SAA 100 - Best Non-Messier Objects, in Rank Order
Object types: Gal = galaxy OC = open cluster GC = globular cluster PN = planetary nebula BN = bright nebula DN = dark nebula SNR = supernova remnant
Object Type Con VMag Size RA Dec Pop. Name Notes
NGC 253 Gal Scl 7.2 25.0'x7.0' 00h 47m 35s -25° 17' 01" edge-on spiral
NGC 4565 Gal Com 9.6 15.5'x1.9' 12h 36m 20s +25° 59' 23" Bernice's Hair Clip classic edge-on spiral with dust lane
NGC 6960 SNR Cyg 70.0'x6.0' 20h 45m 38s +30° 43' 20" Western Veil
NGC 6992 SNR Cyg 25.0'x20.0' 20h 56m 14s +31° 04' 20" Eastern Veil
NGC 869 OC Per 5.3 30.0' 02h 19m 03s +57° 08' 58" Double Cluster w/NGC 884
NGC 884 OC Per 6.1 30.0' 02h 22m 27s +57° 06' 57" Double Cluster w/NGC 869
NGC 457 OC Cas 6.4 13.0' 01h 19m 10s +58° 20' 02" Owl Cluster
NGC 5139 GC Cen 3.7 36.3' 13h 26m 46s -47° 28' 45" Omega Centauri best GC in the sky
NGC 7293 PN Aqr 6.3 16.0'x12.0' 22h 29m 40s -20° 47' 23" Helical Nebula
NGC 7789 OC Cas 6.7 16.0' 23h 57m 04s +56° 44' 09"
NGC 2237 BN Mon 5.5 70.0'x80.0' 06h 32m 19s +04° 59' 03" Rosette Nebula OC NGC 2244 embedded in nebula
NGC 2244 OC Mon 4.8 24.0' 06h 32m 25s +04° 52' 03" involved with Rosette Neb. (NGC 2237)
NGC 2359 BN CMa 8.0' 07h 17m 48s -13° 12' 54" Thor's Helmet; Duck Nebula Wolf-Rayet remnant
NGC 2392 PN Gem 8.6 47.0"x43.0" 07h 29m 10s +20° 54' 42" Eskimo Nebula; Clown Face
NGC 3242 PN Hya 8.6 40.0"x35.0" 10h 24m 48s -18° 38' 14" Ghost of Jupiter
NGC 6543 PN Dra 8.3 22.0"x16.0" 17h 58m 36s +66° 38' 17" Cat's Eye Nebula
NGC 4631 Gal CVn 9.2 17.0'x3.5' 12h 42m 11s +32° 32' 42" same LP field as NGC 4656
NGC 4656 Gal CVn 10.5 22.0'x3.0' 12h 43m 58s +32° 10' 21" same LP field as NGC 4631
NGC 5128 Gal Cen 6.8 18.2'x14.5' 13h 25m 29s -43° 01' 07" Centaurus A strong radio source
NGC 6781 PN Aql 11.8 1.9'x1.8' 19h 18m 28s +06° 32' 46"
NGC 6826 PN Cyg 8.8 27.0"x24.0" 19h 44m 53s +50° 31' 42" Blinking Planetary
NGC 7009 PN Aqr 8.3 28.0"x23.0" 21h 04m 15s -11° 21' 49" Saturn Nebula
Abell 1656 Gal cluster Com 11.0 120.0' 12h 59m 48s +27° 59' 04" Coma Gal Cluster tough in 8-12" aperture
NGC 1023 Gal Per 9.4 9.0'x4.0' 02h 40m 27s +39° 03' 47"
NGC 2362 OC CMa 4.1 8.0' 07h 18m 48s -24° 56' 51"
NGC 2403 Gal Cam 8.5 17.8' 07h 36m 55s +65° 35' 42"
NGC 4038 Gal Cor 10.3 2.6'x1.8' 12h 01m 53s -18° 51' 55" The Antennae; Ringtail Gal interacting with NGC 4039
NGC 4039 Gal Cor 10.6 3.2'x2.2' 12h 01m 54s -18° 53' 07" The Antennae interacting with NGC 4038
NGC 5907 Gal Dra 10.3 12.8'x1.8' 15h 15m 52s +56° 19' 48"
NGC 6369 PN Oph 11.0 30.0"x29.0" 17h 29m 22s -23° 45' 37"
NGC 663 OC Cas 7.1 16.0' 01h 46m 04s +61° 15' 00"
NGC 654 OC Cas 6.5 5.0' 01h 44m 10s +61° 53' 00"
