SKY · DEEP-SKY · BRAZIL
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Brasília
Tonight from Brasília, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is Wild Duck Cluster (M11), riding about 76° up in the north-western sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Brasília 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 Brasília tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Brasília. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
A dense, rich open cluster shaped like a flight of ducks — lovely in binoculars. In Scutum.
One of the brightest globular clusters, low in the south for northern observers. In Sagittarius.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
A bright nebula in the heart of the Milky Way — superb in binoculars from a dark southern-sky view. In Sagittarius.
A delicate nebula split by dark dust lanes, near the Lagoon in the rich Sagittarius star fields. In Sagittarius.
A compact, bright autumn globular cluster, easy to find off the Great Square of Pegasus. In Pegasus.
A bright, sprawling star cluster low in the southern Milky Way — naked-eye from dark skies. In Scorpius.
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 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.
The finest globular cluster for northern observers — a fuzzy ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. In Hercules.
A tight, bright knot of blue stars — obvious to the naked eye, dazzling in binoculars. In Taurus.
Out of reach from Brasília tonight
These showpieces are either below Brasília's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Brasília 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 Brasíliatells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Brasília
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Brasília to plan your dark-sky window.