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The Official Target list - Sets I, II, & III Dec 21 - March 31st
The Official Target list - Sets I, II, & III Dec 21 - March 31st
Set III -March 1st - 31st
Set III -March 1st - 31st
T27 - M81 & M82
Ursa Major (Big Dipper)
Bode's & Cigar Galaxies
Bode's & Cigar Galaxies
SHOWPIECE: A monumental deep-sky galaxy duo featuring a majestic, winding spiral and its scarred, cigar-shaped companion, caught in a gravitational tug-of-war that ignites brilliant starburst activity and reveals the sheer scale of galactic interaction.
T28 - NGC 2261, C46
Monoceros
Hubble’s Variable
Hubble’s Variable
SPECTRE: A shimmering, fan-shaped reflection nebula that acts as a celestial "light show," where shifting dust shadows from the central star R-Monocerotis create a haunting, ever-changing glow reminiscent of a ghostly comet frozen in deep space.
T29 - SH 2-274
Gemini
Medusa Planetary
Medusa Planetary
SPECTRE: A haunting, braided planetary nebula—one of the largest—of serpentine filaments weaving a complex web of red and blue, echoing the legendary tresses of its namesake as it slowly dissolves into the interstellar medium after nearly 9,000 years of expansion.
T30 - M65, M66, NGC 3628
Leo
Leo Triplet Galaxies
Leo Triplet Galaxies
SHOWPIECE: A spectacular three-for-one galactic portrait featuring two high-contrast spirals and the "Hamburger Galaxy," a massive edge-on disk with a thick dust lane, all captured in a single frame as they interact across 35 million light-years of space.
T31 - NGC 2467
Canis Major
Skull & Crossbones
Skull & Crossbones
ECHO: A fierce, glowing star-forming region in Canis Major, where intense radiation from young stars has carved out a haunting cosmic visage of hollow "eyes" and a jagged "jaw" amidst a sea of churning gas and dark dust.
T32 -M51
Canes Venatici
Whirlpool Galaxy
Whirlpool Galaxy
SHOWPIECE: A breathtaking cosmic collision where a majestic grand-design spiral is caught in the act of devouring a smaller companion, creating a swirling bridge of stars and glowing gas that serves as the ultimate showcase for galactic interaction.
T33 - SH 2-290
Cancer
Abell 31
Abell 31
ECHO: A colossal, ancient "ghost" —spanning half the width of a full moon—representing one of the largest planetary nebulae in our sky. Moving through the galaxy at high speed, its southern rim is being compressed into a brilliant "bow shock," while its northern edge dissolves into the interstellar vacuum, marking the final, 130,000-year-old exhale of a dying white dwarf.
T34 - M84, M86, NGC 4435...
Leo / Virgo
Markarian's Chain
Markarian's Chain
SHOWPIECE: Anchored in the heart of the Virgo Cluster, a graceful arc of eight major galaxies drifts in a gravitational embrace. This formation serves as a stunning laboratory of interaction, featuring the famous "Eyes" (NGC 4435/38), where tidal forces are actively stripping gas and distorting disks across millions of light-years of space.
T35 -SH 2-294
Monoceros
Octopus
Octopus
ECHO: A compact HII emission region in Monoceros, near the Seagull Nebula, this "cosmic cephalopod" is ionized by the high-energy ultraviolet radiation of the central 9th-magnitude star BD-09 1639, exciting the surrounding hydrogen gas into a distinct glowing "head" and faint, sprawling filaments that trace the local interstellar magnetic fields.
T36 -M101
Ursa Major
Pinwheel Galaxy
Pinwheel Galaxy
SHOWPIECE: A staggering "Grand Design" spiral in Ursa Major, nearly twice the diameter of our own Milky Way, showcasing a sprawling disk of over a trillion stars and brilliant pink HII regions where massive new suns are currently being born across its winding, symmetrical arms.
Set III WildCards
T37N - NGC 7320, NGC 7319, NGC 7318 a,b, NGC 7317
Pegasus
Stephan's Quintet
Stephan's Quintet
SPECTRE: A breathtaking deep-sky vista in Pegasus featuring a violent laboratory of five colliding galaxies—complete with intergalactic shockwaves and tidal tails—anchored by the majestic "Grand Design" spiral NGC 7331 and its family of distant background "fleas."
T38S - SH 2-301
Canis Major
Gum 5
Gum 5
ECHO: An emission nebula in Canis Major, an energetic central cluster ionizes a dense cloud of hydrogen to create a glowing red "bubble" of gas. This relic is a massive HII region nearly 19,000 light-years away, featuring intricate dark dust lanes that carve through the nebula’s core as new stars are forged from the collapsing interstellar medium.
T39S - Sh2-280
Monoceros
Sh2-280 Bow Shock
Sh2-280 Bow Shock
Sh2-280 (The Monoceros Bow Shock): Located 4,500 light-years away, this striking HII emission nebula is sculpted by the stellar winds of a high-velocity runaway star. As the star plows through the interstellar medium, it creates a glowing red "bow shock" of ionized hydrogen, forming a delicate arc that marks the energetic boundary where the star's massive power meets galactic dust.
