy | Cetus |
| M78 | NGC2068 | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| M81 | NGC3031 | Spiral galaxy | Ursa Major |
| M82 | NGC3034, Arp 337 | Starburst galaxy | Ursa Major |
| M84 | NGC4374 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M86 | NGC4406 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M87 | NGC4486, Arp 152 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M89 | NGC4552 | Elliptical galaxy | Virgo |
| M90 | NGC4569, Arp 76 | Spiral galaxy | Virgo |
| M92 | NGC6341 | Globular cluster | Hercules |
| M95 | NGC3351 | Spiral galaxy | Leo |
| M96 | NGC3368 | Spiral galaxy | Leo |
| M100 | NGC4321 | Spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices |
| M101 | NGC5457, Arp 26 | Spiral galaxy | Ursa Major |
| M105 | NGC3379 | Elliptical galaxy | Leo |
| M106 | NGC4258 | Spiral galaxy | Canes Venatici |
| M109 | NGC3992 | Spiral galaxy | Ursa Major |
| M110 | NGC205 | Elliptical galaxy | Andromeda |
Arp refers to the catalogue of 338 peculiar galaxies compiled by Halton Arp and published in 1966.
3C refers to the third Cambridge catalogue of radio sources published in 1959.
New General Catalogue
This section contains objects that are not in Messier's catalogue, generally because they are fainter. The New General Catalogue (NGC) was first published by Danish astronomer John Dreyer in the 1880s, building upon an earlier catalogue of more than 5,000 objects by William and John Herschel. It contains 7,840 objects. Unlike Messier the NGC numbering is systematic, going from RA 0 eastwards (for an equinox around 1880).
An NGC number in brackets means that I was not specifically aiming at the object, it just happens to be in the same field of view as a more significant target.
| Id & link to my photos | Other names | Type/description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC281 | Pacman Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Cassiopeia |
| NGC457 | Owl Cluster ET Cluster | Star cluster | Cassiopeia |
| (NGC604) | Gaseous nebula in M33 | Triangulum | |
| NGC869 & 884 | Double Cluster h & χ Persei | 2 star clusters | Perseus |
| NGC1023 | Arp 135 | Spiral galaxy | Perseus |
| (NGC1055) | Spiral galaxy | Cetus | |
| (NGC1072) | Spiral galaxy | Cetus | |
| NGC1499 | California Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Perseus |
| NGC1555 | Hind's Variable Nebula | Cloud associated with star T Tau | Taurus |
| NGC1977 | Running Man Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| (NGC2023) | Gaseous nebula | ||
| NGC2024 | Flame Nebula Tank Trap Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| NGC2237-9 & 2246 | Rosette Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Monoceros |
| NGC2244 | (in Rosette Nebula) | Star cluster | Monoceros |
| NGC2261 | Hubble's Variable Nebula | Cloud associated with star R Mon | Monoceros |
| NGC2264 | Christmas Tree Cluster & Cone Nebula | Star cluster & gaseous nebula | Monoceros |
| NGC2346 | Butterfly Nebula | Planetary nebula | Monoceros |
| NGC2371-2 | Planetary nebula | Gemini | |
| NGC2392 | Eskimo Nebula | Planetary nebula | Gemini |
| NGC2403 | Spiral galaxy | Camelopardalis | |
| NGC3628 | Edge on spiral galaxy | Leo | |
| (NGC4206) | Spiral galaxy | Virgo | |
| NGC4216 | Spiral galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4217) | Spiral galaxy (edge on) | Canes Vematici | |
| (NGC4220) | Galaxy | Canes Venatici | |
| (NGC4222) | Spiral galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4228) | Galaxy | Canes Venatici | |
| (NGC4231) | Galaxy | Canes Venatici | |
| (NGC4232) | Galaxy | Canes Venatici | |
| (NGC4388) | Galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4438) | Galaxy | Virgo | |
| NGC4485 & 4490 | Arp 269 NGC4490 = Cocoon Galaxy | Interacting galaxies | Canes Venatici |
| (NGC4567) | Spiral galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4568) | Spiral galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4647) | (Next to M60) | Galaxy | Virgo |
| (NGC4754) | Galaxy | Virgo | |
| (NGC4762) | Spiral galaxy (edge on) | Virgo | |
| NGC4565 | Spiral galaxy (edge on) | Coma Berenices | |
| (NGC4733) | Galaxy | Virgo | |
| NGC6765 | Planetary nebula | Lyra | |
| NGC6888 | Crescent Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Cygnus |
| NGC6910 | Star cluster | Cygnus | |
| NGC6960 & 6992 | Veil nebula | Supernova remnant | Cygnus |
| NGC7317-20 | Stephan's Quintet NGC7320 = Arp 319 | 5 galaxies | Pegasus |
| NGC7331 | Spiral galaxy | Pegasus | |
| (NGC7335-7 & 7340) | Elliptical galaxies | Pegasus | |
| NGC7000 | North America Nebula (includes Cygnus Wall) | Gaseous nebula | Cygnus |
| NGC7635 | Bubble nebula | Gaseous nebula | Cassiopeia |
Index Catalogue
The Index Catalogue (IC) was published in 2 parts in 1898 and 1908 as a supplement to NGC. John Dreyer was again responsible. IC adds a further 5,386 objects.
| Id & link to my photos | Other names | Type/description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| IC349 | Merope Nebula Pleiades Reflection Nebula | Reflection nebula | Taurus |
| (IC431) | Gaseous nebula | Orion | |
| (IC432) | Gaseous nebula | Orion | |
| (IC434) | (Silhouettes the Horsehead) | Gaseous nebula | Orion |
| IC1318 | Gaseous nebula | Cygnus | |
| IC1805 | Heart Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Cassiopeia |
| IC5146 | Cocoon Nebula | Gaseous nebula | Cygnus |
Barnard's Dark Nebulae
This catalogue was published by North American astronomer E.E.Barnard from 1919 with revisions to 1927. It lists dark nebulae, which are dust clouds obscuring more distant objects. By 1927 it contained 369 entries.
| Id & link to my photos | Other names | Type/description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| B33 | Horsehead Nebula | Dust cloud | Orion |
| B145 | Dust cloud | Cygnus | |
| B168 | (Associated with IC5146) | Dust cloud | Cygnus |
Other objects
| Id & link to my photos | Other names | Type/description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3C66A | Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) | Andromeda | |
| Leo II | UGC6253 | Dwarf galaxy | Leo |
| PV Cep | Gyulbudaghian's variable nebula | Variable nebula | Cepheus |
| RR Tau | Variable nebula | Taurus | |
| V900 Mon | Variable nebula | Monoceros |
UGC is the Uppsala General Catalogue of over 12,900 galaxies, first published in 1973.
Another variable nebula, NcNeil's, can be found on my photos of M78.