100 Bright Night Sky Objects

~Selected for observers in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

~Arranged in order of brightness; except constellations, which are alphabetical.

~Most objects in Section 1 are naked-eye objects, but optics greatly enhance them.

~Most objects in Section 2 require binoculars or telescopes. Enjoy, and God bless!

SECTION 1

Solar System (10)                                     Constellations (15)                              Stars (20)

Moon                                                         Andromeda                                         Sirius

Venus                                                        Auriga                                                 Arcturus

Jupiter (four moons with optics)                Bootes                                                 Vega

Saturn (rings with optics)                          Canis Major                                         Capella

Mercury                                                     Cassiopeia                                          Rigel

Mars                                                          Cygnus                                                Procyon

Uranus (optics preferred)                          Gemini                                                Betelgeuse

Neptune (optics required)                         Leo                                                      Altair

Vesta (asteroid; optics preferred)             Orion                                                   Aldebaran

Ceres (asteroid; optics required)               Perseus                                              Antares

(Pluto is too faint for most optics.)             Scorpius                                              Spica

                                                                  Sagittarius                                           Pollux

    “In the beginning God created              Taurus                                                 Fomalhaut

            the heavens and the earth.”          Ursa Major                                          Deneb

                                                                  Ursa Minor                                          Regulus

                                                                                                                              Castor

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”                    Polaris / North Star

“In the beginning was the Word…All things were made through               Mizar (double)

Him…In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”               Almach (double)

                                                                                                                              Alberio (double)

SECTION 2

Open Clusters (15)              Globular Clusters (10)    Nebulae (15)                 Galaxies (15)

Hyades                                 M22                                M42 / Orion                   M31 / Andromeda

Alpha Persei                         M5                                  M8 / Lagoon                  M33 / Pinwheel

M45 / Pleiades / 7 Sisters     M13 / Hercules               M17 / Omega / Swan     M81 / Bode’s

Coma Berenices                   M4                                  M16 / Eagle                   Sculptor / NGC 253

M44 / Praesepe / Beehive    M3                                  M20 / Trifid                     M83 / South Pinwheel

IC 1396                                M15                                 Cocoon                          M101 / Pinwheel

NGC 2232                            M2                                   Helix / NGC 7293          M110

NGC 2264                            M92                                 Cave                             M32

Double Cluster                     M10                                 M78                               M94

NGC 2362                            M12                                 Saturn / NGC 7009        M106

IC 4665                                                                        NGC 246                       M104 / Sombrero

M47                                                                              M27 / Dumbbell             M49

M24 / MW Star Cloud                                                   M1 / Crab                      M82 / Cigar

M41                                                                              M57 / Ring                     M51 / Whirlpool

M39                                                                              Flame / NGC 2024         NGC 2403

Astronomy Resources

I. Reference

   A. Answers in Genesis                               https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/

   B. Atlas of the Universe                             http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/index.html

   C. Creation Ministries                                http://creation.com/qa#Astronomy

   D. NASA – Missions                                   http://www.nasa.gov/missions

   E. NASA – Solar System                            http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/

   F. Night Sky Info                                         http://www.nightskyinfo.com/

   G. SEDS / Messier Catalog                        http://messier.seds.org/

   H. Space.com                                             http://www.space.com/

II. Pictures

   A. Astronomy Picture of the Day                http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

   B. Hubble Site – Picture Album                  http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/

III. Equipment

   A. New - OPT Telescopes                           http://www.optcorp.com/

   B. Used - Cloudy Nights                              http://www.cloudynights.com/index

   C. Nik Recommends…

      1. $50-$200 – good binoculars

      2. $200-$400 – good beginner telescope

      3. $400-$800 – good computerized telescope

   D. Magnification is important in buying quality optics (you likely want low-medium and medium
   high options in the 50-250x range). BUT…aperture (mirror/lens diameter) is far more important!

IV. Tips

   A. Practice without optics for five minutes per night or three nights per week.

   B. Learn many of the brightest stars, constellations, and “faint and fuzzies.”

   C. Use dark-adaptation, star-hopping, averted vision, and objects high in the sky.

   D. Avoid light pollution, bright lights, non-red lights, a nearly full moon, and objects low in the sky.

   E. Good viewing is on days with short airplane contrails or nights with minimal star twinkling.

   F. The Moon is never north; the Big Dipper is never south; nothing rises in the west; all stars and
   deep space objects rise about two hours earlier each month.

