Best Summertime Deep Sky Objects

Well, spring is in full swing and soon, it will be summer. Of all the seasons, summertime is probably the worst for looking at the night sky. Not only is there less of it because the days are longer, but afternoon heating causes atmospheric turbulence and lots of thunderstorms.

The best time to look at the sky is winter, especially those really, really cold, still nights that immediately follow a cold front. Oh sure, it’s uncomfortable as hell being out there in the freezing cold, but the stars barely twinkle on nights like that.

Usually during the summer, I put my telescopes away and don’t use them much. Not only am I traveling a lot more during the summer (so I really don’t have much time for it), the seeing is generally not worth the effort.

Still, there are some objects in the summer sky, primarily galaxies and nebulae, that are really worth seeing, so I don’t hang it up entirely. Here are some of the best summertime deep sky objects:

• The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. This is a face-on spiral located just off the handle of the Big Dipper. It is just below the last star in the handle, about two finger widths away. Point your telescope there and you’ll see it as a faint smudge in an 8-inch telescope. Right now it is straight overhead in the northern hemisphere.
• The Ring Nebula, M57. I’ll never forget the first time I found this by myself. I was using an old Criterion 6-inch newtonian with a broken clock drive. I was scanning the area and… whoosh… it whizzed by in my eyepiece as I went by. I re-centered it and stared at it for hours. I could see the donut shape and I convinced myself I saw some color.
• Globular Cluster in Hercules, M13. This smudge is quite nice, especially in a refractor. It’s fun to try and make out as many individual stars as you can given whatever conditions you happen to be observing under.
• The Sombrero Galaxy, M104. This one’s pretty hard to find and, where I live at least, it’s pretty low in the southern sky. Still it’s about 8th magnitude and finding it is one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had. This is a spectacular galaxy seen edge-on. The dark dust lanes obscure light from the galactic center giving it the sombrero appearance. This is one of my all time favorites.
• Bode’s Galaxy, M81. This is a very bright and easy to find spiral galaxy. It’s high in the sky in late spring and early summer. Awesome galaxy that’s easy to see in a six inch scope.

Ok, now I can hear everyone harumphing because I didn’t mention their particular favorite. Well, that’s what the comments are for people! Let’s get the word out, let us know what you think and which ones you like best.

Photo Credit: Brian Jolley

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