Cameron Park Community Observatory

April Viewing List

Name M81
Object Type Sprial Galaxy
Magnitude 6.8
Constellation Ursa Major (URR-suh-MAY-jer)
Distance 12 MLY
Size 21'
Coordinates 09h 56' +69° 04'
Suggested Scope 14"
Talking Points • 70 Globular clusters have been discovered
orbiting this galaxy.
• M81 and M82 had a close encounter about 600
MY ago, resulting in a prolonged period of
intense new star formation that continues
today.

Name M82
Object Type Irregular Galaxy
Magnitude 8
Constellation Ursa Major (URR-suh-MAY-jer)
Distance 12 MLY
Size 9'
Coordinates 9h 56' +69° 41'
Suggested Scope 14"
Suggested Lenses
Suggested Filters
Talking Points • 100 Globular clusters have been discovered
orbiting this galaxy.
• M81 and M82 had a close encounter about 600
MY ago, resulting in a prolonged period of
intense new star formation that continues
today.

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Cameron Park Community Observatory
April Viewing List
Name NGC 3079
Object Type Spiral Galaxy
Magnitude 11
Constellation Ursa Major (URR-suh-MAY-jer)
Distance 50 MLY
Size 8'
Coordinates 10h 22' +55° 41'
Suggested Scope 14"
Talking Points • NGC 3079 is a barred spiral galaxy about 50 million
light-years away, and located in the constellation
Ursa Major.
• A prominent feature of this galaxy is the "bubble"
forming in the very center
• The bubble forming in the center of NGC 3079 is
believed to be about 3000 light-years wide and to
rise more than 3500 light-years above the disc of
the galaxy.

Name Regulus (Alpha Leonis)

Object Type Type B, Main Sequence Star, Binary
Magnitude 1.35
Constellation Leo (LEE-oh)
Distance 77 LY
Size 177"
Coordinates 10h 08' +11° 58'
Suggested Scope Any
Talking Points • Regulus (α Leo, α Leonis, Alpha Leonis) is the
No Picture brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of
the brightest stars in the night sky, lying
approximately 77.5 light years from Earth.
• Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four
stars which are organised into two pairs.
• The spectroscopic binary Regulus A consists of a
blue-white main-sequence star and its companion
which has not yet been directly observed, but is
probably a white dwarf star.
• Located farther away is the pair Regulus B and
Regulus C, which are dim main-sequence stars

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Cameron Park Community Observatory
April Viewing List
Name M65
Object Type Intermediate Spiral Galaxy
Magnitude 10.25
Constellation Leo (LEE-oh)
Distance 35 MYL
Size 8'
Coordinates 11h 19' 13° 05'
Suggested Scope 14"
Suggested Lenses
Suggested Filters
Talking Points • Messier 65 (also known as NGC 3623) is an
intermediate spiral galaxy about 35 million
light-years away in the constellation Leo.
• It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780.
• M65, M66, and NGC 3628 comprise the famous
Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies.
• To the eye, M65's disk appears slightly warped,
and its relatively recent burst of star formation
is also suggestive of some external disturbance.

Name M66
Object Type Intermediate Spiral Galaxy
Magnitude 10.25
Constellation Leo (LEE-oh)
Distance 35 MYL
Size 8'
Coordinates 11h 19' 13° 05'
Suggested Scope 14"
Suggested Lenses
Suggested Filters
Talking Points • Messier 66 (also known as NGC 3627) is an
intermediate spiral galaxy about 36 million
light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was
discovered by Charles Messier in 1780.
• M66 is about 95 thousand light-years across
with striking dust lanes and bright star clusters
along sweeping spiral arms.
• M66 is part of the famous Leo Triplet, a small
group of galaxies that also includes M65 and
NGC 3628.

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Cameron Park Community Observatory
April Viewing List
Name M64
Object Type Spiral Galaxy
Magnitude 9.36
Constellation Berenices (Near Leo)
Distance 19 MYL
Size 9'
Coordinates 12h 57' 21° 41'
Suggested Scope 14"
Talking Points • The Black Eye Galaxy (also called Sleeping
Beauty Galaxy; designated Messier 64, M64, or
NGC 4826)
• Discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779.
• Has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust
in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus, giving
rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye" or "Evil
Eye" galaxy.
• M64 is well known among amateur
astronomers because of its appearance in small
telescopes.
• The inner region has a radius of only
approximately 3,000 light-years, while the
outer section extends another 40,000 light-
years.
• M64 collided with another galaxy one billion
years ago. The result has left a merged star
system with an unusual appearance as well as
bizarre internal motions.
• Active formation of new stars is occurring in
the shear region where the oppositely rotating
gases collide, are compressed, and contract.

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Cameron Park Community Observatory
April Viewing List
Name Saturn
Object Type Planet
Magnitude 1.47 to -0.24
Constellation None
Distance from Earth 800 Million Miles
Size
Coordinates
Suggested Scope 14"
Talking Points • 6th planet from the sun
• 2nd largest planet in solar system
• Average distance from the sun ~ 800 Million
Miles
• Current Distance from Earth ~ 800 Million
Miles
• 1 Day on Saturn is 11 hours
• 5 Major rings, average ring thickness is 1
kilometer (3,000 ft)
• Edge to edge, Saturn's ring system has a
diameter of 180,000 miles.
• Saturn has a very hot interior, reaching 11,700
°C at the core and it radiates 2.5 times more
energy into space than it receives from the
Sun.
• Saturn has 34 named moons, and a total of 62
moons with confirmed orbits.
• Largest moon is Titan, which has a thick
atmosphere of methane.
• In 2004, NASA's Cassini spacecraft deployed
the Huygens probe which landed on the
surface of Titan.
• Titan is the second largest moon in the solar
system, larger than the planet Mercury.
•