Sci.Astro.Amateur Top 100 List            
Caldwell_ID Name Type Const RA Dec Size Mag Notes
NGC 40   Planetary Nebula Cep 00h 13m 08s +72° 31' 47 1.0'x0.7' 10.7 Brightest quasar.  Most remote object visible in modest amateur telescopes (about 2 billion light years).
NGC 104 47 Tucanae Globular Cluster Tuc 00h 24m 10s -72° 04' 37 30.9' 4 Tough in 8-12 aperture.
NGC 225   Open Cluster Cas 00h 43m 28s +61° 47' 06 12.0' 7 Superb double star.  Blue-white/yellow.
NGC 247   Galaxy Cet 00h 47m 11s -20° 45' 21 20.0'x7.0' 9.1  
NGC 253   Galaxy Scl 00h 47m 35s -25° 17' 01 25.0'x7.0' 7.2  
NGC 457 Owl Cluster Open Cluster Cas 01h 19m 10s +58° 20' 02 13.0' 6.4 Once assumed to be a Open Cluster.  Data from Hipparcos spacecraft shows it to be a chance alignment of stars.
NGC 654   Open Cluster Cas 01h 44m 10s +61° 53' 00 5.0' 6.5 Approx 20 galaxies brighter than mag 13.
NGC 659   Open Cluster Cas 01h 44m 16s +60° 42' 00 5.0' 7.9  
NGC 663   Open Cluster Cas 01h 46m 04s +61° 15' 00 16.0' 7.1  
NGC 752   Open Cluster And 01h 57m 51s +37° 41' 05 50.0' 5.7  
Stock 2 Muscleman Cluster Open Cluster Cas 02h 15m 04s +59° 15' 58 60.0' 4.4 First described by Canadian amateur Lucian J. Kemble.  Beautiful chain of about 20 start from about mag 5 to 9.  Coordinates are for SAO 12969.  A mag 5 star in the middle of the Cascade.
NGC 869 Double Cluster Open Cluster Per 02h 19m 03s +57° 08' 58 30.0' 5.3  
NGC 884 Double Cluster Open Cluster Per 02h 22m 27s +57° 06' 57 30.0' 6.1 String of bright galaxies.  Covers 3 degrees of sky starting with M84 & M86 in Virgo ending with NGCs 4459 & 4474 in Coma Berenices.  Coordinates are for M 84
NGC 891   Galaxy And 02h 22m 36s +42° 20' 50 14.0'x3.0' 9.9  
NGC 1023   Galaxy Per 02h 40m 27s +39° 03' 47 9.0'x4.0' 9.4  
Mel 20 Alpha Persei Association Open Cluster Per 03h 22m 03s +48° 59' 56 185.0' 1.2 Aldebaran not a member.
Fornax Gal Cluster   Galactic Cluster For 03h 38m 31s -35° 26' 40 3°x2°  
Kemble's Cascade   Asterism Cam 03h 57m 30s +63° 04' 13  
NGC 1502   Open Cluster Cam 04h 07m 45s +62° 19' 49 8.0' 6.9 Near SE end of Kemble's Cascade.
NGC 1535 Multiple shells Planetary Nebula Eri 04h 14m 16s -12° 44' 16 20.0x17.0 10.4  
NGC 1528   Open Cluster Per 04h 15m 24s +51° 13' 49 24.0' 6.4  
Mel 25 Hyades Open Cluster Tau 04h 27m 02s +16° 00' 03 330.0' 0.5  
IC 418   Planetary Nebula Lep 05h 27m 30s -12° 41' 32 14.0x11.0 10.7  
NGC 1907   Open Cluster Aur 05h 28m 00s +35° 18' 53 7.0' 8.2  
NGC 1973 Part of Running Man Nebula Bright Nebula Ori 05h 35m 09s -04° 43' 56 5.0'x5.0'   42 Orionis nebula.
NGC 1975 Part of Running Man Nebula Bright Nebula Ori 05h 35m 21s -04° 40' 56 10.0'x5.0'   In Large Magellanic Cloud.
NGC 1977 Part of Running Man Nebula Bright Nebula Ori 05h 35m 27s -04° 49' 56 20.0'x10.0'  
NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula Bright Nebula Dor 05h 38m 39s -69° 04' 51 5.0' 8.3  
NGC 2158   Open Cluster Gem 06h 07m 33s +24° 05' 56 5.0' 8.6  
NGC 2169 37 Cluster Open Cluster Ori 06h 08m 27s +13° 56' 59 7.0' 5.9  
NGC 2174   Bright Nebula Gemini 06h 10m 01s +20° 33' 58 25.0'x20.0' 5 OC NGC 2244 embedded in nebula.
