List of Suggested Targets

After booking a Live Observing slot, you should plan out what you'd like to see in the sky!

You'll first need to know which telescope will be used in your session and its location. This will depend on the timing of your session. All time slots are given in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This is a worldwide reference time and avoids confusion when changing time zones. Morning slots will happen in Australia with Faulkes Telescope South. Afternoon slots will happen in Hawaii with Faulkes Telescope North.

Once you know the location, you can then select some targets to observe. We have given suggestions in the table below. These objects fit nicely in the camera's frame of view. They'll also be visible throughout the entire 30-minute session.

Here's an explanation of each table column:

Target Name

This is the name of the object. The letters usually stand for a catalogue of some kind (e.g. M being Messier, NGC being New Galactic Catalogue). The number is just the object’s place in the catalogue.

Any other names for the object are given in brackets.

Classification

This tells you what the object is (e.g. star cluster, nebula, galaxy).

There might also be some extra information about its classification. For example, the star cluster may be globular or open.

Image

This gives an idea of what the object looks like.

But please be aware that your own images might look different. There are many factors (such as weather, moon phase, light pollution, etc.) that can affect observing conditions from night to night.

Right Ascension

Part of a celestial coordinate system that lets us measure the locations of objects in the sky. It is a set of three numbers. The first is given in hours, then minutes, and the last is seconds.

For simplicity, these have been left out of the table below and the numbers are separated with a colon. This is how the right ascension needs to be inputted on the Real-time Interface if you're using manual mode (read the Guidance for Live Observing for more information).

Objects with similar right ascensions and declinations are close to each other in the sky. Use these coordinates to help order your observations. This minimises the time taken for the telescope to move between targets.

Declination

Part of a celestial coordinate system that lets us measure locations of objects in the sky. It is a set of three numbers. The first is given in degrees, then arcminutes, and the last is arcseconds.

For simplicity, these have been left out of the table below and the numbers are separated with a colon. This is how the declination needs to be inputted on the Real-time Interface if you're using manual mode (read the Guidance for Live Observing for more information).

Objects with similar right ascensions and declinations are close to each other in the sky. Use these coordinates to help order your observations. This minimises the time taken for the telescope to move between targets.

Exposure Time (s)

This is how long the camera is open, or exposing, for when taking a picture. It is measured in seconds (s).

The camera collects light when it is open. To see an object in detail, we need to collect enough light from it. This means leaving the camera open for the correct amount of time. Faint, far away objects require longer exposure times than those that are bright and closer to Earth.

The exposure times are the same for each colour filter. This needs to be inputted on the Real-time Interface if you're using manual mode (read the Guidance for Live Observing for more information). For example, if an object has an exposure time of 30 seconds, you would enter that value for the red, green, and blue filters.

These pictures are taken simultaneously. Consider the object again with an exposure time of 30 seconds. You won't need to wait 90 seconds for all 3 images. When the telescope finds the object and starts exposing, the red, green, and blue images will all have been taken after 30 seconds. You'll be able to view these when they've been processed.

Use the exposure times to help you decide the number of targets for your session. You’ll also want to look at your images – even if only quickly – when they’re ready to view, so factor this into your planning as well. And remember that the telescope can sometimes take a few minutes to move from one object to another, depending on where it is in the sky. 

But it is always better to have too many targets than not enough! If you don’t get to see everything, you can always book another session.

Note: Objects with similar right ascensions and declinations are close to each other in the sky. Use these coordinates to help order your observations. This minimises the time taken for the telescope to move between targets.

Australia

Target Name	Classification	Image	Right Ascension	Declination	Exposure Time (s)
NGC 2442 and NGC 2443 (Meathook Galaxy/Cobra and Mouse)	2 Parts of a Weakly Barred Spiral Galaxy	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope South) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	7:36:23.77	-69:31:51	150
NGC 2613	Spiral Galaxy	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope South) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	8:33:22.84	-22:58:25.21	100
NGC 2808	Globular Star Cluster	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope South) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	9:12:3.1	-64:51:48.6	15
NGC 2997	Spiral Galaxy	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope South) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	9:45:38.75	-31:11:27.35	120

Hawaii

Target Name	Classification	Image	Right Ascension	Declination	Exposure Time (s)
M27 (Dumbbell Nebula)	Planetary Nebula	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope North) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	19:59:36.36	22:43:16.31	60
M56	Globular Star Cluster	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope North) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	19:16:35.57	30:11:0.5	20
NGC 5701	Barred Lenticular Galaxy	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope North) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	14:39:11.08	5:21:48.49	150
NGC 6384	Weakly Barred Spiral Galaxy	Image Credit This work by Las Cumbres Observatory (taken with Faulkes Telescope North) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International	17:32:24.28	7:03:37.53	120