The RASC's Deep Sky Challenge Objects list

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) has published this list in their yearly Observer's Handbook which is edited by Roy L. Bishop. The Deep Sky Challenge Objects List was compiled by Alan Dyer and Alister Ling; it is arranged by right ascension.
Credit: Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC)
  • Original RASC Deep Sky Challenge Objects List online copy (RASC Edmonton)

    Object Descriptions

    
No. Object       Con  Type    R.A.     Dec     m_v    Size      U #  min.A

                                                     
 1  NGC 7822     Cep  E/RN    00:03.6  +68:37   -      60x30     15  30     
 2  IC 59        Cas  E/RN    00:56.7  +61:04   -      10x5      36  20-25
 3  NGC 609      Cas  OC      01:37.2  +64:33  11.0     3.0      16  25-30
 4  IC 1795      Cas  EN      02:24.7  +61:54   -      27x13     17  20
 5  Maffei 1     Cas  G-E3    02:36.3  +59:39  ~14      5x3      38  30
 6  NGC 1049     For  GC      02:39.7  -34:29  11.0     0.6     354  25-30
 7  NGC 1275     Per  G-Pec   03:19.8  +41:31  11.6   2.6x1.9    63  20-25
 8  NGC 1432/35  Tau  RN      03:46.1  +23:47          30x30    132  10-15
 9  IC 342       Cam  G-SBc   03:46.8  +68:06  ~12     17x17     18  20-30
10  NGC 1499     Per  EN      04:00.7  +36:37         145x40     95  8-12.5 RFT
11  NGC 1554/5   Tau  RN      04:21.8  +19:32           var     133  20?
12  IC 405       Aur  E/RN    05:16.2  +34:16          30x19     97  20
13  IC 434/B 33  Ori  E/DN    05:40.9  -02:28          60x10    226  15-20 dark sky!
14  Sh 2-276     Ori  EN      05:48    +01            600x30!   226  10-15 RFT
15  Abell 12     Ori  PN      06:02.4  +09:39  ~13     37"      181  25-30
16  IC 443       Gem  SNR     06:16.9  +22:47          50x40    137  25-30
17  J 900        Gem  PN      06:25.9  +17:47  12.2     8"      137  20
18  IC 2177      Mon  E/RN    07:05.1  -10:42         120x40    273  20-30
19  PK 205+14.1  Gem  PN      07:29.0  +13:15  ~13    ~700      184  20-25
20  NGC 2419     Lyn  GC      07:38.1  +38:53  10.4     4.1     100  15-20
21  PK 164+31.1  Lyn  PN      07:57.8  +53:25  ~14    6'40"      43  25
22  Leo I        Leo  G-E3    10:08.4  +12:18   9.8   10.7x8.3  189  30
23  Abell 1367   Leo  G's     11:44.0  +19:57  13-16  ~60       147  30-40
24  NGC 3172     UMi  G-?     11:50.2  +89:07  13.6   0.7x0.7     2  25
25  NGC 4236     Dra  G-SBb   12:16.7  +69:28   9.6   18.6x6.9   25  20-25
26  Mrk 205      Dra  Quasar  12:21.6  +75:18  14.5   stellar     9  30
27  3C 273       Vir  Quasar  12:29.1  +02:03  12-13  stellar   238  25-30
28  NGC 4676     Com  G's     12:46.2  +30:44  14.1p  ~ 2x1     108  25
29  Abell 1656   Com  G's     13:00.1  +27:58  12-16  ~60       149  25-30
30  NGC 5053     Com  GC      13:16.4  +17:42   9.8    10.5     150  10-20
31  NGC 5897     Lib  GC      15:17.4  -21:01   8.6    12.6     334  15-20
32  Abell 2065   CrB  G's     15:22.7  +27:43  ~16    ~30       154  50 in superb sky!
33  NGC 6027     Ser  G's     15:59.2  +20:45  ~15    ~ 2x1     155  40
34  B 72         Oph  DN      17:23.5  -23:38          30       338  8-12.5 RFT
35  NGC 6791     Lyr  OC      19:20.7  +37:51   9.5    16       118  20-25
36  PK 64+5.1    Cyg  PN      19:34.8  +30:31   9.6     8"      118  20
37  M 1-92       Cyg  RN      19:36.3  +29:33  11.0   12"x6"    118  25-30
38  NGC 6822     Sgr  G-Irr   19:44.9  -14:48  ~11    10.2x9.5  297  10-15
39  IC 4997      Sge  PN      20:20.2  +16:45  10.9     2"      163  20
40  IC 1318      Cyg  EN      20:26.2  +40:30         large      84  8-15 RFT
41  PK 80-6.1    Cyg  PN?     21:02.3  +36:42  13.5    16"      121  25
42  IC 1396      Cep  EN      21:39.1  +57:30         170x140    57  10-12.5 RFT
43  IC 5146      Cyg  E/RN    21:53.5  +47:16          12x12     86  20-25
44  NGC 7317-20  Peg  G's     22:36.1  +33:57  13-14  ea.~1     123  25-30
45  Jones 1      Peg  PN      23:35.9  +30:28  12.1   5'32"     124  25-30