NGC 2232   Open Cluster Mon 06h 26m 37s -04° 44' 54 30.0' 3.9 Involved with Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237).
NGC 2237 Rosette Nebula Bright Nebula Mon 06h 32m 19s +04° 59' 03 70.0'x80.0' 5.5  
NGC 2244   Open Cluster Mon 06h 32m 25s +04° 52' 03 24.0' 4.8  
NGC 2261 Hubble's Variable Nebula Bright Nebula Monoceros 06h 39m 13s +08° 44' 01 2.0'x1.0' 11 Includes naked-eye S Mon (15 Mon).
NGC 2264 Christmas Tree Cluster or Cone Nebula Open Cluster Mon 06h 40m 58s +09° 53' 42 30.0'x60.0' 3.9  
NGC 2301   Open Cluster Mon 06h 51m 49s +00° 28' 04 12.0' 6 Wolf-Rayet remnant.
NGC 2359 Thor's Helmet or Duck Nebula Bright Nebula CMa 07h 17m 48s -13° 12' 54 8.0'  
NGC 2360   Open Cluster CMa 07h 17m 48s -15° 36' 53 13.0' 7.2  
NGC 2362   Open Cluster CMa 07h 18m 48s -24° 56' 51 8.0' 4.1  
NGC 2392 Eskimo Nebula or Clown Face Planetary Nebula Gem 07h 29m 10s +20° 54' 42 47.0x43.0 8.6  
NGC 2403   Galaxy Cam 07h 36m 55s +65° 35' 42 17.8' 8.5 In foreground of M 46.
NGC 2438   Planetary Nebula Pup 07h 41m 51s -14° 44' 06 1.1' 11 Use UHC or O-III filter.  Includes loose cluster of mag 8 to mag 12 stars.
NGC 2467   Bright Nebula Pup 07h 52m 30s -26° 22' 52 15.0' 7.1  
NGC 2841   Galaxy Uma 09h 22m 01s +50° 58' 21 7.4'x3.5' 9.2 Edge-on spiral
NGC 2903   Galaxy Leo 09h 32m 10s +21° 29' 58 13.3'x6.0' 9  
NGC 3115 Spindle Gal Galaxy Sex 10h 05m 14s -07° 43' 06 8.3'x3.2' 8.9  
NGC 3242 Ghost of Jupiter Planetary Nebula Hya 10h 24m 48s -18° 38' 14 40.0x35.0 8.6  
NGC 3372 Eta Carina Nebula Bright Nebula Antlia 10h 43m 47s -59° 52' 01 120.0'x120.0' 13  
NGC 3532   Open Cluster Car 11h 06m 23s -58° 40' 03 55.0' 3  
NGC 3766   Open Cluster Cen 11h 36m 05s -61° 37' 04 12.0' 5.3  
NGC 3877   Galaxy Uma 11h 46m 07s +47° 29' 37 5.6'x1.2' 11  
NGC 4038 The Antennae Galaxy or Ringtail Galaxy Galaxy Cor 12h 01m 53s -18° 51' 55 2.6'x1.8' 10.3  
NGC 4039 The Antennae Galaxy Cor 12h 01m 54s -18° 53' 07 3.2'x2.2' 10.6  
NGC 4244   Galaxy CVn 12h 17m 29s +37° 48' 28 18.5'x2.3' 10.4 Interacting with NGC 4039.
NGC 4361   Planetary Nebula Cor 12h 24m 30s -18° 47' 38 1.3' 10.3 Interacting with NGC 4038.
Mel 111 Coma Berenices Star Cluster Open Cluster Com 12h 25m 00s +26° 00' 07 275.0' 1.8  
Markarian's Chain   Galactic Chain Vir 12h 25m 04s +12° 53' 16  
3C 273   Quasar Vir 12h 29m 06s +02° 03' 01   12  
NGC 4526 Lost Galaxy Galaxy Vir 12h 34m 03s +07° 42' 03 7.0'x2.7' 9.7 Classic edge-on spiral with dust lane.
NGC 4565 Bernice's Hair Clip Galaxy Com 12h 36m 20s +25° 59' 23 15.5'x1.9' 9.6 Overlaps NGC 4568.
NGC 4567 Siamese Twins Galaxy Vir 12h 36m 33s +11° 15' 33 3.0'x2.5' 11.3 Overlaps NGC 4567.
NGC 4568 Siamese Twins Galaxy Vir 12h 36m 35s +11° 14' 17 5.1'x2.4' 10.8  
NGC 4631   Galaxy CVn 12h 42m 11s +32° 32' 42 17.0'x3.5' 9.2 Same LP field as NGC 4656.
NGC 4656   Galaxy CVn 12h 43m 58s +32° 10' 21 22.0'x3.0' 10.5 Same LP field as NGC 4631.