V. Key Biblical Passages

   A. Old Testament: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Joshua 10, Nehemiah 9, Job 9, Job 38, Psalm 8,
   Psalm 19, Psalm 147, Isaiah 40, Isaiah 45, Amos 5

   B. New Testament: Matthew 24, John 1, Acts 2, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 15, Colossians 1,
   Revelation 2, Revelation 21

Astronomy Glossary

Astronomical Unit – The average distance between Earth and the Sun: about 93 million miles. Note: It is often used to measure distances within our Solar System or in multiple-star systems; for example, Jupiter is more than 5 AU from the Sun.

Astronomy – The branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe in general. Note: It is not the same as astrology, which is related to fortune-telling.

Big Bang – A secular, naturalist theory of the origin of the universe which proposes that all mass, energy, and space were contained in a point that rapidly expanded to become stars and galaxies, et cetera, over billions of years. Note: A viable alternative can be found in Creationism.

Black Hole – A place in space where gravity is so strong, and matter so dense, that nothing can escape it…not even light. It cannot be directly observed, only indirectly from the material and activity around them. It ranges in size from ten to billions of solar masses. Note: Most galaxies are believed to have “supermassive” central black holes.

Constellation – Visual groupings of stars that divide the night sky into shapes and sections for easier identification and location of night sky objects; many have ancient and mythical origins. Note: Some famous ones are Andromeda, Gemini, Leo, Orion, Scorpio, Ursa Major, and Virgo.

Creationism – A theological, supernatural view of the origin of all things, whereby God created everything with value and purpose, and without Him nothing was made (see Genesis 1 and John 1 in the Bible). Note: It need not oppose science, and science need not oppose it.

Galaxy – A system containing millions to trillions of stars, along with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction. Note: Scientists think the universe contains 10^10 ~ 10^12 galaxies, with most being spiral, elliptical, or irregular in shape. (Andromeda is a famous, bright galaxy.)

Globular Cluster – A dense ball of stars held together by gravity; typically tens or hundreds of thousands within a radius of a 100 light years or less. Note: Some are viewed as possible failed galaxies, and most of the stars appear yellow or red. (Hercules is a famous, bright globular.)

Light Year – The distance light travels in 365 days: approximately 5.9 trillion miles / 9.5 trillion kilometers. Note: Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth.

Local Group – A cluster of a few dozen nearby galaxies, and of which our galaxy is a member. Note: The Andromeda and Milky Way Galaxies dominate the Local Group.

Magnitude – A logarithmic measure of the brightness of celestial bodies. Lower numbers – even negative numbers – mean brighter objects. Note: Magnitude 6.0 is roughly the naked-eye limit.

Messier Catalog – The most popular catalog of astronomical objects. It contains 110 items that range from galaxies to star clusters to nebulae. It was chronicled by French astronomer Charles Messier in the late 18th century. Note: It is referenced by amateurs and professionals alike today.

Milky Way – A faint, cloud-like band of light crossing the night sky; the entire galaxy hosts 100-500 billion stars (including our Sun) and spans some 100,000 light years. Note: It also has 150+ globular clusters, 1100+ open clusters, many famous nebulae, and 15-30 dwarf satellite galaxies.

Nebula – A cloud of interstellar gas and dust, often illuminated by nearby stars. Note: Its variant forms include emission, reflection, absorption / dark, planetary, and supernova remnants. (Orion is a famous, bright nebula.)

Open Cluster – A group of stars loosely held together by gravity; generally tens, hundreds, or a few thousand stars lie within a radius of 20 light years, and many are white or blue. Note: Some were known in ancient times. (Pleiades is a famous, bright open cluster.)

Planet – A large, spherical celestial body that orbits a star on a fairly unobstructed path. It may or may not have moons, and it comes from the Greek word meaning “wanderer.” Note: We have identified about 2000 planets so far, but the total number is likely exponentially greater.

Solar System – The nearby area in space over which our Sun has the dominant mass and gravity. It includes the Sun, the four inner rocky planets (including Earth), the four outer gaseous planets, several dwarf planets, 100-200 moons around the planets, an asteroid belt, meteors, comets, and distant Kuiper Belt objects. Note: Most stars can be said to have “solar systems” of some kind. 

Star – A huge celestial sphere of hot, luminous gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. Its own gravity holds it together, while nuclear fusion (which forces lighter elements into heavier ones) produces its energy. Note: Scientists think the universe contains 10^20 ~ 10^24 stars, and they vary widely in size, heat, color, brightness, and distance. (Sirius is a famous, bright star.)

Virgo Cluster – A huge cluster of about 2000 galaxies behind the stars of the Virgo constellation.

