Deep Sky Observer
This section of the Utah Skies site will be dedicated to the deep sky observer. This is my passion. I know that there are many out there who share it. The plan is to make this the first place you think of when you need information on a particular deep sky object.
Your one stop for information on the Messier
objects. This section provides charts to help you find all the objects as well
as 
images
and descriptions of the objects. The Messier list contains 110 of the
finest deep sky objects for northern observers.
109 of the most awesome "non-Messier' deep sky objects out there. Created by Patrick Moore, this list doubles the number of "must see" objects for amateur astronomers and the charts ease the search...
The NGC, or New General Catalog
are generally speaking, a little more obscure than
Messier Objects. The reason is that for the most part, these were objects which Messier
himself missed. This list was compiled by J.L.E. Dreyer in 1888 and replaced all
previous lists and catalogs. It is a superset of the
Messiers'. Many NGC objects can be seen in 3-4" telescope with
5-8" required to view the majority. To reasonably expect to see each and
every object in the catalog would require approximately 20" of aperture... and lots of
time :) If you can't wait 'til the sun goes down, here
are some picures to whet your appetite.
Supplementary Index Catalogs
were compiled after the NGC list. The first IC contains 1529 objects
discovered between 1888 and 1894. The second IC contains an additional 3856
objects found through 1907. Browse our image
library to get an idea of what
this catalog contains.
These are a special subset of the NGC list. Compiled by Dr. Halton C. Arp, they are a collection of the more... peculiar galaxies. These are, generally speaking, quite faint. If you're into the Arp galaxies, you've probably already made the decision to acquire a larger aperture telescope -- perhaps something in the 12-16+" range. Alternatively, these are objects which are well within the reach of more modest telescopes when imaging. Nonetheless, these are some very interesting targets.
The Hubble Space Telescope has
distinguished itself as the premier source of astronomical images. Amazing HST
images have graced the covers of major magazines and newspapers world wide. In
recognition of the amazing advances in astronomy and physics which have come
from Hubble discoveries, we'd like to devote a section of this site to share
some of them with you.
