SKY · DEEP-SKY · NEW ZEALAND
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Christchurch
Tonight from Christchurch, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is Ptolemy Cluster (M7), riding about 81° up in the northern sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Christchurch tonight — and how dark a sky each one needs.
A modest Moon — bright planets and constellations are fine, faint detail less so.
Best placed over Christchurch tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Christchurch. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
A bright, sprawling star cluster low in the southern Milky Way — naked-eye from dark skies. In Scorpius.
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.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
An edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane like a hat brim — a small-telescope classic. In Virgo.
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 bright spring globular with half a million stars — a fine binocular and small-scope target. In Canes Venatici.
A large, low-surface-brightness spiral — needs a genuinely dark, Moonless sky, then rewarding in binoculars. In Triangulum.
A tiny, perfect smoke ring — the glowing shell of a dying star; a small-telescope favourite. In Lyra.
A glowing stellar nursery in Orion’s sword — visible to the naked eye, stunning in binoculars, a showpiece in any telescope. In Orion.
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.
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.
A swarm of stars filling a binocular field; a faint haze to the naked eye under dark skies. In Cancer.
Out of reach from Christchurch tonight
These showpieces are either below Christchurch's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Christchurch 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 Christchurchtells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Christchurch
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Christchurch to plan your dark-sky window.