Deepsky Overview
- Current and maximum DSO altitude is visible only when logged-in with geo location.
- Click on a star icon to open a star chart centered around a DSO.
- Click on a loupe icon to enlarge a DSO image.
- Click on a camera icon to view the FOV (SkyView download) for the selected object, sensor and focal length.
- Click on the printer icon to open an inversed starchart in a new window for printing.
- Double-click on an image to invert, move mouse out to roll back.
- Image FOV is 1°x1°. FOV of larger DSOs equal their apparent size.
- The 'NGC/IC' catalog excludes Messier and Caldwell objects.
- Download the catalog as PDF or print it to PDF from your browser.
- Object images courtesy https://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/
M31 | |
| Galaxy | |
 | |
| Magnitude | 4.3 |
| Size | 189.1' |
| Distance | 254000000 |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Sky Atlas | page 4 |
| R.A. | 0.7123 hrs |
| Decl. | 41.2683° |
| Catalogs | NGC 224 |
| Popular | Andromeda Galaxy |
At a distance of 2.5 million ly away in the constellation of Andromeda, the barred spiral galaxy Messier 31 has a diameter of about 152000 ly in space or 3.2º x 1º apparent in the sky. It resembles our Milky Way in various respects and both galaxies are expected to merge in 4-5 billion years. Shining at magnitude 3.4 with an estimated total of 1 trillion stars, M31 is visible to the naked eye. It has two major satellite galaxies, M32 and M110 (in total 20 known) plus 460 globular clusters associated with it. M31 is surrounded by a massive halo of hot gas which stretches about a million ly into space halfway to our Milky Way Galaxy.
M32 | |
| Galaxy | |
 | |
| Magnitude | 9.1 |
| Size | 8.5' |
| Distance | 249000000 |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Sky Atlas | page 4 |
| R.A. | 0.7116 hrs |
| Decl. | 40.8653° |
| Catalogs | NGC 221 |
| Popular | |
M32 is an elliptical dwarf galaxy which contains about 3 billion solar masses and stretches across space some 8,000 light-years. Its nucleus is almost as bright as M31's. Both contain about 100 million solar masses in rapid motion around a central supermassive object. M32 is the prototype for the relatively rare class of galaxies referred to as compact ellipticals.
M110 | |
| Galaxy | |
 | |
| Magnitude | 8.9 |
| Size | 19.5' |
| Distance | 26900000 |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Sky Atlas | page 4 |
| R.A. | 0.6728 hrs |
| Decl. | 41.6847° |
| Catalogs | NGC 205 |
| Popular | |
Classified as a dwarf spheroidal galaxy, M110 is some 2.9 million light-years away on the outskirts of the Andromeda Galaxy. Despite its diminuative size, its an active little galaxy with a system of 8 globular clusters in a halo around it.
