Date:	Fri, 3 Feb 1995, 14:44:53 -0500
From:	Tony Cecce, Corning, NY <[email protected]>
Subject:	Messier Objects for February

As promised here is my first installment of my twelve month Messier

Series. This is a first draft, if you have any recommendations or

suggestion please e-mail them to me. I can really use your help.

I still need to write up the introduction to this series, including

definitions and reference lists.

Remember, the goal is to help beginners walk through all 110

Messier objects within a year. And help them acquire the deep sky

observing skills.

Tony

---

Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog

February Messier Objects

rev 1.0

This month highlights 10 messier objects, most are within reach of

binoculars, and over half can be seen with the naked eye.

M1

The Crab nebula is a supernova remnant in Taurus. It is a hazy

patch in small telescopes, large scopes can resolve some detail. It

is difficult but possible to see in binoculars.

M45

The Pleides are a large open cluster in Taurus. Easy to resolve

six stars naked eye. Binoculars provide the best view. Large telescopes

can show some nebulosity.

M35,

M37,

M36,

M38

A series of open clusters in the winter milky way.

M35 is in Gemini, the others are in Auriga. All can be seen naked eye

as faint fuzzy stars, binoculars reveal fuzzy patches, low power

telescopes can resolve these rich clusters.

M42,

M43

M42 is the great Orion Nebula. It can be seen as small

fuzzy patch naked eye. Binoculars show some detail, and the view

is superb in most any scope. M43 is a small region of nebulosity

next to M42, and probably requires the use of a telescope to view.

Use low to moderate powers for the best view of this pair.

M78

A small emission nebula in Orion, a tough binocular object.

Best viewed in a telescope at moderate powers.

M79

One of the smallest and dimmest globular clusters in the

catalog. A tough binocular object in Lepus, best viewed in a

telescope at moderate powers.

Last Month

– M31, M32, M33, M34, M52, M74, M76, M77, M103, M110

Next Month

– M41, M44, M46, M47, M48, M50, M67, M93

---

Twelve Month Tour Index –

February tour in Ascii

---

Hartmut Frommert

([email protected]).

Christine Kronberg

([email protected])

Last Modification: 6 Apr 1998, 21:30 MEST