New Astronomers Group - What Can You See in May 2010?

An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion.

New Astronomers Group - What Can You See in May 2010?

What can you see in the skies over Sydney this coming month?

This slideshow will show 15 of some of the brightest objects that you will be able to see.... excluding planets.

Most of them are high above the horizon and should be relatively easy to see....... clouds allowing.

Objects are sorted by the brightest magnitude first.

There will be a link soon on the NSAS website for you to download this file for your own use.

NGC 2516 (The Diamond Cluster)

NGC 2516 (The Diamond Cluster)Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 2516 (The Diamond Cluster)

NGC 2516 is a large open cluster that is best viewed with binoculars and visible to the unaided eye. It contains about 100 stars spread out over an area equal to that of the full Moon.

Magnitude: 3.0

Altitude: 49.94

46.8 degrees above horizon14 May 2010

RA : 7h 59Dec : -60 deg 48

Position at 8pm

New Astronomers Group 27th April

NGC 3372 ( The Keyhole Nebula )

NGC 3372 ( The Keyhole Nebula )Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 3372 ( The Keyhole Nebula )

The Eta Carinae Nebula covers a full two degrees of sky (four times the width of the full moon). Eta Carinae is obvious to the naked eye as a bright-elongated glow. In binoculars it is a large and bright nebulosity split into two by a V-shaped dark lane, called the Keyhole Nebula.

Magnitude : 3.00


RA : 10h 45Dec : -59 deg 43

Position at 8pm


NGC 2451

NGC 2451Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 2451

NGC 2451 is one of the finest open clusters for binocular and small telescope users. It is a bright, irregular grouping of 30-40 6th to 11th magnitude stars spread out over an area 1.5 times the size of the full Moon.

The brightest member of the group is the reddish 3.6 magnitude supergiant c Puppis

Magnitude : 3.5


RA : 7h 46Dec : -38 deg 2

Position at 8pm


NGC 5139 (OMEGA CENTAURI)

NGC 5139 (OMEGA CENTAURI)Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 5139 (OMEGA CENTAURI)

The finest globular cluster in the night sky, first discovered by Edmond Halley in 1677. Omega Centauri is a blazing ball containing over one million stars in an area larger than the full moon. Even the Hercules Cluster (M13) pales in comparison to Omega Centauri. This cluster is visible to the naked eye and delightful in binoculars.

Magnitude 3.70


RA : 13h 27Dec : -47 deg 32

Position at 8pm


NGC 2547

NGC 2547 Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 2547

NGC 2547 is a fine naked eye open cluster just 2 degrees south of the bright star Gamma Vela. It forms a group of about 50 stars of 7th magnitude and fainter, spread out over an area 2/3 the size of the full Moon. It is an easy object in binoculars with many more faint members visible in a small telescope.

Magnitude : 4.00


RA : 8h 10Dec : -49 deg 15

Position at 8pm


NGC 4755 ( The Jewel Box )

NGC 4755 ( The Jewel Box )Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 4755 ( The Jewel Box )

The Jewel Box is a fine open cluster for small telescope users. NGC 4755 is visible to the naked eye as a faint glow. Binoculars will resolve about ten of the brightest members. A telescope will reveal more than 50 colourful stars superimposed on the haze of fainter members. The Jewel Box is a very young cluster, only 7 million years old. Most of its members are hot, blue stars which shine with a very high luminosity.

Magnitude 4.00


RA : 12h 54Dec : -60 deg 25

Position at 8pm


NGC 2477

NGC 2477

NGC 2477 is one of the finest and tightest open clusters in the sky, containing about 300 members down to 12th magnitude. The bright supergiant star Zeta Puppis is only two degrees away. Binoculars show the cluster as a round halo with a sudden increase in brightness towards the middle with some stars resolved.

Magnitude 5.00


RA : 7h 52Dec : -38 deg 33

Position at 8pm


NGC 3766 ( The Pearl Cluster )

NGC 3766 ( The Pearl Cluster )Friday 14th May 2010 8:00pm

NGC 3766 ( The Pearl Cluster )

NGC 3766 is a fine open cluster of about 60 stars set against the star rich field of the Milky Way. Its 5th magnitude glow is easily visible to the unaided eye. This cluster is a good object for small telescopes with many colourful stars resolvable. Supergiant Eta Carina and the constellation Crux flank NGC 3766.

Magnitude 5.00


RA : 11h 36Dec : -61 deg 40

Position at 8pm


NGC 4833

NGC 4833

NGC 4833 is a bright 7th magnitude globular cluster. It is one degree from Delta Muscae, making it fairly easy to find. Also nearby are the Coalsack and the Southern Cross. This cluster is a fine object for small telescopes. NGC 4833 is just visible with binoculars.

Magnitude 6.9


RA : 13h 0Dec : -70 deg 56

Position at 8pm


New Astronomers Group - What Can You See in May 2010?

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