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Messier Objects M1 - M10, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

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MessierCatalog:M1M10
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M1 SupernovaRemnantinTaurus

CommonNames:CrabNebula
NGCNumber:1952
VisualMagnitude:8.4
ra:5h34.5m
dec:+2201'

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TheCrabNebula,M1,wasthefirstnebulousobjectobservedbyCharlesMessier.Itisacloudofexpandinggasleftover
fromasupernovaexplosion.Inthecenterofthisnebulaisa16thmagnitudestarthatisthecollapsedcoreofthesupernova.
Itisapulsar,perhapsevenarotatingneutronstar.M1canbeseeneasilywithapairofbinoculars.Atelescopewillbringout
moreofthenebula'sfinedetails.Imagecredit:TwoMicronAllSkySurvey(2MASS)

M2 GlobularClusterinAquarius

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CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:7089
VisualMagnitude:6.5
ra:21h33.5m
dec:049'

M2isaglobularclusterofstarslocatedintheconstellationofAquarius.Thisclusterislocatedabout50,000lightyearsfrom
Earth.Itisbelievedtobeabout175lightyearsindiameter.M2isoneofthebrightestandlargestglobularclustersinthe
sky.Thiscluster'svisualmagnitudeof6.5meansitcaneasilybefoundwithapairofbinoculars.Atelescopewillberequired
toresolvethecluster'sindividualstars.ImageCredit:DougWilliams,REUProgram/NOAO/AURA/NSF
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M3 GlobularClusterCanesVenatici

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:5272
VisualMagnitude:6.2
ra:13h42.2m

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Messier Objects M1 - M10, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

dec:+2823'

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LocatedintheconstellationCanesVenatici,M3isatightclusterofalmost500,000stars.Thisclusterislocated
approximately30,000lightyearsfromEarth.Itcontainsabout170faintvariablestars,whichismorethananyotherglobular
cluster.Avisualmagnitudeof6.2makesthisbrightclusteraneasytargetforbinocularsandtelescopesalike.
Imagecredit:N.A.Sharp,VanessaHarvey/REUprogram/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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M4 GlobularClusterinScorpius

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:6121
VisualMagnitude:5.6
ra:16h23.6m
dec:2632'
M4isaglobularclusterthatliesintheconstellationofScorpius.Itislocatedabout7,000lightyearsfromtheEarth.This
makesM4oneoftheclosestoftheglobularclusters.Itisalsooneofthemostopen,orlooseglobularclusters.M4is
recedingfromusatarateof65km/sec.Withavisualmagnitudeof5.6,thisclustercaneasilybeseenwiththenakedeyeon
adark,clearnight.Withtheaidofasmalltelescope,itdisplaysacentralbandofbrightstarsinalinearformation.
Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

M5 GlobularClusterinSerpens

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:5904
VisualMagnitude:5.6
ra:15h18.6m
dec:3213'
LocatedintheconstellationSerpens,globularclusterM5isoneofthefewtoshowanellipticalshape.Itisbelievedtobeone
oftheoldestoftheglobularclusters,atanageofabout13billionyears.M5islocatedabout23,000lightyearsfromEarth,
andhasadiameterofabout130lightyears.Thiscluster'svisualmagnitudeof5.6malesiteasytospotonaclearnightwith
darkskiesandapairofbinoculars.Atelescopewillresolvethecluster'sindividualstars.
Imagecredit:HillaryMathis,REUProgram/NOAO/AURA/NSF

M6 GalacticClusterinScorpius

CommonNames:ButterflyCluster
NGCNumber:6405
VisualMagnitude:5.3
ra:17h40.1m
dec:+205'
M6isagalactic,oropenclusterofstarsfoundintheconstellationofScorpius.Ithasadiameterofabout20lightyearsand
liesabout2,000lightyearsfromEarth.Thisclusteriscomposedmainlyofblueandwhitestarswiththebrightestbeinga
yellowororangegiant.Theshapeofthisclustersomewhatresemblesthatofabutterfly,givingrisetoitsmorecommon
name,thebutterflycluster.Atmagnitude5.3itisaneasyfindwithbinoculars.Imagecredit:N.A.Sharp,MarkHanna,REU
program/NOAO/AURA/NSF

M7 GalacticClusterinScorpius

CommonNames:Ptolemy'sCluster
NGCNumber:6475
VisualMagnitude:4.1
ra:17h53.9m
dec:3449'
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Messier Objects M1 - M10, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

AnothergalacticclustertobefoundintherichhuntinggroundsoftheconstellationofScorpiusisM7,alsoknownas
Ptolemy'scluster.Itisalargegroupofabout80starssetagainstthebackgroundoffainterandmoredistantMilkyWay
stars.M7isabout18lightyearsindiameterandliesabout800lightyearsfromus.Thebrighteststaroftheclusterisa
yellowgiantwithamagnitudeof5.6.Thisbrightclustermakesasinetargetforthebinocularobserver.
Imagecredit:N.A.Sharp,REUprogram/NOAO/AURA/NSF

M8 DiffuseNebulainSagittarius

CommonNames:LagoonNebula
NGCNumber:6523
VisualMagnitude:6.0
ra:18h03.8m
dec:2423'
KnownmorecommonlyastheLagoonNebula,M8isabeautifulcloudofgasilluminatedbya5.9magnitudestarinside.The
nebulaisabout150lightyearsindiameterandliesabout5,200lightyearsfromEarth.M8isastellarnurserywheremany
newstarsarebeingformedfromthegreatcloudsofgas.Withavisualmagnitudeof6,thisnebulacanbeeasilyseeninthe
constellationofSagittariuswiththenakedeyeonadark,clearnight.Atelescopewillrevealsomeofthemorecomplex
patternsofbrightanddarkareaswithinthenebula.Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

M9 GlobularClusterinOphiuchus

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:6333
VisualMagnitude:7.7
ra:17h19.2m
dec:1831'
M9isaglobularclusterofstarslocatedwithintheconstellationofOphiuchus.Itislocatedattheedgeofadarkpatchofdark
nebulosity.Thisclusterisabout26,000lightyearsfromusandhasadiameterofabout70lightyears.Thecentralregionof
theclusterhasadistinctovalshape.M9'svisualmagnitudeof7.7makesitabitmorechallengingtofindthansomeofthe
otherglobularclusters.Itcanbefoundwithbinoculars,andcanbequiteimpressiveina4inchtelescope.
Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

M10 GlobularClusterinOphiuchus

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:6254
VisualMagnitude:6.6
ra:16h57.1m
dec:406'
GlobularclusterM10liesintheconstellationofOphiuchus.Thisisaverybrightclusterwithacentralregionthatappears
slightlypearshaped.Itisabout70lightyearsindiameterandliesabout16,000lightyearsfromEarth.Withavisual
magnitudeof6.6andanapparentdiameterof15arcminutes,thisisoneofthebestclusterstobeviewedwithboth
binocularsandsmalltelescopes.Imagecredit:TwoMicronAllSkySurvey(2MASS)

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