NGC 659 OC Cas 7.9 5.0' 01h 44m 16s +60° 42' 00"
NGC 7000 BN Cyg 175.0'x110.0' 20h 58m 32s +44° 33' 21" North American Nebula large; often easier in binoculars than telescope
NGC 7331 Gal Peg 9.5 11.4'x4.0' 22h 37m 08s +34° 25' 27" Little And Gal
NGC 7662 PN And 8.6 17.0"x14.0" 23h 25m 57s +42° 32' 44" Blue Snowball Nebula
B 59, 65-7 DN Oph 300.0' 17h 21m 02s -26° 59' 58" Pipe Nebula (stem)
B 78 DN Oph 200.0' 17h 33m 02s -25° 59' 58" Pipe Nebula (bowl)
IC 1396 BN Cep 3.5 154.0'x140.0' 21h 39m 09s +57° 46' 58"
IC 418 PN Lep 10.7 14.0"x11.0" 05h 27m 30s -12° 41' 32"
IC 4665 OC Oph 4.2 41.0' 17h 46m 20s +05° 43' 08"
Mel 111 OC Com 1.8 275.0' 12h 25m 00s +26° 00' 07" Coma Berenices Star Cluster
Mel 20 OC Per 1.2 185.0' 03h 22m 03s +48° 59' 56" Alpha Persei Association
NGC 1502 OC Cam 6.9 8.0' 04h 07m 45s +62° 19' 49" near SE end of Kemble's Cascade
NGC 1528 OC Per 6.4 24.0' 04h 15m 24s +51° 13' 49"
NGC 1907 OC Aur 8.2 7.0' 05h 28m 00s +35° 18' 53"
NGC 1973 BN Ori 5.0'x5.0' 05h 35m 09s -04° 43' 56" part of Running Man Nebula
NGC 1975 BN Ori 10.0'x5.0' 05h 35m 21s -04° 40' 56" part of Running Man Nebula
NGC 1977 BN Ori 20.0'x10.0' 05h 35m 27s -04° 49' 56" part of Running Man Nebula 42 Orionis nebula
NGC 2070 BN Dor 8.3 5.0' 05h 38m 39s -69° 04' 51" Tarantula Nebula in Lg. Magellanic Cloud
3C 273 Quasar Vir 12.0 12h 29m 06s +02° 03' 01" brightest quasar; most remote object visible in modest amateur telescopes (~ 2 billion light years)
Albireo Star Cyg 3.1 19h 30m 45s +27° 57' 55" superb double star; blue-white/yellow
Cr 399 Asterism Vul 3.6 60.0' 19h 25m 26s +20° 11' 18" Brocchi's Cluster; The Coathanger once assumed to be a OC; data from Hipparcos spacecraft shows it to be a chance alignment of stars
Fornax Gal. Cluster Gal cluster For 3°x2° 03h 38m 31s -35° 26' 40" approx. 20 galaxies brighter than mag. 13
Kemble's Cascade Asterism Cam 03h 57m 30s +63° 04' 13" beautiful chain of about 20 mag. stars; coordinates are for SAO 12969, a mag. 5 star in the middle of the Cascade
King 10 OC Cep 3.0' 22h 54m 58s +59° 10' 16"
Markarian's Chain Gal chain Vir 12h 25m 04s +12° 53' 16" string of bright galaxies; covers 3 degrees of sky, starting with M84 & M86 in Virgo, ending with NGCs 4459 & 4474 in Coma Berenices; coordinates are for M 84
Mel 25 OC Tau 0.5 330.0' 04h 27m 02s +16° 00' 03" Hyades Aldebaran not a member
NGC 104 GC Tuc 4.0 30.9' 00h 24m 10s -72° 04' 37" 47 Tucanae
NGC 1535 PN Eri 10.4 20.0"x17.0" 04h 14m 16s -12° 44' 16" multiple shells
NGC 2158 OC Gem 8.6 5.0' 06h 07m 33s +24° 05' 56"
NGC 2169 OC Ori 5.9 7.0' 06h 08m 27s +13° 56' 59" "37" Cluster
NGC 2174 BN Ori 25.0'x20.0' 06h 10m 01s +20° 33' 58"