    Remarks

    No. Object Remarks
    1 NGC 7822 large, faint emission nebula; rated `eeF'; also look for E/R nebula Ced 214 (ass. with cluster Berkeley 59) 1 deg S
    2 IC 59 faint emission/reflection nebulosity paired with IC 63 close to gamma Cas; requires clean optics; rated as `pF'
    3 NGC 609 faint patch at low power; high power needed to resolve this rich cluster (also look for Trumpler 1 cluster 1 deg S)
    4 IC 1795 brightest part of a complex nebulosity that includes IC 1805 and IC 1848; use a nebula filter
    5 Maffei 1 heavily reddened galaxy; very faint; requires large aperture and black skies; nearby Maffei II probably invisible
    6 NGC 1049 Class V globular in dward `Fornax system' Local Group galaxy 630,000 ly away, galaxy itself invisible ?
    7 NGC 1275 Perseus A exploding galaxy; brightest member of Abell 426 gal. cl. 300 million ly away; see Webb vol. 5
    8 NGC 1432/35 Pleiades nebulosity (also includes IC 349); brightest around Merope; requires transparent sky and clean optics
    9 IC 342 large and diffuse face-on spiral; member of UMa-Cam cloud (Kemble's Cascade of stars also in this chart)
    10 NGC 1499 California Nebula; very large and faint; use a wide-field telescope or big binoculars plus H-Beat filter
    11 NGC 1554/5 Hind's Variable Nebula; small reflect. neb. around 9m-13m var. star T Tau; use high power; difficulty varies
    12 IC 405 Flaming Star Nebula; associated with runaway star AE Aurigae; see Burnham's Handbook page 285 (also look for IC 410)
    13 IC 434/B 33 B 33 is the Horsehead Nebula, a dark nebula superimposed on a very faint emission nebula IC 434; use H-Beta filter in dark sky!
    14 Sh 2-276 Barnard's Loop; SNR or interstellar bubble?; difficult to detect due to size; use filter and sweep with wide field
    15 Abell 12 also called PK 198 -6.1; faint; not plotted on Uranometria but is on NW edge of mu Orionis; OIII filter required
    16 IC 443 faint supernova remnant very close to eta Gem; use filter (also look for NGC 2174 and Sh 2-247 on this Chart)
    17 J 900 Jonckheere 900; bright starlike planetary; plotted as PK 194 +2.1 in Uranometria; use OIII filter & high power
    18 IC 2177 Eagle Nebula; large, faint; contains bright patches Gum 1 (-10d 28'), NGC 2327 (-11d 18') & Ced 90 (-12d 20')
    19 PK 205+14.1 Medusa Nebula or Abell 21; much larger than plotted in Uranometria; impressive in large aperture with OIII filter
    20 NGC 2419 at 200 000 light years away the most distant Milky Way globular for amateur telescopes; very small & faint; Class II
    21 PK 164+31.1 extremely faint with two small components; use OIII filter; sometimes confused with nearby NGC 2474-75
    22 Leo I dwarf elliptical; satellite of Milky Way; very low surface brightness; 0.3deg N of Regulus!; requires clean optics
    23 Abell 1367 cluster of some 30 or more galaxies within a 1deg field near 93 Leonis; see Webb Handbook Volume 5, page 139
    24 NGC 3172 `Polarissma Borealis' - closest galaxy to the North Celestial Pole; small, faint and otherwise unremarkable
    25 NGC 4236 very large, dim barred spiral; a diffuse glow (NGC 4395 on Chart 108 is a similar large diffuse face-on)
    26 Mrk 205 Markarian 205; a faint star on SW edge of NGC 4319; plotted as a radio source; centre of the red-shift controversy
    27 3C 273 at 2 to 3 billion light years away one of the most distant objects visible in amateur telescopes; magnitude variable
    28 NGC 4676 `The Mice' or VV 224 - two classic interacting galaxies; very faint; double nature detectable at high power
    29 Abell 1656 Coma Berenices galaxy cluster; very rich; 400 million light years away; brightest member NGC 4889; see Webb Volume 5
    30 NGC 5053 faint and very loose globular 1deg SE of M53; requires large aperture to resolve; difficult in hazy skies; Class XI
    31 NGC 5897 large, faint and loose globular; magnitude 10.9 in Atlas Coeli Catalogue; requires large aperture to resolve; Class XI
    32 Abell 2065 Corona Borealis galaxy cluster; perhaps the most difficult object for amateur telescopes; 1.5 billion light years away; requires superb sky!
    33 NGC 6027 Seyfert's Sextet (6027 A-F); compact group of 6 small and very faint galaxies; see Burnham's Handbook page 1793
    34 B 72 Barnard's dark S-Nebula or `The Snake'; opacity of 6/6; 1.5 deg NNE of theta Ophiuchi; area rich in dark nebulas
    35 NGC 6791 large, faint but very rich open cluster with 300 stars; a faint smear in smaller instruments; Type II 3 r
    36 PK 64+5.1 Campbell's Hydrogen Star; very bright but very starlike; also catalogued as star BD +30 3639
    37 M 1-92 Minkowski 92 or Footprint Nebula; bright, starlike reflection nebula; double at high magnification; associated star invisible
    38 NGC 6822 Barnard's Galaxy; member of the Local Group; large but very low surface brightness; requires transparent skies
    39 IC 4997 bright but starlike planetary; the challenge is to see the disk!; blink the field with and without a nebula filter
    40 IC 1318 complex of nebulosity around gamma Cygni; multitude of patches in rich starfield; use a very wide field plus filter
    41 PK 80-6.1 the `Egg Nebula'; a very small proto-planetary nebula; can owners of large telescopes detect polarization?
    42 IC 1396 extremely large and diffuse area of emission nebulosity; use nebula filter and very wide field optics in dark sky
    43 IC 5146 Cocoon Nebula; faint and diffuse; use H-Beta filter; at the end of the long filamentary dark nebula is Barnard 168
    44 NGC 7317-20 Stephan's Quintet; 0.5 deg SSW of NGC 7331; easy to pick out 3 or 4 (also look for `companions' to 7331)
    45 Jones 1 plotted as PK104 -29.1 (from Perek & Kohoutek catalogue) in Uranometria; large dim glow; OIII filter required
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    Last Modification: May 20, 2006