SKY · DEEP-SKY · SOUTH AFRICA
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Johannesburg
Tonight from Johannesburg, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is Lagoon Nebula (M8), riding about 86° up in the north-eastern sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Johannesburg. 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.
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.
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.
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 bright spring globular with half a million stars — a fine binocular and small-scope target. In Canes Venatici.
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.
The finest globular cluster for northern observers — a fuzzy ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. In Hercules.
A compact, bright autumn globular cluster, easy to find off the Great Square of Pegasus. In Pegasus.
A swarm of stars filling a binocular field; a faint haze to the naked eye under dark skies. In Cancer.
A face-on spiral with a companion — its spiral arms are visible in a modest telescope from a dark site. In Canes Venatici.
Out of reach from Johannesburg tonight
These showpieces are either below Johannesburg's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Johannesburg 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 Johannesburgtells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Johannesburg
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Johannesburg to plan your dark-sky window.