NGC 2232 OC Mon 3.9 30.0' 06h 26m 37s -04° 44' 54"
NGC 225 OC Cas 7.0 12.0' 00h 43m 28s +61° 47' 06"
NGC 2261 BN Mon 2.0'x1.0' 06h 39m 13s +08° 44' 01" Hubble's Variable Nebula
NGC 2264 OC Mon 3.9 30.0'x60.0' 06h 40m 58s +09° 53' 42" Christmas Tree Cluster; Cone Nebula includes naked-eye S Mon (15 Mon)
NGC 2301 OC Mon 6.0 12.0' 06h 51m 49s +00° 28' 04"
NGC 2360 OC CMa 7.2 13.0' 07h 17m 48s -15° 36' 53"
NGC 2438 PN Pup 11.0 1.1' 07h 41m 51s -14° 44' 06" in foreground of M 46
NGC 2467 BN Pup 7.1 15.0' 07h 52m 30s -26° 22' 52" use UHC or O-III filter; includes loose cluster of mag. 8-12 stars
NGC 247 Gal Cet 9.1 20.0'x7.0' 00h 47m 11s -20° 45' 21"
NGC 2841 Gal Uma 9.2 7.4'x3.5' 09h 22m 01s +50° 58' 21"
NGC 2903 Gal Leo 9.0 13.3'x6.0' 09h 32m 10s +21° 29' 58"
NGC 3115 Gal Sex 8.9 8.3'x3.2' 10h 05m 14s -07° 43' 06" Spindle Gal
NGC 3372 BN Car 120.0'x120.0' 10h 43m 47s -59° 52' 01" Eta Carina Nebula
NGC 3532 OC Car 3.0 55.0' 11h 06m 23s -58° 40' 03"
NGC 3766 OC Cen 5.3 12.0' 11h 36m 05s -61° 37' 04"
NGC 3877 Gal Uma 11.0 5.6'x1.2' 11h 46m 07s +47° 29' 37"
NGC 40 PN Cep 10.7 1.0'x0.7' 00h 13m 08s +72° 31' 47"
NGC 4244 Gal CVn 10.4 18.5'x2.3' 12h 17m 29s +37° 48' 28"
NGC 4361 PN Cor 10.3 1.3' 12h 24m 30s -18° 47' 38"
NGC 4526 Gal Vir 9.7 7.0'x2.7' 12h 34m 03s +07° 42' 03" Lost Gal
NGC 4567 Gal Vir 11.3 3.0'x2.5' 12h 36m 33s +11° 15' 33" Siamese Twins overlaps NGC 4568
NGC 4568 Gal Vir 10.8 5.1'x2.4' 12h 36m 35s +11° 14' 17" Siamese Twins overlaps NGC 4567
NGC 4755 OC Cru 4.2 10.0' 12h 53m 35s -60° 20' 08" Jewel Box Cluster; Kappa Crucis
NGC 5746 Gal Vir 10.3 7.4'x1.1' 14h 44m 57s +01° 57' 20"
NGC 6210 PN Her 9.7 20.0"x13.0" 16h 44m 30s +23° 48' 46"
NGC 6231 OC Sco 2.6 15.0' 16h 54m 01s -41° 48' 06" Table of Scorpius zeta Sco complex
NGC 6397 GC Ara 5.7 25.7' 17h 40m 43s -53° 40' 33" one of the nearest Globulars
NGC 6545 Gal Pav 13.2 1.0'x0.9' 18h 12m 18s -63° 46' 45" Needle Galaxy
NGC 6572 PN Oph 9.0 15.0"x12.0" 18h 12m 09s +06° 51' 01"
NGC 6633 OC Oph 4.6 27.0' 18h 27m 43s +06° 34' 14"
NGC 6819 OC Cyg 7.3 5.0' 19h 41m 20s +40° 11' 22"
NGC 6885 OC Vul 8.1 7.0' 20h 12m 02s +26° 29' 20"
NGC 6888 BN Cyg 20.0'x10.0' 20h 12m 14s +38° 20' 21" Crescent Nebula
NGC 6939 OC Cep 7.8 8.0' 20h 31m 27s +60° 38' 22"
NGC 752 OC And 5.7 50.0' 01h 57m 51s +37° 41' 05"
NGC 891 Gal And 9.9 14.0'x3.0' 02h 22m 36s +42° 20' 50" edge-on spiral w/prominent dust lane
Stock 2 OC Cas 4.4 60.0' 02h 15m 04s +59° 15' 58" Muscleman Cluster
SAA 100 Best Non-Messier Objects for Amateur Telescopes, Nominated by participants in the sci.astro.amateur Usenet newsgroup, List compiled by Karl Hutchings, Data added by Jeff DeTray
