The Caldwell Objects

CHAPTER 3
Twenty Spectacular
N o n-C a l d w e l l O b j e c t s
ANYONE WHO HAS USED HIS OR HER TELESCOPE to
sweep the night sky knows the thrill of finding
bright but little-observed nebulae, galaxies, and
star clusters. Indeed, the sky is host to hundreds
of "hidden" celestial treasures, some of which
easily rival many of the Messier and Caldwell
objects. While hunting for comets with my 4-inch
Genesis during this project, I encountered many
deep-sky objects not listed in the Messier or
Caldwell Catalogs. Of course, most of them were
dim or featureless, but a handful were
surprisingly obvious or had some visual charm,
like an edge-on galaxy's sharp needle of light or
an open cluster's provocative arrangement of
stars. A sampling of 20 such hidden treasures is
listed below in order of declining declination. All
are easily seen under a dark sky from a latitude
of 20° Ν and are fine objects in a 4-inch or larger
telescope.
430
1
NG C 4 6 0 5
T y B p a e r S : r p G e i a d r l ( a S p x l B e y c )
C o U n r M : s a j o r
RA: 12 h 40.0 m
Dec: +61° 36'
Mag: 10.3
SB: 13.1
Dim: 5.7' x 2.5'
Dist: 13 million light-years
NGC 4605 is a peculiar barred spiral galaxy (seen
only 21° from edge on) about 5½° northeast of
Delta (δ) Ursae Majoris (Megrez) in the Big
Dipper's Bowl. Despite its proximity to the Bowl,
amateurs do not commonly target the galaxy,
probably because it has tough competition from the
better known Ursa Major galaxies M51, M101, and
M108. Yet NGC 4605 rivals Μ108 in brightness,
apparent size, shape, and the level of detail it
presents at the eyepiece.
Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects