Objects for viewing in September

I found a great little list of objects to view in September on someone elses blog. I liked the list so much that I thought I would share them with some of my notes about them. Maybe the weather will allow us to view them soon.

1. NGC 1491   A wonderful but seldom viewed bright nebula in Perseus. It      is visible in a 6″ telescope as a moderately bright fan-shaped object that is approximately 6 to 7 arc minutes in size. An OIII filter will help you to see this nebula.

2. NGC 1023   A bright little football shaped galaxy in Perseus that is visible in a 60mm telescope.

3.  NGC 891  A fantastic edge on galaxy in Andromeda. With a 10″ or larger telescope on a good dark night you may see the dust lane in this long, thin, dim streak of light.

4.  NGC 7293  The Helix Nebula in Aquarius is a large dim planetary nebula that can be seen with binoculars from a dark site. An OIII filter is a help in seeing this one.

5.  NGC 7331  This is a bright lens-shaped galaxy in Pegasus that is even visible in a 60mm scope. It has a number of faint companion galaxies that can be seen in my 10″ scope. When these faint companion galaxies are visible, it is a good night to view Stephens Quintet.

6.  NGC 7479  A wonderful but faint galaxy in Pegasus that some people actually see the bar and spiral arms in with a 10″ telescope from a dark site.

7.  NGC 6946 I should not forget to add this galaxy in Cygnus to the list, it is the September object for the Las Vegas Observers Challenge this year. This galaxy is a large faint face on object that will not revel much to small telescopes, although it is visible. In a 10″ to 12″ telescope you may see two spiral arms and a bright core that spans 10% of the 11 arc minute diameter. You may see four arms in a 16″ telescope.

With the dark dry skies of fall we should get out and find these wonderful sights. Heres to clear skies and great viewing for us all.