Astro-Observer

Favorite Objects to Observe in the Night Sky

Published by Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Favorite Seasonal Objects

The night sky has its seasons. As the earth travels around the sun, the portion of sky on the night side of the earth changes. Each night a star rises about 4 minutes earlier than the night before, about 2 hours earlier than a month before, and at the same time as a year before.

While some objects are listed for one season, if you stay out late enough you can see them in the previous season. For example even though the constellation Orion is considered a winter constellation, if you stay up until 2AM you can see it in September. It is listed as winter since it is high in the sky at a reasonable hour then. In fact, around March, if you stay out all night from mid-northern latitudes, it is possible to see nearly all 110 Messier objects. Clubs often hold Messier Marathons in March.

Clicking on the name will bring up an image. Keep in mind that through a small telescope the images of nebulae will have less detail and almost no color, and galaxies look like fuzzy patches.

Winter

The winter sky seems closer and brighter. In the region of Orion are seven of the 20 brightest stars in the heavens. If you can brave the cold, observing on a winter night is a rewarding experience. On clear winter nights the air is often very transparent. There are some great objects overhead in the winter.

Name Constellation Designation Magnitude Comments
Orion Nebula Orion M42 4.0 Visible to the naked eye in the sword of Orion, this is one of my favorite objects. Beautiful in binoculars or a telescope.
Pleiades Taurus M45 1.6 Beautiful group of stars with nebulosity.
Andromeda Galaxy Andromeda M31 3.4 The nearest large galaxy to our Milky Way. It can be found in Andromeda by first finding the Great Square of Pegasus. The Great Square is easy to find in the eastern sky in the autumn.
Open Cluster Gemini M35 5.3 Considered to be one of the most beautiful open clusters in the sky.
Double Cluster Perseus NGC 869 and NGC 884 Beautiful at low power and wide field.

The planets are not listed here because they move. Jupiter takes about a year to move from one zodiac constellation to the next, and Saturn about two and a half years. Check a current sky chart, planetarium app or monthly sky guide to see where they are this season.

Spring

Spring is the time for galaxies. While there are not as many bright stars or clusters, there is a large number of galaxies visible in this portion of the sky.

Name Constellation Designation Magnitude Comments
Beehive Cluster Cancer M44 3.7 Bright open cluster.
Whirlpool Galaxy Canes Venatici M51 8.4 A beautiful spiral galaxy seen broadside.
Globular Cluster Canes Venatici M3 6.2 Very Bright. One of the brightest.
Globular Cluster Serpens Caput M5 5.6 Another fine cluster in the league of M3 and M13.
Elliptical Galaxy Leo M105 9.3 Bright (for a galaxy), with M95 and M96 nearby.

Summer

The Summer triangle helps us find our way in the summer night sky. Sagittarius is low in the southern sky and contains a wealth of objects. The galactic center is located in Sagittarius, no wonder there is so much "stuff" to see.

Name Constellation Designation Magnitude Comments
Ring Nebula Lyra M57 8.8 Like a smoke ring in the heavens. It can be found in the parallelogram of Lyra. It is one of the brightest nebulas and can be seen in a small telescope.
Globular Cluster Hercules M13 5.8 Very Bright. One of the brightest.
Globular Cluster Hercules M92 6.4 Another bright one.
Albireo Cygnus HIP 95947 A beautiful double star of blue and gold at the nose of the swan Cygnus
Blinking Planetary Nebula Cygnus NGC 6826 Although this is a tougher one to find I really love this one. If you look directly at it it appears as a star. If you look slightly to the side (averted vision) it turns to a fuzzy ball. It "blinks" as your eye moves.
Veil Nebula Cygnus NGC 6960 For this we need dark skies or an OIII filter. This is a beautiful sight for sure. One night observing at a dark sky site in PA I found myself stuck at the eyepiece. I could not stop looking. It does look like a veil of golden satin blowing in the heavens.
Dumbbell Nebula Vulpecula M27 7.4 Easiest to find by star hopping from the little constellation Sagitta, just south of Cygnus.
Lagoon Nebula Sagittarius M8 4.6 Visible to the naked eye from a dark site.
Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, or Lobster Nebula Sagittarius M17 6.0 To me this looks like a swan more than anything. My daughter loves this one because it really looks like a swan.
Sagittarius Star Cloud Sagittarius M24 4.6 This is an area where our view towards the center of the Milky Way is less obscured by dust than elsewhere. I enjoy pointing the scope in this direction and panning around slowly.

Autumn

In autumn the Great Square of Pegasus rides high in the evening sky and points the way to the Andromeda Galaxy. This part of the sky has fewer bright stars, but it holds galaxies, globular clusters, and the rich star fields of Cassiopeia and Perseus along the Milky Way.

Name Constellation Designation Magnitude Comments
Andromeda Galaxy Andromeda M31 3.4 The nearest large galaxy to our Milky Way. It can be found in Andromeda by first finding the Great Square of Pegasus. The Great Square is easy to find in the eastern sky in the autumn.
Open Cluster Cassiopeia M52 7.3 Very fine
Ring Nebula Lyra M57 8.8 Like a smoke ring in the heavens. It can be found in the parallelogram of Lyra. It is still well placed in the west on early autumn evenings and looks nice in a medium size telescope.
Globular Cluster Aquarius M2 6.5 Bright and beautiful.
Globular Cluster Capricornus M30 7.2 Nice