Constellation of the Month: May
Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs)

by: John Mirtle.
Page last updated: May 3, 2004

Contents
Small Scope Objects    Big Scope Objects    Challenge Objects    Maps    Photos

Small Scope Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  a Canum Venaticorum
(Cor Caroli)		 12hr 56m +38° 19' An easy double star, components are mag. 3.0 and 5.5. Separation is 19.6 arc seconds in P.A. 228°, colours are bluish-white and white.
  U Canum Venaticorum 12hr 45m +45° 26' A semi-regular variable of 160 days, varying from mag 4.8 to 6.3. One of the reddest stars known, Y is a carbon star glowing at 2600° K, spectral class N. Try defocussing the star slightly to help make the colour more obvious.
  M3!
(NGC 5272)		 13hr 42.2m +28° 23' A bright mag 6 globular cluster, visible in binoculars. 18 arc minutes in diameter, can be resolved to the core with a 12 inch scope.
  M51!
(NGC 5194/5)		 13hr 29.9m +47° 12' The "Whirlpool Galaxy" - a bright interacting face-on Sc spiral galaxy with NGC 5195. Mag 8.7, covering 5.5 x 10 arc minutes. Visible in large binoculars, considerable detail in larger scopes.
  M63!
(NGC 5055)		 13hr 15.8m +42° 02' The "Sunflower Galaxy" - a mag 9.8 multi-arm Sb spiral , 9 x 4 arc minutes. A bright core is visible in smaller scopes, spiral arms will require large aperture. Same distance as M51 - 10 megaparsecs.
  M94
(NGC 4736)		 12hr 50.9m +41° 07' A bright, compact, tightly wound mag 8.9 Sb galaxy. 5 x 3.5 arc minutes, with a very intense nucleus. Spiral arms are fainter, large scopes needed to observe any detail.
  M106!
(NGC 4258)		 12hr 19.0m +47° 18' An Sb spiral with very high surface brightness. Mag. 9.0, 19.5 x 6.5 arc minutes. Larger scopes show detail in the disturbed core - also a bright radio source.
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Big Scope Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  NGC 4111! 12hr 07.1m +43° 04' A magnitude 10.8 S0 galaxy - bright, small and very elongated. 4.8 x 1.1 arc minutes. (110NGC)
  NGC 4214! 12hr 15.6m +36° 20' An irregular galaxy. Mag 9.7, 7.9 x 6.3 arc min.(110NGC)
  NGC 4244!! 12hr 17.5m +37° 49' A bright Sb edge-on spiral, NE of NGC 4214. Mag 10.2, 16 x 2.5 arc minutes with good surface brightness. (110NGC)
  NGC 4449! 12hr 28.2m +44° 06' A mag 9.4 irregular galaxy, 5.1 x 3.7 arc minutes. (110NGC)
  NGC 4490! and
NGC 4485		 12hr 30.6m +41° 38' The "Cocoon Galaxy" - an interacting pair of galaxies. (4485 is irregular, 4490 Sc (110NGC)) Mag. 12.5 and 10.1, 1.3 x .7 and 5 x 2 arc minutes. Visible with a 6 inch scope.
  NGC 4631!! 12hr 42.1m +32° 32' A large, bright mag 9.3 Sc spiral. 15.1 x 3.3 arc minutes. Large amounts of dust give it a mottled appearance. Look for 12.5 mag NGC 4627 2.7 arc min away. (110NGC)
  NGC 4656!! and
NGC 4657!		 12hr 44.0m +32° 10' Located in the same low power field as NGC 4631, this Sc spiral measures 13.8 x 3.3 arc minutes. NGC 4657 sits on the NE end. (110NGC)
  NGC 5005! 13hr 10.9m +37° 03' Yet another bright Sb galaxy, near a CVn. Mag 9.8, 5.4 x 2.7 arc minutes.(110NGC)
  NGC 5033! 13hr 13.4m +36° 36' An Sb spiral galaxy, located SE of NGC 5005. Mag 10.1, 10.5 x 5.6 arc minutes. Larger than 5005, but of lower surface brightness. (110NGC)
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Challenge Objects:

Name R.A. Decl. Details
  NGC 4395 12hr 26m +33° 33' A large, faint, triple-armed Sa spiral of low surface brightness. Mag 10.2, but spread over an area of 14.5 x 12.0 arc minutes.
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Constellation Maps:

Lines No Lines Reverse Reverse No Lines


Lines No Lines Reverse Reverse No Lines No Map

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Photos:


 
Photo 1 - The globular cluster M3.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 2 - The "Whirlpool Galaxy" - M51 (NGC 5194) and NGC 5195.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 3 - The "Sunflower Galaxy" - M63.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 4 - The compact galaxy M94.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 5 - The galaxy M106.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 6 - The irregular galaxy NGC 4214.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 7 - The edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 4244.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 8 - The irregular galaxy NGC 4449.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 9 - The "Cocoon Galaxy" NGC 4490 and NGC 4485.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 10 - Galaxies NGC4631 (left) and NGC 4656 (right).
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 11 - The galaxy NGC 5005.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.



 
Photo 12 - The galaxy NGC 5033.
South is at top to match the view in an inverting telescope.
Photo credit: John Mirtle.

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