For stargazers, early spring means it is time for a Messier Marathon. In 1758 a French comet hunter, Charles Messier, started compiling a catalogue of nebulous objects in the sky that resembled comets but weren’t. His completed catalogue was issued 13 years later with 103 objects. In the mid-20th century the catalogue was expanded to 110 based on Messier’s notes. Under a clear, dark sky all of the Messier objects can be seen in a small telescope, and it is a rite of passage for amateur astronomers to locate and observe them all.
The Messier catalogue includes 57 star clusters, 40 galaxies, 12 nebulae of new or dying stars, and an enigmatic pair of stars. The first on the list, called M1, is the Crab Nebula, the gaseous remnant of a supernova that was seen in daylight in 1054. M110 is a galaxy seen near M31, the Andromeda galaxy. The easiest to see is M45, the star cluster also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. The Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery in Orion’s sword, is M42, with the much less spectacular M43 nearby. Many of the galaxies are within the area bordered by Leo, Virgo and Ursa Major.
For a few weeks in March and April, around the time of a new Moon, it is possible to see all the Messier objects in one night, hence the Messier Marathon. However, from New Brunswick the globular cluster M30 in Capricornus rises in bright twilight and is pretty much impossible to see in late March. This week it might cut through morning twilight but we could lose one or more to evening twilight.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Saint John is at 6:46 and sunset will occur at 8:05, giving 13 hours, 19 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:33 and set at 8:14, giving 13 hours, 41 minutes of daylight.
The slim crescent Moon is a binocular field above Mercury on Wednesday morning, a challenging observation, and it is new on Friday. Venus sets around 10:15 pm midweek and it is starting to catch the eye as it climbs higher each evening. With Jupiter high in the southwest on Wednesday, telescope users might see its moon Io disappear behind the planet at 9:43 pm and Europa reappear from Jupiter’s shadow 15 minutes later on the opposite side. Early in the week rural observers might see the subtle glow of zodiacal light in the west 60 to 90 minutes after sunset. Comet C/2025 R3 Panstarrs is a binocular object low in the east around 4:30 am this week, reaching perihelion next weekend.
Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@AstronomybytheBay) and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay (https://www.facebook.com/astrobythebay)
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
