Category: Messier Objects


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The Triangulum Galaxy (sometimes referred to as Pinwheel Galaxy) is the most distant object that can be seen with the unaided eye, approximately 3 million light-years from Earth. This wide-field image of the Triangulum Galaxy was taken with a Canon 450D DSLR and a 50 mm f/1.8 kit lens, ISO 1600, 30 sec exposure, on November 11, 2012 under the dark clear skies of Boso-boso, Rizal, Philippines. The low surface brightness of Triangulum Galaxy makes it an extremely difficult target to observe visually in light-polluted skies. Photo Credit: Anthony Urbano. For more images of galaxies, click here.

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The Philippine Astronomical Society will be hosting a Deep-Sky Observing Marathon on March 9-10, 2013, at Big Handy’s Grounds in Tanay, Rizal. Interested participants may kindly confirm their attendance with PAS Observation Chairperson Von Delelis (Contact: 09228320401). The Philippine Astronomical Society holds an annual stargazing session to take advantage of cloudless summer nights during months of March and April each year.

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Last year’s stargazing session hosted by the Philippine Astronomical Society (Photo Credit: Margie Parinas)

The Philippine Messier Marathon Open is an annual star party conducted under the dark clear skies of Caliraya, Laguna, where astronomy-enthusiasts in the country gather to observe and meet fellow enthusiasts. The highlight of the event is the messier marathon — astro-enthusiasts attempt to observe and identify all the 110 m-objects in just one night. This year, the first wave of the event (there will be a series of stargazing events) will be on March 9, 2013, at Eco Saddle Resort in Caliraya, Laguna. Interested parties are encouraged to confirm their attendance in the Philippine Messier Marathon 2013‘s event page.

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For inquiries, contact Peter Tubalinal, the Philippine Messier Marathon 2013 Chair/Organizer at 09479785001. Photo Credit: Peter Tubalinal

This event hosted by the Astronomical League of the Philippines is by far the largest star party and astro-gathering in the Philippines.

Related link: Philippine Messier Marathon 2012

For previous observations, click here.

To receive timely updates on upcoming astronomical events/observations, click here.

For tutorials on how to get started with astrophotography, click here.

© Anthony Urbano (Manila, Philippines)

I gave a guided tour of the DSOs visible in an urban, severely light-polluted sky last week for the University of the Philippines Astronomical Society as part of the 2012 Members’ Lecture Series at the PAGASA Astronomical Observatory in UP Diliman. The details of the lecture are as follows:

Deep-Sky Hunting Under Light-Polluted Sky April 20, 2012
by Anthony Urbano

So you have just purchased your first telescope, and with it you’ve seen Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Now what? You just ran out of targets to look at because somebody told you that your telescope in simply “not good enough.” Discouraged, you became disinterested thinking that your telescope is simply not up to the task of finding deep-sky objects.

Think again. Bring that telescope to PAGASA and I will show you a handful of objects that will rekindle your enthusiasm :) Let’s hunt deep-sky objects!


Well, we have successfully viewed the following objects in a severely light-polluted sky using only a 4-inch telescope!

M4 globular cluster
M6 (Butterfly Cluster) open cluster
M7 (Ptolemy’s Cluster) open cluster
M8 Lagoon Nebula (diffuse nebula)
M20 Trifid Nebula (diffuse nebula)
M21 open cluster
M13 (Hercules Cluster) globular cluster
M92 globular cluster
M57 (Ring Nebula) planetary nebula
M27 (Dumbell Nebula) planetary nebula
Albireo double star
Mizar double star
Cor Caroli double star
Coathanger asterism
and the Milky Way!

Thanks UP Astronomical Society for hosting this lecture :) Clear skies!

For more information on how to get started with amateur astronomy, click here.

M92 globular cluster in Hercules imaged using a Sky-Watcher 100 ED 4 in f/9 refractor, Kenko NES mount, Canon 450D DSLR, 90 sec exp, IS0 1600. April 9, 2012, Camarines Norte, Philippines. Photo Credit: Anthony Urbano

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula imaged using a Sky-Watcher 100 ED 4 in f/9 refractor, Kenko NES mount, Canon 450D DSLR, 5 x 90 sec exp, IS0 1600. April 5, 2012, Camarines Norte, Philippines. Photo Credit: Anthony Urbano. For more images of nebula, click here.

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