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Monthly Targets
Every month, we identify a few objects of interest that you can observe with the telescopes. They could be objects which have been in the news this month, or only visible for a short time or just particularly impressive to look at. We provide you with all the details of how to observe them, including their position in the sky, suggested exposure time and filters that you might want to use.
With well-known objects such as the Messier (e.g. M53) objects, you may not need to the RA and dec as the scheduler is likely to recognise these names. These co-ordinates are often useful if you wish to use a program such as Staralt to check on visibility. We suggest objects that work for all apertures within the LCO network, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. It’s always better to underestimate exposure times; where these are given for 2-m telescopes, we suggest doubling for the 1-m and 0.4-m telescopes.
In May, RA values of between 9h and 19h are most suitable.
The tables below show the targets for April, May and June. The ones which are best suited for this month are in the May table, but some of the targets from the April and June tables may also be visible during May.
You can check the visibility of all of these targets using free software such as Stellarium or Staralt as explained on our resources pages or using LCO’s visibility checker page:
https://lco.global/
Monthly Targets - April
| Name | RA | Dec | Suggested Exposure Time | Filters | Dates visible | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M97 (Owl Nebula) | 11:14:47.7 | +55:01:08.4 | 30 seconds (on 2-m telescope; 60 seconds on 1-m and 0.4-m telescopes) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | M97 is a planetary nebula in Ursa Major |
| M95 | 10:43:57.7 | +11:42:13.0 | 30 seconds (on FT North) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from all telescopes in the LCO network | M95 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo |
| M53 | 13:12:55.25 | +18:10:05.4 | 10 seconds on FT North | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | M53 is a globular cluster consisting of thousands of stars in the constellation of Coma Berenices |
Monthly Targets - May
| Name | RA | Dec | Suggested Exposure Time | Filters | Dates visible | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC6193 | 16:41:20 | -48:45:48 | 30 seconds (on 2-m telescope; 60 seconds on 1-m and 0.4-m telescopes) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from southern hemisphere telescopes | NGC6193 is an open cluster in the constellation of Ara, the altar. |
| IC1396 | 21:39:00.0 | +57:29:24.0 | 10 seconds (on FT North) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | IC1396 is a gas cloud in Cepheus |
| M3 | 13:42:11.6 | +28:22:38.2 | 10 seconds on FT North | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | M3 is a globular cluster consisting of thousands of stars in the constellation of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs |
Monthly Targets - June
| Name | RA | Dec | Suggested Exposure Time | Filters | Dates visible | Find out more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC6334 | 17:20:50.9 | -36:06:54 | 30 seconds (on 2-m telescope; 60 seconds on 1-m and 0.4-m telescopes) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from southern hemisphere telescopes | NGC6334 is a beautiful emission nebula, also known as the Cats Paw Nebula, in the constellation of Scorpius |
| M13 | 16:41:41.63 | +36:27:40.75 | 30 seconds (on FT North) | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | M13 (known as the Hercules Cluster) is a globular cluster containing millions of stars |
| M27 | 19:59:36.36 | +22:43:16.31 | 10 seconds on FT North | Using MuSCAT3, real-time observations will automatically be taken in g’r’i’ filters; in queue-mode, g’r’i’ and z’ will be taken simultaneously | Images can be taken over the next few weeks from northern hemisphere telescopes | M27 is a planetary nebula, known as the Dumbbell Nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula |
You can check the visibility of all of these targets using free software such as Stellarium or Staralt as explained on our resources pages or using LCO’s visibility checker page:
https://lco.global/observatory/visibility/
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