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M9 is a globular cluster located in the southern section of the large sprawling constellation of Ophiuchus. It was discovered by Charles Messier on May 28, 1764, who described it as a "nebula without star of 3 arc minutes in diameter". With an apparent magnitude of +8.4, it's one of the fainter objects of its type in Messier's catalogue. Since not particularly bright, M9 is a challenging object for binocular observers appearing at best as a slightly out of focus faint "star" that can be difficult to pick out against the surrounding Milky Way. The cluster is much easier to spot with larger 15x70 or 20x80 binoculars, but again not much detail is discernible.
M9 is located 25,800 light-years from Earth. At a distance of 5,500 light-years, it's one of the nearer globular clusters to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The globular lies adjacent to a prominent dark nebula called Barnard 64, which significantly dims the light of the cluster due to intervening interstellar dust.
To find M9 start by locating Sabik (η Oph - mag. +2.4) the second brightest star in Ophiuchus. About 3 degrees southeast of Sabik is M9, which is best seen during the months of May, June and July.
M96 is an intermediate spiral galaxy 35 million light-years distant in the constellation of Leo. At magnitude +9.6, it's the brightest member of the Leo I or M96 group of galaxies, which also contains M95, M105 and at least another 21 fainter galaxies. The grouping is one of many that lie within the Virgo Supercluster. Although these three galaxies are among the faintest in the Messier catalogue, all are visible as faint smudges of light with large 15x70 or 20x80 binoculars from a dark site.
M96 is an unusual galaxy in that it contains asymmetric arms and a displaced core, which were probably caused by gravitational pulling from other nearby galaxies. It was discovered, along with M95, by Pierre Méchain on March 20, 1781 and Charles Messier included both items in his catalogue four days later. M105 was not in the original Messier catalogue but added much later by Helen Sawyer Hogg in 1947.
The galaxies are located in the southern middle section of the relatively large and bright constellation of Leo, which lies east of Cancer west of Virgo. Leo contains one first magnitude star, Regulus (α Leo - mag. +1.4), which happens to be the brightest star in the surrounding region of sky. About 24 degrees east and two degrees north of Regulus is the constellation's third brightest star, Denebola (β Leo - mag. +2.1). Less than half the way along a line connecting these two stars are M95, M96 and M105. The northernmost member of the trio is M105 with M96 located 50 arc minutes south of M105 and M95 positioned 40 arc minutes west of M96.
They are best seen during the months of March, April and May.
M109 (NGC 3992) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Ursa Major. It's estimated to be 83.5 Million light-years from Earth, making it the furthest object in Messier's catalogue. Despite its large distance, it's relatively bright at magnitude +10.3 and therefore within the range of small to medium size scopes.
M109 has a complicated history. In March 1781, Pierre Méchain passed three "nebulae" he recently found to Charles Messier for confirmation. The first one was to become M97 whereas the others were recorded as objects 98 and 99 in a rough draft for the next catalogue version. However, Messier never assigned positions for these two items and they were never included in the final catalogue. In 1953, American astronomer and historian Owen Gingerich added draft objects 98 and 99 to the "official" catalogue and they became items M108 and M109 respectively. The story is further complicated by recent analysis that suggest Méchain may have not originally observed NGC 3992 but instead nearby galaxy NGC 3953. If so this implies that Messier in fact discovered NGC 3992. Despite this, it generally remains accepted that M109 is the same object as NGC 3992.
Finding M109 is easy as it's located only 0.75 degrees to the southeast of Phecda (γ UMa - mag. +2.4). This star is a member of the Plough asterism of Ursa Major. The galaxy is best seen from northern temperate latitudes during the months of March, April and May. From the Southern Hemisphere, it never rises very high above the northern horizon.
M23 is a pretty open cluster that's located in the rich starfields of the Sagittarius Milky Way. With an apparent magnitude of +6.9, it's beyond naked eye visibility but a nice binocular object and a glorious sight through small telescopes. This vast cloud of about 150 stars is located 2,150 light-years from Earth and has an actual diameter of about 20 light-years. With an estimated age of at least 220 million years old, it's one of the galaxy's oldest open clusters.
M23 was discovered by Charles Messier on June 20, 1764. It can be easily found just northwest of the teapot asterism of Sagittarius. The three stars that form the top of the teapot are φ Sgr (mag. +3.2), Kaus Borealis (λ Sgr - mag. +2.8) and Kaus Media (δ Sgr - mag. +2.7). Positioned 6 degrees northwest of Kaus Borealis is μ Sgr (mag. +3.8). M23 can be found 4.5 degrees northwest of this star and approximately 2/5ths of the way along a line connecting μ Sgr with ξ Ser (mag. +3.5). Located 5 degrees east of M23 is M24, the very large Sagittarius Star Cloud.
M106, mag. +8.5, is a large spiral galaxy located in Canes Venatici that was discovered by Pierre Méchain in July 1781. He described it in little detail, referring to nothing more than a nebula close to star 3 Canum Venaticorum. It was rediscovered by William Herschel on March 9, 1788. Since Herschel was using a better telescope, he was able to see much more detail and noted it as "very brilliant with a bright nucleus and faint milky branches north preceding and south following." Although not one of Messier's final catalogue entries, this galaxy was included by Helen Sawyer Hogg in 1947 along with M105 and M107. It's reasonable to assume that all three were intended for addition by Méchain and Messier.
M106 is one of the brightest examples of a Seyfert type II galaxy and is therefore a strong X-ray emitter with unusual emission lines, which are believed to result from sections of the galaxy falling into the central supermassive black hole. American astronomer Carl Seyfert first identified this class of object in 1943.
This galaxy is located towards the northwestern corner of Canes Venatici, a faint constellation with only one reasonably bright star, Cor Caroli (α CVn - mag. +2.9). However, locating M106 is not difficult as the Plough or Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major acts as a useful starting point. Focus on Megrez (δ UMa - mag. +3.2) the faintest star of the Plough and then move 5.5 degrees south and slightly east to reach 5 Canum Venaticorum (mag. +4.8). M106 is located just over 4 degrees south of 5 Canum Venaticorum with star 3 Canum Venaticorum (mag. +5.3) positioned halfway between them.
M106 is best seen from the Northern Hemisphere during the months of March, April and May. From southern temperate latitudes, it's a difficult object that never rises particularly high above the northern horizon.
Mercury
Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on March 14th (28 degrees) and as a result is well placed as an early morning object throughout March for observers located in the Southern Hemisphere and tropics. This also happens to be the most favourable morning apparition of the year from the Southern Hemisphere.
Mercury's period of visibility during this particular apparition is considerable; it extends from the end of February until the middle of April. At the end of last month Mercury appeared as a faint tricky object low down above the eastern horizon just before sunrise. The situation quickly improves during March with the planet increasing from magnitude +0.8 on March 1st to magnitude +0.1 by March 14th (the date of greatest elongation west) when Mercury appears highest in the morning sky. For example, from latitude 35S (approx. equal to Sydney, Cape Town and Santiago), Mercury will appear 17 degrees above the eastern horizon 45 minutes before sunrise. It should also be noted that once past greatest elongation west, Mercury continues to brighten as it begins to draw into the Sun. The planet doesn't reach maximum brightness (mag -1.0) until the very end of the visibility period, more than 4 weeks after greatest elongation west!
As March progresses, Mercury brightens from magnitude +0.8 to -0.2 with the phase of the planet increasing from 28 to 76 degrees. Dichotomy or half-phase occurs on March 11th, when the planet is 50 percent illuminated. On March 19th, Mercury reaches aphelion and is located 0.467 AU (approx. 69.9 million km or 43.4 million miles) from the Sun.
Unfortunately, from northern temperate latitudes the angle of the ecliptic is not favourable and the planet remains low down and unsuitably placed for observation during March.