NGC 4755 Jewel Box Cluster or Kappa Crucis Open Cluster Cru 12h 53m 35s -60° 20' 08 10.0' 4.2  
Abell 1656 Coma Gal Cluster Galactic Cluster Com 12h 59m 48s +27° 59' 04 120.0' 11 Strong radio source.
NGC 5128 Centaurus A Galaxy Cen 13h 25m 29s -43° 01' 07 18.2'x14.5' 6.8 Best Globular Cluster in the sky.
NGC 5139 Omega Centauri Globular Cluster Cen 13h 26m 46s -47° 28' 45 36.3' 3.7  
NGC 5746   Galaxy Vir 14h 44m 57s +01° 57' 20 7.4'x1.1' 10.3  
NGC 5907   Galaxy Dra 15h 15m 52s +56° 19' 48 12.8'x1.8' 10.3  
NGC 6210   Planetary Nebula Her 16h 44m 30s +23° 48' 46 20.0x13.0 9.7 Zeta Sco complex.
NGC 6231 Table of Scorpius Open Cluster Sco 16h 54m 01s -41° 48' 06 15.0' 2.6  
B 59 Pipe Nebula (stem) Dark Nebula Oph 17h 21m 02s -26° 59' 58 300.0'   One of the nearest Globulars.
NGC 6369   Planetary Nebula Oph 17h 29m 22s -23° 45' 37 30.0x29.0 11  
B 78 Pipe Nebula (bowl) Dark Nebula Oph 17h 33m 02s -25° 59' 58 200.0'  
NGC 6397   Globular Cluster Ara 17h 40m 43s -53° 40' 33 25.7' 5.7  
IC 4665   Open Cluster Oph 17h 46m 20s +05° 43' 08 41.0' 4.2  
NGC 6543 Cat's Eye Nebula Planetary Nebula Dra 17h 58m 36s +66° 38' 17 22.0x16.0 8.3  
NGC 6572   Planetary Nebula Oph 18h 12m 09s +06° 51' 01 15.0x12.0 9  
NGC 6545 Needle Galaxy Galaxy Pav 18h 12m 18s -63° 46' 45 1.0'x0.9' 13.2  
NGC 6633   Open Cluster Oph 18h 27m 43s +06° 34' 14 27.0' 4.6  
NGC 6781   Planetary Nebula Aql 19h 18m 28s +06° 32' 46 1.9'x1.8' 11.8  
Cr 399 Brocchi's Cluster or The Coathanger Asterism Vul 19h 25m 26s +20° 11' 18 60.0' 3.6  
Albireo   Star Cyg 19h 30m 45s +27° 57' 55   3.1  
NGC 6819   Open Cluster Cyg 19h 41m 20s +40° 11' 22 5.0' 7.3  
NGC 6826 Blinking Planetary Planetary Nebula Cyg 19h 44m 53s +50° 31' 42 27.0x24.0 8.8  
NGC 6885   Open Cluster Vul 20h 12m 02s +26° 29' 20 7.0' 8.1  
NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula Bright Nebula Vulpecula 20h 12m 14s +38° 20' 21 20.0'x10.0' 8  
NGC 6939   Open Cluster Cep 20h 31m 27s +60° 38' 22 8.0' 7.8 Large.  Often easier in binoculars than telescope.
NGC 6960 Western Veil Supernova Remnant Cyg 20h 45m 38s +30° 43' 20 70.0'x6.0'  
NGC 6992 Eastern Veil Supernova Remnant Cyg 20h 56m 14s +31° 04' 20 25.0'x20.0'  
NGC 7000 North American Nebula Bright Nebula Cyg 20h 58m 32s +44° 33' 21 175.0'x110.0'  
NGC 7009 Saturn Nebula Planetary Nebula Aqr 21h 04m 15s -11° 21' 49 28.0x23.0 8.3  
IC 1396   Bright Nebula Cep 21h 39m 09s +57° 46' 58 154.0'x140.0' 3.5  
NGC 7293 Helical Nebula Planetary Nebula Aqr 22h 29m 40s -20° 47' 23 16.0'x12.0' 6.3  
NGC 7331 Little Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy Peg 22h 37m 08s +34° 25' 27 11.4'x4.0' 9.5 With NGC 884.
King 10   Open Cluster Cep 22h 54m 58s +59° 10' 16 3.0'   With NGC 869.
NGC 7662 Blue Snowball Nebula Planetary Nebula And 23h 25m 57s +42° 32' 44 17.0x14.0 8.6 Edge-on spiral with prominent dust lane.
NGC 7789   Open Cluster Cas 23h 57m 04s +56° 44' 09 16.0' 6.7