Additional Objects for the Messier Marathon

When running a Messier Marathon, there is always occasion to observe other, additional Deep Sky objects besides the 110 Messier objects. This is so for various reasons:

Bright DSOs: Some DSOs are so bright that they are easily located with naked eye or binoculars, some even before the evening sky is dark enough for starting the marathon session.
Nearby Objects to Messier Objects: Some Messier objects are associated with, or have neighboring DSOs situated closely, often within the same field of view.
Other Objects: Somewhen after midnight, you will have observed all Messier objects currently over your horizon, and have to wait until the rest will rise. This gives opportunity to observe some other Deep Sky Objects; here we give a list to select from.

Below we present a list of 112 Deep Sky Objects which can be observed for any of these reasons (if neglecting the Milky Way and the Ursa Major cluster which don't appear to us as Messier objects, this is - by chance - again a total of 110 objects). We also give a summary of some data for these additional objects.
Note: Objects significantly more difficult than the fainter Messier objects are marked "*".

Bright Deep Sky Objects

Candidate objects for viewing in dawn before the first galaxies become visible (all naked-eye or binocular because of their apparent brightness, all open clusters), or after the "risky" evening objects have been checked:

NGC/IC Name

       Alpha Per Cl (Mel 20)
  869  h Per
  884  chi Per
       Hyades (Mel 25)
       UMa Cl (Cr 285)

Note: You may also find the Messier objects M45 (Pleiades) and M42 (Orion Nebula) early for the same reason.

Other naked-eye/binocular objects easily visible during the Messier Marathon night:

       Coma Star Cluster (Mel 111)
       Milky Way Galaxy

Nearby Objects to Messier Objects

Candidate objects for observing together with nearby Messier objects:

NGC/IC Type Pos to M Obj.  Ref/Name/Comment

 1055  GS   35'NW   M77    (DM) H 1.1
 2071  DNr  20'NNE  M78    (MK,KGJ) H 4.36
 2067* DNr  15'N    M78    (MK,KGJ)
 2064* DNr  15'SW   M78    (MK,KGJ)
 2158  OC   15'WSW  M35    (DM) H 6.17
 1907  OC   30'S    M38    (DM) H 7.39
 2438  PN   in NE   M46    (DM) H 4.39
 3384  GE   10'NE   M105   (DM,MK) H 1.18
 3389* GS   15'SE   M105   (MK) H 2.41
 3628  GS   30'N    M66/65 (DM) H 5.8
 3593* GS   60'W    M65    (KGJ) H 1.29
 3077  GEp  40'SE   M81    (DM,KGJ) H 1.286
 2976  GSp  90'SW   M81    (KGJ) H 1.285
 4290* GS   10'W    M40    (MK) H 2.805
 4220* GS   60'NW   M106   (DM "+several",KGJ) H 1.209; misprinted 4420 in DM, KGJ
 4618* GS   95'E    M94    (KGJ) H 1.178, H 1.179
 5195  GI    4'N    M51    (DM,MK) H 1.186
 5198* GE   30'S    M51    (KGJ) H 2.689
 5474* GS   50'SE   M101   (DM) H 1.214
 5907  GS   70'ENE  M102   (KGJ) H 2.759
 5879* GS   70'NNE  M102   (KGJ) H 2.757
 5053  GC   60'SE   M53    (DM) H 6.7
 4394* GSB   7'E    M85    (DM,KGJ) H 2.55
 4388* GS   15'S    M84/86 (DM) H 2.168
 4402* GS   10'N    M86    (MK)
 4435  GE   15'NE   M86    (DM) pair w 4438; H 1.28 (1)
 4438  GSp  15'NE   M86    (DM) pair w 4435; H 1.28 (2)
 4478* GE   10'SW   M87    (KGJ) H 2.124
 4550  GE   20'S    M89    (KGJ) H 1.36
 4647  GS   NNW e.  M60    (DM,MK,KGJ) H 3.44
 4638* GE   15'SW   M60    (MK) 18'SE M59; H 2.70
 4567* GS   30'SE   M58    (KGJ) pair w 4568, siamese twins; H 4.8
 4568* GS   30'SE   M58    (KGJ) pair w 4567, siamese twins; H 4.9
 4526  GE   60'E    M49    (KGJ) H 1.31, H 1.38
 4324* GS   50'N    M61    (KGJ) 
 5061  GE   200'NW  M83    (KGJ) H 1.138
 6207  GS   40'NE   M13    (KGJ) H 2.701
     * OC   30'SSW  M71    (KGJ) H20
 6356  GC   80'NE   M9     (DM) H 1.48
 6144  GC   50'ENE  M4     (DM) H 6.10
 6293  GC   90'ESE  M19    (KGJ) H 6.12
 6284  GC   95'NNE  M19    (KGJ) H 6.11
 6383  OC   SW      M6     (KGJ)
 6453  GC   60'NW   M7     (KGJ)
       OC   45'SE   M7     (KGJ) H18
 6712  GC   120'NE  M26    (KGJ) H 1.47
       OC   40'NW   M16    (KGJ) H19
 6603  OC   in      M24
 6530  OC   in      M8
 6642  GC?  70'WNW  M22    (KGJ) H 2.205

