SKY · DEEP-SKY · USA
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Portland
Tonight from Portland, the best-placed deep-sky showpiece is Great Hercules Cluster (M13), riding about 81° up in the southern sky. Here's the full list of galaxies, nebulae and clusters worth hunting from Portland 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 Portland tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Portland. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
The finest globular cluster for northern observers — a fuzzy ball of hundreds of thousands of stars. In Hercules.
A tiny, perfect smoke ring — the glowing shell of a dying star; a small-telescope favourite. In Lyra.
A face-on spiral with a companion — its spiral arms are visible in a modest telescope from a dark site. In Canes Venatici.
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 compact, bright autumn globular cluster, easy to find off the Great Square of Pegasus. In Pegasus.
A bright spiral galaxy near the Big Dipper, paired with M82 in the same binocular field. In Ursa Major.
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 dense, rich open cluster shaped like a flight of ducks — lovely in binoculars. In Scutum.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
A large, low-surface-brightness spiral — needs a genuinely dark, Moonless sky, then rewarding in binoculars. In Triangulum.
One of the brightest globular clusters, low in the south for northern observers. In Sagittarius.
An edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane like a hat brim — a small-telescope classic. In Virgo.
A delicate nebula split by dark dust lanes, near the Lagoon in the rich Sagittarius star fields. In Sagittarius.
A bright nebula in the heart of the Milky Way — superb in binoculars from a dark southern-sky view. In Sagittarius.
A bright, sprawling star cluster low in the southern Milky Way — naked-eye from dark skies. In Scorpius.
A swarm of stars filling a binocular field; a faint haze to the naked eye under dark skies. In Cancer.
A tight, bright knot of blue stars — obvious to the naked eye, dazzling in binoculars. In Taurus.
Out of reach from Portland tonight
These showpieces are either below Portland's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Portland 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 Portlandtells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Portland
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Portland to plan your dark-sky window.