Monthly
Messier Star-Hop; June #1
By Art
Russell
This month’s star hop continues a discussion of astronomical objects in the area of the Big Dipper. That area of the sky remains favorably situated for this star hop through the month of June so its there that we’ll take a look at the galaxies M51, M106, M63, M94, and M64. We’ll also take a look at two of the season’s early globular clusters, M3 and M53 which are located nearby. If you find yourself enjoying these later objects, relax, there’s lots more to come this summer! As ever, its best to get out under the darkest skies possible to observe any of these objects. The darker, the better for astronomy!
Star-hop
#1. M106 (NGC 4258)
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#2. M94 (NGC 4736)
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#3. M63 (NGC 5055)
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#4. M51 (NGC 5194) and NGC 5195
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#5. M3 (NGC 5272)
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#6. M53 (NGC 5024)
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#7. M64 (NGC 4826)
Star-hop #1. M106 (NGC 4258). Cradled in the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle is the diminutive constellation Canes Venatici, the "Hunting Dogs." Two stars form this constellation, Alpha and Beta Canes Venatici. Starting at Beta Canes Venatici, extend a line to the star Gamma Ursa Majoris in the Big Dipper. M106 is located a little less than half way along and just to the north of that line. You may remember that we visited Gamma Ursa Majoris last month as our guide star to the galaxy M109. In smaller telescopes, M106 appears cigar shaped with a bright core. Its edges fade rapidly from a bright core and still brighter nucleus which appears nearly stellar. In larger telescopes, M106 is more visible, but with few details.
Star-hop #2. M94 (NGC 4736). M94 is located off line to the northwest of Alpha Canes Venatici and almost directly east of Beta Canes Venatici. Small telescopes under dark skies should easily find M94 only one or two fields of view away from these guide stars. In smaller scopes, M94 appears as a star with a surrounding nebula. Its nucleus is stellar with a halo which appears 2-3 times in diameter that of the nucleus. In larger scopes the galaxy is still not resolved. The nucleus is not bright, but is distinct from the surrounding nebula. Edges of its halo fade out evenly from body of the galaxy.
Star-hop #3. M63 (NGC 5055). Our next two star-hops lie along the same line between Alpha Canes Venatici and Eta (h ) Ursa Majoris, the last star in the handle of the Big Dipper. M63 is located about 1/3 of the way between Alpha Canes Venatici and Eta Ursa Majoris, and just slightly to the east of that line. Smaller scopes will show M63 as a small elliptically shaped galaxy with a stellar nucleus. The edges of its halo fade rapidly. In larger scopes, M63 has a small bright nucleus embedded in a large halo. The galaxy appears flattened and oriented northwest to sootiest. Its edges fade gradually. The galaxy’s halo displays uniform density until edges begin to fade.
Star-hop #4. M51 (NGC 5194) and NGC 5195. M51, also known as the "Whirlpool Galaxy," is one of the most spectacular sights visible in the northern hemisphere for amateur astronomers. This galaxy and its smaller companion, NGC 5195, demand dark skies for best viewing. Take the time to view these galaxies from the darkest site you can get to. You’ll be amply rewarded! Using the same line as in Star-hop #3, we’ll find M51 located about 2/3 of the way from Alpha Canes Venatici to Eta Ursa Majoris and a bit west of that line. In binoculars and small telescopes the galaxy’s halo is easy to spot and presents an irregular shaped oblong orientation. There is a smaller extension on M51’s northeastern side. This is NGC 5195, itself a small galaxy. You can see the difference between M51 and NGC 5195 in averted vision. In larger scopes and dark skies M51 and NGC 5195 make a spectacular pair!! Spiral structure in both galaxies is very evident. M51’s arms appear to spiral in a counter-clockwise manner. Multiple dust lanes are visible in both M51 and NGC 5195!
Star-hop #5. M3 (NGC 5272) . M3 is our last object located in Canes Venatici. However, this time we’ll be tracking down a globular cluster which is even visible from light polluted Atlanta! To find M3, extend a line from Alpha Canes Venatici to the star Arcturus, Alpha Bootes, in the constellation Bootes, "The Herdsman." M3 is located a little more than 1/2 the distance from Alpha Canes Venatici to Arcturus and just a bit to the north of this line. In binoculars and small telescopes, M3 is easy to find. The globular cluster is very concentrated and distinct. It appears to have a stellar appearing nucleus which fades rapidly to edges. No stars are resolved. In larger scopes, M3 is a beautiful globular cluster with many well resolved stars.
Star-hop#6. M53 (NGC 5024) . We now turn our attention to the small constellation "Coma Berenices" to find our remaining objects for this month. You can find this constellation due west of the star Arcturus. The globular cluster M53 is very easy to find under dark skies because it is located less than a degree to the northeast of the star Alpha Coma Berenices . Both Alpha Coma Berenices and M53 should be visible simultaneously in binoculars and telescope finder scopes. In larger scopes M53 is a beautiful, well concentrated globular cluster with many well resolved outlying stars.
Star-hop #7. M64 (NGC 4826) . Our last star-hop is to the "Blackeye Galaxy." As its name suggests, this galaxy has a dark marking near its center which is visible to moderate sized telescopes. M64 is a little more than 1/3 of the way and a little north of a line from Alpha Coma Berenices and Gama Coma Berenices. In moderate sized scopes M64 appears aptly named! The galaxy seems to have an edge on aspect with a distinct blackeye or dust lane below its nucleus. The galaxy’s halo is relatively uniform in brightness and the nucleus is not overly bright.