WHAT’S IN THE SKY IN SPRING
The first day of spring is March 20, 2025. So, what is there to see in the sky in a telescope in spring. Here are some suggestions:
Try the Ghost of Jupiter, a beautiful planetary nebula, NGC 3242, in Hydra. It rises at 19:01 and sets at 05:03. It’s magnitude 7.30 and 4200 light years away. It is .7 x .6 arc minutes and can be seen in a small telescope but increase your magnification to see the beautiful colors and details.
It’s galaxy season and one of the best galaxies for amateur astronomers is M81, Bode’s Galaxy, a beautiful spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. Magnitude 6.9, it’s 12.9 million light years away and is 25×11 arc minutes. It can be seen with a small telescope and even in mildly light polluted areas.
For more of a challenge try for the difficult emission nebula, NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia. It’s magnitude 11 and is 1400 light years away. It is 15 x 8 arc minutes and requires dark skies. Also try a UHC filter.