Teaching Astronomy for Adult Education - Astronomy 102: Stars, Galaxies, and More!

I. Introduction

   A. Welcome / Names / Course Outline / Plan for Night Observing

   B. Disclaimers

      1. My interest, equipment, study

      2. What I do not know – no science degree, limitations of my equipment (not Hubble!)

      3.  My estimations/sources, lots of numbers and pictures, few formulae

      4. I will focus on what, where, compare/contrast, viewing – less on cosmology, how, why.

      5. My faith

         i. Scripture references; no offense: science always has non-Biblical or Biblical foundations

         ii. Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God made two

         great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made

         the stars also.

         iii. Psalm 8: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the

         stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of

         man that You visit him? (This passage greatly inspired my interest in astronomy!)

   C. Our Solar System in the Spring; Beyond Our Solar System in the Fall!

   D. Ask anything…I’ll try! What are your experiences, interests, and goals here?

II. Number of Stars

   A. Milky Way

      1. All sources say 100+ billion stars!

      2. Some sources say 1 trillion stars.

      3. Most sources say 200-400 billion stars.

   B. Naked-eye visibility

      1. This is severely limited by weather, light pollution, the Moon, nearby obstacles (trees,

      buildings, mountains, et cetera), and how well your eyes have adjusted to the dark.

      2. We can see no more than 10,000 stars.

      3. In the middle northern latitudes on Earth, 1/3+ of the stars are too far south. In the middle

      southern latitudes, 1/3+ of the stars are too far north. Near the Equator, 1/3+ of the stars are

      too far south and too far north. Thus you generally can see no more than 5000-6000 stars on

      a dark night. And of those, you can see fewer than half in a given moment. If you stay up all

      night, you can see most of them rise and set, but some are too close to the Sun. Realistically,

      if you spend two hours under dark, clear, and open skies, you might see 2000-3000 stars.

   C. Nearby stars

      1. Proxima Centauri: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/far-closest-star/

      2. 33 stars within 12.5 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/12lys.html

      3. 120 stars within 20 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/20lys.html

      4. 2000 stars within 50 light years: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/50lys.html

III. Nature of Stars

   A. Size

      1. How big do stars get?

         i. Slide show of Moon ~ VY Canis Majoris: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130606.html

         ii. If the largest stars were where our Sun is, their surfaces would be beyond Jupiter’s orbit!

      2. How small? http://www.universetoday.com/116951/what-is-the-smallest-star-2/

      3. Did a binary dwarf star system recently and briefly enter the edge of our Solar System?

   B. Classification

      1. What give a star its appearance? (Distance, brightness, size, mass, properties, temperature)

      2. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

      3. More simply: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/startype.html

   C. Other Solar Systems

      1. Almost 2000 planets have been confirmed around nearby stars.

      2. Astronomers think the Milky Way may contain up to 100 billion planets!

IV. Magnitude and Catalogs

   A. Apparent and Absolute Magnitude – give examples

   B. Catalogs: Messier Catalog (M), New General Catalog (NGC), Index Catalog (IC), Caldwell

   Catalog (C), Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog (SAO)

V. Star Groupings

   A. Job 38: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have

   understanding…Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you

   bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you

   know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

      1. God is questioning Job, who has wrongfully accused God of injustice.

      2. The implied answer to all of God’s questions is that Job can answer and has done none of

      those things, while God can answer and has done all of them.

      3. Today, we still view, study, and enjoy the night sky objects God mentioned.

   B. Constellations and Asterisms

      1. http://www.constellation-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Orion-Constellation.jpg

      2. http://sci.esa.int/science-e-media/img/26/heic0717c.jpg

      3. http://www.scienceinthebible.net/KNOWLEDGE_BIBLE/bigdipper_december.jpg

   C. Binaries, Doubles, Sextuplets, etc.

      1. How many Big Dipper stars? http://astropixels.com/stars/images/MizarAlcor-01w.jpg

      2. Alberio: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050830.html

      3. Almach: http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/almach-andromedas-colorful-double-star

      4. Polaris – the North Star: http://www.space.com/15567-north-star-polaris.html

      5. Multi-star systems: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/orbits.html

   D. When dealing with space, motion, distance, mass, and time in astronomy...gravity rules!

VI. Clusters: images

   A. Open clusters: closest ~ 150 light years (Hyades)

   B. Globular clusters: closest ~ 7000 light years (M4); note the lack of stellar collisions

   C. Examples: M3, M13, M22, M41, M44, M45, NGC 869/884, 2264

VII. Nebulae: images

   A. Nature: clouds of interstellar gas and dust – some are heated, others are not

   B. Types: reflection, emission, absorption, planetary, SNR

   C. Examples: M1, M8 and M20, M16 and M17, M27, M42, M57, California, Rosette

VIII. Galaxies

   A. Psalm 147: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of

   the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His

   understanding is infinite.

