SKY · DEEP-SKY · NORWAY · AURORA
Deep-Sky Objects Tonight — Tromsø
At Tromsø's latitude and time of year the sky doesn't get properly dark tonight, so faint deep-sky objects are out of reach for now — the season returns as the nights draw in. Below is what's above the horizon anyway, for when darkness comes back.
The Moon is nearly out of the way — dark skies for faint objects.
Best placed over Tromsø tonight
Ranked by how high each climbs in tonight's dark sky from Tromsø. The higher an object is, the less atmosphere you look through — and the better it shows.
A bright spiral galaxy near the Big Dipper, paired with M82 in the same binocular field. In Ursa Major.
A face-on spiral with a companion — its spiral arms are visible in a modest telescope from a dark site. In Canes Venatici.
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 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.
A bright spring globular with half a million stars — a fine binocular and small-scope target. In Canes Venatici.
A tight, bright knot of blue stars — obvious to the naked eye, dazzling in binoculars. In Taurus.
A bright planetary nebula, an easy and rewarding binocular and small-scope target. In Vulpecula.
The wreckage of a supernova seen in 1054 AD — a faint glow needing a telescope and a dark sky. In Taurus.
A swarm of stars filling a binocular field; a faint haze to the naked eye under dark skies. In Cancer.
A compact, bright autumn globular cluster, easy to find off the Great Square of Pegasus. In Pegasus.
A glowing stellar nursery in Orion’s sword — visible to the naked eye, stunning in binoculars, a showpiece in any telescope. In Orion.
A dense, rich open cluster shaped like a flight of ducks — lovely in binoculars. In Scutum.
An edge-on galaxy with a dark dust lane like a hat brim — a small-telescope classic. In Virgo.
Home of the famous "Pillars of Creation"; the surrounding cluster is an easy binocular sight. In Serpens.
Out of reach from Tromsø tonight
These showpieces are either below Tromsø's horizon during tonight's dark hours, or never rise from this latitude at all — useful to know before you go looking.
Tromsø 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 Tromsøtells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.
More sky over Tromsø
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Watch the day/night line over Tromsø to plan your dark-sky window.