Venus
Venus reaches greatest elongation west (47 degrees) on March 22nd and remains a brilliant object in the early morning skies during March. From the Southern Hemisphere the planet can be seen towards the east for approx. 3 hours before sunrise. Despite fading from magnitude -4.6 to -4.3 during March, unmistakable Venus shines like a dazzling beacon. This brightest of all planets can even be followed with the naked eye for a short time after the Sun has risen above the eastern horizon.
From northern temperate latitudes Venus is visible for less than two hours before sunrise, appearing low down above the east-southeast horizon. The illuminated phase of Venus increases from 37 to 54 percent during March with dichotomy or half-phase occurring on March 23rd.
On March 27th, the waning crescent Moon will pass 4 degrees north of Venus.
Mars
Mars is now a beautiful late evening object that's located in Virgo. The fourth planet from the Sun is named after the Roman god of war and appears to the naked eye striking red-orange in colour. With not long to go before opposition (April 8th), Mars brightens rapidly as the month progresses. It starts March at magnitude -0.5 just to the northeast of Spica (α Virgo - mag. +1.0) before ending the month at magnitude -1.3 and five degrees directly north of the star.
On March 1st, Mars reaches its first stationary point after which it begins retrograde motion. The planet continues to move this direction until May 21st when it reaches its second stationary point and following that direct motion is once more resumed.
As well as rapidly brightening this month, the apparent size of Mars also increases from 11.6 to 14.6 arc minutes. When viewed through a small telescope Mars appears small but under good seeing conditions it's possible to spot major surface features such as the North Pole cap, Syrtis Major and other dusty markings. Don't be afraid to push up the magnification as high as possible to bring out those subtle details.
On March 19th, the waning gibbous Moon passes 3 degrees south of Mars.
Mars during March 2014 - pdf format
Jupiter
Jupiter is now two months past opposition and although currently fading in brightness and apparent size it remains a brilliant object in Gemini. The planet is visible shortly after sunset and remains so until after midnight for northern-based observers, although the period of visibility is considerably less for those located further south.
At the start of the month, Jupiter continues its retrograde motion until March 6th when it reaches its second stationary point. After this, direct motion is again resumed. This also represents the end of this year's opposition period. On March 1st, Jupiter shines at magnitude -2.4 with an apparent diameter of 42 arc minutes. At the end of the month the brightness has decreased to magnitude -2.2 and the apparent diameter to 39 arc minutes.
On March 10th, the waxing gibbous Moon (68% illuminated) passes 5 degrees south of Jupiter.
Jupiter during March 2014 - pdf format
Saturn
Saturn, mag +0.6, is located in Libra and also reaches a stationary point this month. Like Mars, the beautiful ringed planet reaches its first stationary point (on March 3rd), which signals the change in motion from direct to retrograde. As a result, Saturn will appear to move little against the "fixed" background stars this month. By the end of March, Saturn is rising before midnight for observers in northern temperate latitudes and a couple of hours earlier for those further south.
Of course the rings of Saturn are its most famous feature and even a small telescope will show them. Through medium and large aperture amateur scopes they are a fantastic breathtaking sight. In addition to the rings a handful of Saturn's moons are also visible. The largest and brightest moon Titan shines at eight magnitude and is visible with binoculars. In addition, a medium size scope will also show Rhea, Tethys, Dione, and Iapetus.
On March 21st, the waning gibbous Moon passes 0.2 degrees south of Saturn and an occultation is visible from the South Atlantic at 3:18 UT.
M54 is a globular cluster in Sagittarius that’s a staggering 87,400 light-years from Earth. It was discovered by Charles Messier on July 24, 1778 and was for many years thought to be part of the Milky Way but is now believed to belong to the nearby Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy. It owns the distinction of being the first extragalactic globular cluster ever discovered, even though it wasn't recognised as such for over 200 years. Despite its vast distance, M54 is visible in binoculars albeit faintly at mag. +7.9. The fact that it can be seen in binoculars at all is incredible, which is a testament to its large intrinsic size and high absolute brightness. With a diameter of over 300 light-years, it's one of the largest globular's known.