   B. Revelation 2: To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I

   will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except

   him who receives it.

   C. Nature

      1. Large systems of stars and interstellar matter, typically containing millions to trillions of

      stars and solar masses, spanning a few thousand to several hundred thousand light years.

      2. Besides stars, they typically contain star clusters, nebulae, and black holes.

      3. Usually separated from each other by millions of light years.

      4. Various forms: spiral, lenticular, elliptical and irregular.

         i. Types: http://messier.seds.org/galaxy.html

         ii. Spiral structures: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/milkyway/components.html

   D. Estimated number of galaxies: 100+ billion!

IX. Milky Way: images

   A. Nature

      1. 100-500 billion stars; 1 trillion solar masses

      2. 100,000 light years in diameter; 150 globular clusters; 1100+ open clusters

      3. The Gaia Telescope is currently trying to resolve/plot 1 billion stars.

   B. Zooming out from our Sun to the Milky Way

      1. Sun: 26,000 light years from Milky Way center; 230 million year-orbit, at 500,000 mph

      2. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/250lys.html

      3. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/2000lys.html

      4. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/5000lys.html

      5. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html

  C. Satellites

      1. Up to 30 dwarf galaxies (Note the satellite galaxy pictures!)

      2. Absorbs other galaxies or their globular clusters (again, gravity!)

         i. Similarly, star clusters absorb other stars.

         ii. M87 has stolen so many globular clusters that nearby galaxies have few or none left.

   D. Galactic Center

      1. Supermassive black hole Sgr A

      2. Black Holes: http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes/

      3. Active Galactic Nuclei: http://www.outerspacecentral.com/agn_page.html

   E. Local Group

      1. M31: Andromeda

      2. Local Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/localgr.html

X. Other Galaxies

   A. Isaiah 40: “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy

   One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host

   by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His

   power; not one is missing.

   B. Are other galaxies like ours?

      1. Drawing of MW + pictures of others: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/milkyway.html

      2. Milky Way twin? http://www.space.com/11841-milky-spiral-galaxy-twins-photo.html

      3. The Milky Way has several arms – many spiral galaxies have two or three, one has one!

   C. Biggest Known Spiral: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/galex20130110.html#

   D. Brightest Known Galaxy: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150526-astronomy-

   brightest-galaxy-quasar-universe/

   E. Famous Galaxies: M33, M51, M86, M87, M101, M104

XI. Galaxy Groups

   A. Nearby Groups

      1. Sculptor Group (closest): http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/scl.html

      2. M81 Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/m81.html

      3. M101 Group: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/m101.html

   B. Galaxy Clusters and Beyond

      1. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/virgo.html (note the Local Void)

      2. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/vir.html

      3. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/superc.html

   C. How do we measure big distances? http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galax200.html

XII. Man versus God

   A. John 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

   God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him

   nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the

   light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

   B. The ancients couldn’t see what we can see, but God could, and He knew everything about

   everything – just as He does now! Not only that, but He can control everything!

   C. Thousands of astronomers, millions of hours of research, billions of dollars in equipment…

   Yet frequent differences / debates prevail – not just on random websites, but in research papers.

      1. M32 – Does it have star clusters, gas, and dust, or not?

      2. M31 / Andromeda – It is close and big, yet what are its distance, size, and satellites?

      3. M45 / Pleiades / Seven Sisters – It is close and big, yet how many stars does it have?

      4. M42 / Orion – It is close and big, yet how far is it, and has it many stars and a black hole?

      5. M13 / Hercules – Does it have 100,000 stars, or 1 million stars?

      6. M27 / Dumbbell – Is it 500 light years away, or 3500 light years away?

      7. Moon recedes from Earth 1-2” per year; Earth’s magnetic field decays 5% per century.

      8. Uniform temperature across the universe versus distant starlight? Star formation problems.

      9. Very little antimatter! Why should laws across the universe obey the laws we find here?
      10. Big Bang / Expansion – Yes, even this has one competing ideas among secular scientists!

   E. Science teaches us a lot – and I think it should go hand in hand with increasing one’s faith.

   But science can’t explain, enable, prove, or disprove everything. On the other hand, God can!