Podcast: Night-sky targets for May 15-22, 2009

The partial constellation Serpens Caput, M40, and lenticular galaxy M85 are nicely visible in the next few days.

By Michael E. Bakich — Published: May 14, 2009

M85 is a lenticular galay in the constellation Coma Berenices that shines at magnitude 9.1, which makes it one of the sky's brightest galaxies.

Photo by NOAO/AURA/NSF

Each week, Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich, a master at explaining how to observe, posts a podcast about three objects or events you can see in the sky.

In each episode, Michael highlights:

One object you can see without any optical aid
One object you can see with a small (4-inch) telescope
One object you can see with at least an 8-inch telescope

Targets for May 15-22, 2009

Naked eye:

Small telescope:

8-inch or larger telescope:

Listen to the podcast:

Downloadable File(s)

Podcast The partial constellation Serpens Caput double star M40 and lenticular galaxy M85 (7475 kB)

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Podcast transcript
This episode's transcript contains additional links to resources within Astronomy.com to help your observing.

StarDome
Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. This tool will help you locate this week's targets.

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Observing talk
After you listen to the podcast and try to find the objects, be sure to share your observing experiences with us by leaving a comment at the blog or in the Reader forums.

Previous episodes:

May 8-15, 2009: The Lozenge, globular cluster NGC 5694, and spiral galaxy NGC 3521
May 1-8, 2009: Zubeneschamali, globular cluster M5, and elliptical galaxy NGC 4697
April 24-May 1, 2009: The Kite, globular cluster M53, and the Hockey Stick Galaxy
April 17-24, 2009: Spring Triangle, the Mini Coathanger, and irregular galaxy NGC 4449
April 10-17, 2009: The Y of Virgo, globular cluster M3, and spiral galaxy NGC 4731

This week's podcast is brought to you by Celestron — the world's leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality optical equipment. Learn more about Celestron and their products at www.Celestron.com.

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