Finding M54 is easy as it lies within the teapot asterism of Sagittarius. The starting point is to focus on the base of the teapot and image a line connecting Ascella (ζ Sgr - mag. +2.6) with Kaus Australis (ε Sgr - mag. +1.8). Positioned about 1.75 degrees along this line and slightly to the north is M54. With a declination of -30 degrees, the cluster is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere during the months of June, July and August. From northern temperate latitudes it’s a more difficult target that never rises high above the horizon.
Pallas, the second asteroid to be discovered reaches opposition on February 22, 2014. Peaking at magnitude +7.0, the asteroid will be readily visible in popular 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars for a number of weeks after opposition, slowly weaving its way through the constellations of Hydra and Sextans.
History
Pallas was discovered by German physician and astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 28, 1802. It has a diameter of 544 kilometres (338 miles) making it the second largest body in the main asteroid belt. Along with Ceres the only other asteroid discovered at that time, Pallas was initially classified as a planet in its own right and subsequently given its own planetary symbol. Later, after more similar small objects - all in the region between Mars and Jupiter - had been discovered the general term asteroids was coined to describe them.
In 1807, Olbers also discovered Vesta the brightest of all asteroids.
Location and Star Chart
Against the background stars, Pallas is currently moving slowing in a northwestern direction. During February and March it spends most of the time in the constellation of Hydra, except from February 23rd to March 4th when it cuts through the corner of Sextans. During this time the brightness of the asteroid does not change significantly. At the start of February, Pallas shone at magnitude +7.3, increases to +7.0 for a few days either side of opposition on February 22nd before decreasing again to magnitude +7.6 at the end of March. With binoculars and a small telescopes the asteroid should be easy to spot and it's movement noticeable over the course of a few nights.
Although it's the largest constellation in the sky, Hydra contains only one notably bright star, Alphard (α Hya). At magnitude +2.0, Alphard is the same brightness as the North Pole star, Polaris (α UMi). On March 2nd, Pallas is positioned just over 3.5 degrees west of Alphard.
Pallas is visible just after sunset and remains so for the remainder of the evening. It's better placed from tropical regions where it appears high in the sky. During February and for most of March, Southern Hemisphere observers have it slightly better than their Northern counterparts. It's best to look for Pallas from a dark site away from light pollution when the Moon is absent from the sky.
The finder chart below show the positions of Pallas from February 3 to March 25, 2014.
Pallas finder chart from February 3 to March 25, 2014 - pdf format
M10 is a fine globular cluster that's located in the constellation of Ophiuchus. One of the largest constellations, Ophiuchus straddles the celestial equator and contains a host of globular clusters of which Messier catalogued seven of them. The brightest and best of them is M10 (mag. +6.6), which can be spotted with binoculars, appearing like an out of focus fuzzy star.
Charles Messier discovered M10 on May 29, 1764, describing it as a "nebula without stars". Ten years later, German astronomer Johann Elert Bode noted it as a "very pale nebulous patch without stars". Both Messier and Bode used telescopes that suffered in quality and hence were unable to resolve the cluster. It was not until William Herschel using better and larger instruments was able to spot individual member stars. He described it as a "beautiful cluster of extremely compressed stars". The best time of the year to observe M10 is during the months of May, June and July.
Locating M10 is not the easiest task as the surrounding area of sky is devoid of bright stars. Start by locating the brightest star in Ophiuchus, Rasalhague (α Oph - mag +2.1). Join the stars of the constellation in a curve heading westwards and southwards until arriving at two close 3rd magnitude stars, Yed Prior (δ Oph - mag. +2.7) and Yed Posterior (ε Oph - mag. +3.2). M10 is located about 12 degrees east of Yed Prior with star 30 Oph (mag. +4.8) one degree east of M10.