References:
DM: Don Machholz, The Messier Marathon Observer's Guide
MK: Mallas/Kreimer, The Messier Album
KGJ: Kenneth Glyn Jones, Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters

Other Objects

Other Deep Sky Objects for observing in the Messier Marathon night:

The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is greatly situated for closer investigation in the second half-night during this season. There's a large number of galaxies in this region you can select from, try e.g. this list of Virgo Cluster Galaxies. Besides the Messier objects in this region and those mentioned above as their neighbors, note especially NGCs 4216, 4429, 4450, 4473, 4535, and 4762.

Below follows a list of other DSOs to select from. Selection was done for typical, smaller Messier Marathon scopes: Most of these objects are no more difficult than the fainter Messier objects, the few exceptions are marked "*".

NGC/IC  Const Type Name/Comment

  188   Cep   OC   old open cluster, close to North Celestial Pole
 2403   Cam   GS   in M81 gr; H 5.44
 2419*  Lyn   GC   Intergalactic Wanderer, remote GC; H 1.218
 2683   Lyn   GS   "UFO" galaxy; H 1.200
 2685*  UMa   GPec Helix Galaxy
 2841   UMa   GS   H 1.205
 2903   Leo   GS   H 1.56
 3115   Sex   GS0  Spindle Galaxy; H 1.163
 3184   UMa   GSc  H 1.168
 3242   Hya   PN   Ghost of Jupiter; H 4.27
 3377   Leo   GE   in M96 gr; H 2.99
 3521   Leo   GS   H 1.13
 4038*  Crv   GS   pair w 4039; Ringtail Galaxies; H 4.28 (1)
 4039*  Crv   GS   pair w 4038; Ringtail Galaxies; H 4.28 (2)
 4125   Dra   GE
 4147   Com   GC   H 1.19
 4214   CVn   GI   H 1.95
 4236   Dra   GS   in M81 gr; H 5.51
 4449   CVn   GI   H 1.213
     *  Vir   QSO  3C273
 4490   CVn   GS   H 1.198
 4494   Com   GE   H 1.83
 4559   Com   GS   H 1.92
 4565   Com   GS   H 5.24
 4631   CVn   GS   H 5.42
 4636   Vir   GE   H 2.38
 4656   CVn   GS   H 1.176
 4697   Vir   GE   H 1.39
 4699   Vir   GS   H 1.129
 4725   Com   GS   H 3.611
 4753   Vir   GPec H 1.16
 4841*  Com   GS0/E in Com Cl; H 2.387
 4874*  Com   GE   in Com Cl; H 2.389
 4889*  Com   GE   in Com Cl; H 2.391
 5005   CVn   GS   H 1.96
 5466   Boo   GC   H 4.9
 5634   Vir   GC   H 1.70
 5897   Lib   GC   H 6.19
 6210   Her   PN   Turtle Nebula
 6229   Her   GC   H 4.50
 6543   Dra   PN   Cat Eye Nebula; H 4-37
 6946   Cep   GS   H 4.76

For those south enough (Note: These objects are all still north of Dec -50; if you can well observe more southern objects from your location, your selection of interesting "additions" will certainly be larger):

 4976  Cen   GE
 5102  Cen   GS0
 5128  Cen   GPec Cen A
 5139  Cen   GC   Omega Cen
 5253* Cen   GE   H 2.638
 5824  Lup   GC
 5986  Lup   GC   Dunlop 552

Data of the additional objects

Please contact us for corrections, comments, and propositions e.g. for addition.

Messier Marathon Home

Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: March 21, 1999