Objects to be Viewed Through the Telescope

Two Types of Views Big (or not so big) telescope with long time exposures. Using “our” eyeballs and a small telescope viewing “real time.” Real time viewing is always smaller and dimmer. M 31 “The Andromeda Galaxy”

A binary star located about 19.4 light-years (ly) from our Sun. Star A and B are separated by an "average" distance of 71 times the Earth-Sun distance (AU) (of a semi-major axis). They move in an eccentric orbit (e= 0.497) of about 480 years. The two stars get as close as 36 AUs and as far away as 107 AUs. Eta Cassiopeiae (Eta Cas) In Cassiopeia

Double Cluster NGC 884 and NGC 869 Caldwell 14 One object that can best be viewed with binoculars. In Perseus

Albireo Albireo is 380 light-years (120 pc) away from the Earth. When viewed with the naked eye, it appears to be a single star. In a telescope it readily resolves into a double star, consisting of Albireo A (amber, apparent magnitude 3.1), Albireo B (blue-green, apparent magnitude 5.1). The stars are separated by 35 seconds of arc In Cygnus “The cub-scout star”

M 15 Globular Cluster In Pegasus At an estimated 12.0 billion years old. One of the oldest known globular clusters. About 33,600 light years from Earth. 175 light years in diameter. Home to over 100,000 stars.

M 57 the “Ring Nebula” It is a prominent example of a planetary nebula. This is a shell of ionized gas expelled (exploding) into the surrounding interstellar medium by a red giant star, which was passing through the last stage in its evolution before becoming a white dwarf. In Lyra

Polaris The entire northern sky wheels around Polaris. Polaris is estimated to be at a distance of about 434 light-years from Earth. It is a multiple star, consisting of the main star α UMi A, two smaller companions, α UMi B α UMi Ab, and two distant components α UMi C α UMi D. In Ursa Minor

The End The Albuquerque Astronomical Society