T40S - M 46
Puppis
M 46 & NGC 2438
M 46 & NGC 2438
SPECTRE: (M46 & NGC 2438): A stunning juxtaposition in Puppis, this rich open cluster sits 5,000 light-years away, appearing to host the ghostly planetary nebula NGC 2438. While they seem physically linked, the nebula is actually a foreground object much closer to us, drifting at nearly half the distance of the cluster. This celestial alignment offers a rare view of a dying star's colorful shroud set against a backdrop of a thousand younger, sparkling suns.
Set II
Set II
T17 - M42, 43 NGC 1980, 1999 (Mosaic)
Orion
Orion's Sword (Mosaic)
Orion's Sword (Mosaic)
SHOWPIECE: A massive vertical mosaic spanning from the shimmering blue cluster of NGC 1981, through the icy blue Running Man and the majestic heart of M42, down to the mysterious "Cosmic Keyhole" of NGC 1999.
T18 - NGC 1788
Orion
The Fox Face or Flying Bat
The Fox Face or Flying Bat
ECHO: A "Triple-Treat" landscape containing reflection, emission, and dark nebula types in one field, featuring the wispy edges of a "fox face" and subtle "bat wings."
T19 - IC 2177
Monoceros
The Seagull (Mosaic)
The Seagull (Mosaic)
SPECTRE: A massive star-forming complex featuring a "head" and sweeping "wings" that resemble a cosmic dragon or parrot, showcasing a superb mix of red emission and blue/green reflection elements.
T20 - SH 2-261
Search in Atlas for star "69 Orionis"
Orion
Lower’s Nebula
Lower’s Nebula
ECHO: Known as the “Big Brain Nebula,” this faint H-II region appears as a diffuse, neural-like "ghost" of Orion. It is a historical landmark for amateur discovery, showing a faint OIII signal in its core.
T21 - NGC 2174
Orion
Monkey’s Head Nebula
Monkey’s Head Nebula
SHOWPIECE: A simian-shaped wonder featuring intricate, brain-like folding of gas clouds and hidden "clumpy" nebulae that reveal a multi-layered masterpiece when the color balance is managed.
T22 - NGC 2409, SH 2-302
Search in Atlas for "NGC 2414" - just below that is the Snowman
Puppis
Snowman Nebula
Snowman Nebula
ECHO: A deeply red emission nebula that looks like a cosmic snowman, where radiation from young, massive stars is carving a bubble in the surrounding hydrogen gas.
T23 - NGC 2238
Monoceros
Rosette Nebula
Rosette Nebula
SHOWPIECE: A giant molecular cloud shaped like a rose, with a central cluster of young stars (NGC 2244) that have cleared a “hole” in the center via stellar winds.
T24 - B33, IC 434, NGC 2024
Orion
The Flame and Horsehead
The Flame and Horsehead
SHOWPIECE: The iconic dark silhouette of the Horsehead against a glowing red hydrogen curtain, paired with the energized Flame Nebula and subtle, dusty blue reflection nebulosity.
T25 - IC 2118
Orion (near Rigel)
Witch Head Nebula (Mosaic)
Witch Head Nebula (Mosaic)
ECHO: A vast, eerie reflection nebula reflecting the brilliant light of the supergiant star Rigel. Its profile-like shape is exceptionally faint and difficult to capture, requiring perfect transparency and dark skies.
T26 - IC 443
Gemini
The Jellyfish Nebula
The Jellyfish Nebula
ASPECTRE: A supernova remnant nearly 30,000 years old featuring jellyfish-like "tentacles" interacting with a molecular cloud. It is a rare "hybrid" target with a mix of red emission filaments and reflected light from the nearby star Propus.
SET I
SET I
T1 - NGC 2359
Canis Major
Thor's Helemet
Thor's Helemet
An expanding stellar shell around a unique star
T5 - NGC 1893
Auriga
The flaming Star & Tadpoles Mosaic
The flaming Star & Tadpoles Mosaic
A fantastic winter mosaic pairing
T7 - M78
Orion
Casper the Ghost Nebula & Barnard's Loop
Casper the Ghost Nebula & Barnard's Loop
A striking reflection, dark & emission nebulae combo
T8 - NGC 2264
Monoceros
The Cone & Christmas tree cluster
The Cone & Christmas tree cluster
An immense area of turbulent nebulosity
T9 - NGC 1579
Perseus
The Northern Trifid
The Northern Trifid
A truly faint, explosive "dusty star" mixed with dark nebulosity
T10 - M33
Triangulum
The spiral of Triangulum
The spiral of Triangulum
Andromeda's & the Milky Way's "local group" galaxy cousin
WildcardS SET I - NORTH
WildcardS SET I - NORTH
T11N - NGC 188, C1
Cepheus
Polarissima cluster
Polarissima cluster
The most northerly and ancient open star cluster
T12N - NGC 1333
Perseus
Embryo Nebula
Embryo Nebula
A most unusual reflection nebula laced with dark tendrils
T13N - NGC 869, 884
Perseus
Double Cluster
Double Cluster
The northern open star cluster double gem
Wildcard SET I - SOUTH
Wildcard SET I - SOUTH
T15S - 30 Doradus
Dorado
LMC Tarantula Nebula
LMC Tarantula Nebula
A bright nebula in our Milky Way's satellite galaxy
T16S - M77
Cetus
The Squid Galaxy
The Squid Galaxy
A bright face on a spiral Galaxy in a group of galaxies
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