Night Sky Observing: March
by Rod Gallagher, Master Observer
How many times have you shown up at an observing site, set up your equipment and said: “Now, what am I going to look at tonight?” Then, after a quick review of the current sky, you just look at the same old things — Jupiter, Saturn, M13, M51, M57, M31, ... and... well... now what? Not that you will ever tire of some of the most spectacular objects but there are many beautiful objects that are often overlooked. This page provides an organized list of objects to observe. These lists and targets are objects from six different Astronomical League Observing Programs.
While the total number of objects from all of these lists contains too many objects to observe in one evening, there are a variety of objects to give the observer a selection of objects to observe based on experience level and type of equipment. Observations of these objects can also be used for Astronomical League Observing Programs. By recording the observations and following the rules of the particular Observing Program, you can earn an Observing Certificate and Observing Pin. For more information on the Astronomical League and the observing programs, check them out on the web at:
Please review each program's rules before starting any of them. By using this information each month and observing each of the objects from a particular program you will be able to complete any of these observing programs in only one year. Of course, the Herschel 400 Observing Program will probably take longer.
Messier Observing Program
For those who are just starting out, observing the Messier objects is a great place to start. There are actually two separate Messier Programs.
The Messier Observing Program has two levels. By observing 70 Messier objects you can earn a certificate. By observing all 110 objects you will earn the “Honorary” level and an observing pin. There is actually a great reference document on the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club website under the Novice Program area at:
The Binocular Messier Observing Program is for observing 50 or more Messier objects with just binoculars. Most objects are visible at a dark site with 10x50 binoculars. A general level of difficulty is provided in the Binocular column within the list to indicate Easy, Tougher and Challenge objects.
Deep Sky Binocular Observing Program
The Deep Sky Binocular Observing Program can be accomplished with 10x50 binoculars. This program contains 60 objects of which several are very beautiful open clusters.
Double Star Observing Program
The Double Star Observing Program contains 100 of the finest double and multiple star systems. The program can be accomplished with a medium sized telescope (4 to 8 inches). This program does allow GOTO and is one that you can do from a suburban location. It does not require dark skies. The program does have a requirement to accurately sketch the double star with correct orientation with respect to North.
| Id | Name | Type | RA | Dec | Magnitude | Mag 2 | Separation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALDS38 | Zet Cnc | Mult | 08h12m13s | +17d38m52s | 5.6 | 6 | 0.9 |
| ALDS39 | Iot Cnc | Dbl | 08h46m40s | +28d45m55s | 6.6 | 9.1 | 30.4 |
| ALDS40 | 38 Lyn | Mult | 09h18m51s | +36d48m09s | 3.8 | 5.9 | 2.7 |
Caldwell Observing Program
The Caldwell Observing Program is an intermediate program that has several very beautiful objects that are often imaged. However, many of these objects are difficult to observe visually. I would suggest that you need an 8 inch or larger scope for this program with dark skies preferred. This program is broken into two different award categories: 70 objects and the complete list of 109 objects. To observe the complete list, you will need access to the Southern Hemisphere. However, 70 objects can be observed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Herschel 400 Observing Program
The Herschel 400 Observing Program is for those who really want a challenge. To complete this program you really need a 12 inch or larger scope and dark skies. Even with a 12" scope, you will not see much detail with many of these objects. It is also a program with 400 objects that will take more than a year to complete. For most of the deep sky objects, there is also included a link to an object photo. Most of the photos for the Herschel objects are very short exposures which will most appropriately indicate how these objects would appear visually under dark sky conditions.