Sky Safari: William and Margaret Huggins

Sky Safari: Andromeda by Kochava Yerushalmit


Labeled All-sky ViewLabeled All-sky View


Great Hercules Cluster (M13) – T1 hmGreat Hercules Cluster (M13) – T1 hm

Globular cluster in constellation Hercules

Distance: 25,000 LY

Size: about 120 LY

Age: about 12-14 billion years

Contains about 600,000 solar masses (probably around 100,000 very large stars)

Discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, and later added to Messier’s list


Sunflower Galaxy (M63) – T1 hmSunflower Galaxy (M63) – T1 hm

Spiral galaxy in constellation Canes Venatici

Distance: 30 million LY

Size: 100,000 LY

Contains about 140 billion solar masses

Included by Lord Rosse in his 1850 list of 14 “nebulae” with spiral structure

Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1779 - the first object added by Mechain to Messier’s list


Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) – T2 hmCat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) – T2 hm

Planetary nebula in constellation Draco

Distance: 3000 LY

Central star is a Wolf-Rayet star – a very hot star (temperature around 100,000 K) in last stages of life, ejecting mass at high speeds (several thousand km/sec)

Complex structure includes two expanding bubbles that are perpendicular to each other, surrounded by 9 spherical shells

Discovered by William Herschel in 1786


Mechain’s Galaxy (M106) – T2 hmMechain’s Galaxy (M106) – T2 hm

Barred spiral galaxy in constellation Canes Venatici


Size: 130,000 LY

“Active” galaxy with a central black hole of 40 million solar masses

Between the two visible arms are two additional arms of hot ionized gas, with no stars, visible in x-rays

Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781


Spindle Galaxy (M102) – T2 hmSpindle Galaxy (M102) – T2 hm

Lenticular galaxy in constellation Draco


Size: 90,000 LY

Lenticular galaxies have a disk and central bulge like a spiral, but no spiral arms; they contain mostly old stars, with little gas or dust

This galaxy was apparently discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781; independently discovered by William Herschel in 1788


Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) – T2 hmGhost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) – T2 hm

Planetary nebula in constellation Hydra

Distance: around 2000 LY

Size: around 0.4 LY

Central star has a temperature around 60,000 K and a mass less than half of the sun

Discovered by William Herschel in 1785


Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

Sky Safari: William and Margaret Huggins

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