Constellation of the Month: February
Camelopardalis (The Giraffe)

by: John Mirtle.
Page last updated: May 3, 2004

Contents
Small Scope Objects    Big Scope Objects    Challenge Objects    Maps    Photos

Small Scope Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  NGC 2403!! 07hr 36.9m +65° 36' A large face-on Sc spiral galaxy, 18 x 11 arc minutes in size. Easy in small scopes at magnitude 8.4. Resembles M33 in Triangulum. (110NGC)
  NGC 1502 04hr 08m +62° 20' An easy open cluster of 45 stars, crowded into an area only 8 arc minutes across. Magnitude 5.7, located at the bottom of "Kemble's Cascade".
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Big Scope Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  NGC 1501! 04hr 07.0m +60° 55' A reasonably bright planetary nebula , 55 x 48 arc seconds in size. Bluish in colour, this 12th mag. planetary has a 13.5 magnitude central star. (110NGC)
  IC 3568 12hr 33m +82° 33' This small planetary nebula is only 6 arc seconds across. Small and bright at mag 11.6, with a 13th mag central star visible during steady seeing.
  Tombaugh 5 03hr 48m +59° 03' A dim open cluster of 60 stars, 17 arc min. across. Mag. 8.4.
  Stock 23 03hr 16m +60° 02' A bright loose cluster of 25 stars, 15 arc min. across.
  King 6 03hr 28m +56° 27' A fairly rich cluster, 35 stars, only 7 arc minutes in size.
  NGC 2523 08hr 15m +73° 35' A bright, barred Sb spiral, 3 x 2 arc minutes in size. Magnitude 12. Resembles a "theta" shape, a real treat in larger scopes.
  NGC 2366 07hr 29m +69° 13' An 11th mag. irregular galaxy, 7.6 x 3.5 arc minutes. About 4° north of NGC 2403.
  NGC 2146 06hr 19m +78° 21' Another bright Sb barred spiral, mag 10.5, 6 x 3.8 arc minutes.
  NGC 2336 07hr 27m +80° 11' A large, bright Sb spiral. Easy pickin's at mag 10.5, 6.9 x 4.0 arc minutes in size with a nearly stellar core in larger scopes.
  NGC 2655! 08hr 55.6m +78° 13' A 10.1 mag barred Sb spiral, 5.1 x 4.4 arc minutes. (110NGC).
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Challenge Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  IC 342 03hr 47m +68° 06' A 9.1 magnitude face-on S(B)c galaxy, 17.8 x 17.4 arc minutes. Located just outside the Local Group at 3 Megaparsecs, in a rich, starry field. Surface brightness is very low. Look for a chain of stars just off the nucleus.
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Constellation Maps:

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Lines No Lines Reverse Reverse No Lines No Map

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Photos:


 
Photo 1
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.
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