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Messier Objects M31 - M40, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

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MessierCatalog:M31M40
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M31 GalaxyinAndromeda

CommonNames:AndromedaGalaxy
NGCNumber:224
VisualMagnitude:3.4
ra:0h42.7m
dec:+4116'

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LocatedintheconstellationAndromedacanbefoundM31,thefamousAndromedaGalaxy.Thisspectacularobjectisa
spiralgalaxysimilartoourownMilkyWay.Atadistanceofonly2millionlightyears,itisoneoftheclosestgalaxiestoour
own.Itsenormousdiameterof200,000lightyearsgivesitavisualmagnitudeof3.4,makingitthebrightestgalaxyinthesky
andtheonlygalaxyvisibletothenakedeye.Itcaneasilybeseenwithbinoculars,andtelescopeswillbringoutsomeofthe
galaxy'sdetail.Imagecredit:Clipart.com

M32 GalaxyinAndromeda

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CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:221
VisualMagnitude:8.1
ra:0h42.7m
dec:+4052'
M32isoneofthetwosmallsatellitegalaxiesoftheirmorefamouspartner,M31.Itisanellipticaldwarfgalaxywitha
diameterofonly8,000lightyears.M32wasthefirstellipticalgalaxytobediscovered,andistheclosestellipticalgalaxyto
us.Itscloseproximitygivesitavisualmagnitudeof8.1,whichisquitebrightforagalaxy.Itcaneasilybeseenwithagood
pairofbinocularsorasmalltelescope.Imagecredit:TwoMicronAllSkySurvey(2MASS)

M33 GalaxyinTriangulum

CommonNames:TriangulumGalaxy
NGCNumber:598
VisualMagnitude:5.7

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Messier Objects M31 - M40, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

ra:1h33.9m
dec:+3039'

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LocatedintheconstellationTriangulum,M33isamemberofourlocalgroupofgalaxies.Itisaspiralgalaxywithadiameter
of60,000lightyears,whichmakesitmuchsmallerthanitsneighbor,M31.Itisalsoalittlefartheraway,atabout2,300,000
lightyearsfromEarth.Thisisanextraordinaryobjectwithwelldefinedspiralarms.M33'svisualmagnitudeof5.7makesit
aneasytargetforbinocularsandsmalltelescopes.Itisbestseenatlowpower.
Imagecredit:JohnCorban&theESA/ESO/NASA

M34 GalacticClusterinPerseus

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:1039
VisualMagnitude:5.5
ra:2h42m
dec:+4247'
M34isanopenclusterofabout100starslocatedintheconstellationPerseus.Theclusterliesabout1,400lightyearsfrom
Earthandisbelievedtobeabout190millionyearsold.Thebrighteststarinthegrouphasavisualmagnitudeof7.9,which
makesitabrightandeasytargetforviewing.M34isvisibletothenakedeye,anditsapparentdiameterisnearlythatofthe
fullmoon.Binocularsandsmalltelescopeswithawidefieldofviewarerecommendedforthisobject.
Imagecredit:REUprogram/NOAO/AURA/NSF

M35 GalacticClusterinGemini

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:2168
VisualMagnitude:5.3
ra:6h08.9m
dec:+2420'
LocatedintheconstellationGemini,M35isagalacticclusterofaround200stars.Thisclusteris2,800lightyearsfromus
andhasadiameterofabout24lightyears.Itisbelievedtobearound110millionyearsold,whichmakesitanintermediate
agedcluster.Withanapparentdiameteraboutthesameasthefullmoon,M35caneasilybeseenwiththenakedeyenear
the3"footstars"oftheconstellationGemini.Itisbestviewedwithlowpoweredopticalinstruments.
Imagecredit:N.A.Sharp/NOAO/AURA/NSF

M36 GalacticClusterinAuriga

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:1960
VisualMagnitude:6.3
ra:5h36.1m
dec:+3408'
NestledwithintheconstellationAurigaisM36,agalacticclusterofabout60stars.Thisclusterisaround4,100lightyears
fromEarthandhasadiameterofabout14lightyears.Atanageofonly25millionyears,itisquiteyoungandcontainsno
redgiantstars.M36hasavisualmagnitudeof6.3withtheindividualmemberstarsranginginmagnitudefrom9to14.This
relativelylargeclusteriseasytospotwithbinoculars.Intelescopes,itisbestviewedatlowpowers.
Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

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Messier Objects M31 - M40, Messier Catalog on Sea and Sky

M37 GalacticClusterinAuriga

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:2099
VisualMagnitude:6.2
ra:5h52.4m
dec:+3233'
M37isagalacticclusterofabout150starslocatedintheconstellationAuriga.Ithasadiameterofabout200lightyears,
makingitroughlytwicethesizeasnearbyM36.Atadistanceofaround4,600lightyears,itistherichestandbrightestofthe
Aurigaclusters.Itisalsotheoldestatabout300millionyears.M37isconsideredtobeoneofthefinestopenclustersinthe
heavens.Itiseasilyviewedinbinocularsandsmalltelescopes.Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

M38 GalacticClusterinAuriga

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:1912
VisualMagnitude:7.4
ra:5h28.4m
dec:+3550'
M38isthethirdofthethreeAurigaclusters.Itisabout4,200lightyearsawayandhasalineardiameterofaround21light
years.Theclusterhasatotalvisualmagnitudeof7.4andcontainsmorethan100stars.Thebrighteststarsofthecluster
havebeensaidtoformaGreekletterPi,oraccordingtosome,anobliquecross.M38isofintermediateageatabout220
millionyears.Itisalargeclusterandiseasilyviewedwithbinoculars.Intelescopes,itisbestviewedatlowpower.
Imagecredit:NOAO/AURA/NSF

M39 GalacticClusterinCygnus

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:7092
VisualMagnitude:5.2
ra:21h32.2m
dec:+4826'
LocatedintheconstellationCygnus,M39isaverylooseclusterofabout30stars.Itliesonly800lightyearsfromEarth,
whichmakesitoneoftheclosestopenclustersinthesky.Theclusterhasadiameterofabout7lightyears,andisbelieved
tobeover250millionyearsold.Withavisualmagnitudeof5.2,itisabrightclusteralthoughverylooselypopulated.This
clusterisaneasytargetforbinocularsandisbestobservedintelescopesatlowpower.
Imagecredit:HeidiSchweiker/WIYNandNOAO/AURA/NSF

M40 DoubleStarinUrsaMajor

CommonNames:None
NGCNumber:WNC(Winnecke)4
VisualMagnitude:8.4
ra:12h22.4m
dec:+5805'
M40wasdiscoveredbyCharlesMessierwhilesearchingforanebulathathadbeenreportedinthearea.Thenebulawas
neverfound,sothisdoublestarsystemwasloggedinstead.M40isabinarystarsystemfoundintheconstellationUrsa
Major.Itislocatedapproximately300lightyearsfromEarth.Thetwostarshaveavisualmagnitudeof9.0and9.3.A4inch
refractortelescopecaneasilysplitthetwostars,whichappearasasinglestartothenakedeye.
Imagecredit:TwoMicronAllSkySurvey(2MASS)

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