SKY · DEEP-SKY · CHILE · DARK-SKY
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Atacama Desert
Tonight from Atacama Desert, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is Lagoon Nebula (M8), riding about 90° up in the north-western sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Atacama Desert tonight — and how dark a sky each one needs.
The Moon is nearly out of the way — dark skies for faint objects.
Best placed over Atacama Desert tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Atacama Desert. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
A bright nebula in the heart of the Milky Way — superb in binoculars from a dark southern-sky view. In Sagittarius.
One of the brightest globular clusters, low in the south for northern observers. In Sagittarius.
A delicate nebula split by dark dust lanes, near the Lagoon in the rich Sagittarius star fields. In Sagittarius.
A bright, sprawling star cluster low in the southern Milky Way — naked-eye from dark skies. In Scorpius.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
A dense, rich open cluster shaped like a flight of ducks — lovely in binoculars. In Scutum.
A compact, bright autumn globular cluster, easy to find off the Great Square of Pegasus. In Pegasus.
A bright planetary nebula, an easy and rewarding binocular and small-scope target. In Vulpecula.
A tiny, perfect smoke ring — the glowing shell of a dying star; a small-telescope favourite. In Lyra.
A large, low-surface-brightness spiral — needs a genuinely dark, Moonless sky, then rewarding in binoculars. In Triangulum.
The finest globular cluster for northern observers — a fuzzy ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. In Hercules.
The nearest big galaxy — a faint elongated smudge to the naked eye from a dark sky, the most distant thing most people ever see unaided. In Andromeda.
An edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane like a hat brim — a small-telescope classic. In Virgo.
A tight, bright knot of blue stars — obvious to the naked eye, dazzling in binoculars. In Taurus.
A bright spring globular with half a million stars — a fine binocular and small-scope target. In Canes Venatici.
A glowing stellar nursery in Orion’s sword — visible to the naked eye, stunning in binoculars, a showpiece in any telescope. In Orion.
Out of reach from Atacama Desert tonight
These showpieces are either below Atacama Desert's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Atacama Desert right now
Faint galaxies and nebulae need a genuinely dark, cloudless, Moonless sky — a quick check of tonight's cloud cover and the stargazing verdict for Atacama Deserttells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Atacama Desert
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Atacama Desert to plan your dark-sky window.