Top 15 Deep-Sky Objects of October 2024

The autumn months are very diverse in terms of deep-sky targets — you can see all kinds of them in the night sky! In this article, you’ll learn about galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters to observe and photograph in October. We arranged them in a list according to their apparent magnitude. Use the Sky Tonight app to easily locate any of these objects in your sky.

Contents

• 15. NGC 7331
• 14. Phantom Galaxy
• 13. Blue Snowball Nebula
• 12. NGC 300
• 11. Saturn Nebula
• 10. Sculptor Galaxy
• 9. Cave Nebula
• 8. Helix Nebula
• 7. NGC 362
• 6. M2
• 5. Triangulum Galaxy
• 4. California Nebula
• 3. Double Cluster
• 2. Andromeda Galaxy
• 1. Small Magellanic Cloud
• How to find a galaxy in the sky?
• Deep-sky objects in October: Bottom line

15. NGC 7331

• Alternative names: Caldwell 30
• Apparent size: 10′ × 3′ (0.3 × Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 9.4
• Constellation: Pegasus
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You can spot NGC 7331 through 10x50 or 15x70 binoculars under dark skies. A 280mm (11") telescope with a magnification of 200x will allow you to see the galaxy’s bright core surrounded by a soft glow.
• Description: NGC 7331 is an unbarred spiral galaxy located at about 40 million light-years from us. It is similar in size and structure to the Milky Way and contains a supermassive black hole at its core.

14. Phantom Galaxy

• Alternative names: M74, NGC 628
• Apparent size: 10.5′ × 9.5′ (0.3 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 9.3
• Constellation: Pisces
• Where to observe: Both hemispheres
• How to observe: M74 has the second lowest surface brightness among all of the Messier objects (after the Pinwheel Galaxy). This makes it a difficult object to observe visually. Under a very dark sky (Bortle 3 or darker), you can try to spot the Phantom Galaxy with large binoculars — it will appear as a faint dot of light. Still, it’s much better to use at least a small telescope for its observation. Keep in mind that low surface brightness won’t stop you from capturing stunning images of this galaxy if you’re an astrophotographer!
• Description: The Phantom Galaxy is a large spiral galaxy located about 32 million light-years away from Earth. It contains approximately 100 billion stars.

13. Blue Snowball Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 7662, Caldwell 22
• Apparent size: 32″ × 28″ (0.01 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.2
• Constellation: Andromeda
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Blue Snowball Nebula is really tiny, so you’ll need at least a small telescope to spot it. A 150mm (6") telescope with a magnification of around 100x will help you see the nebula’s slightly bluish disk.
• Description: The Blue Snowball Nebula is a planetary nebula located at a distance of about 6,000 light years away from Earth. It has an elliptical shape with a triple-shell structure.

12. NGC 300

• Alternative names: Caldwell 70
• Apparent size: 21.9′ × 15.5′ (0.6 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.1
• Constellation: Sculptor
• Where to observe: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: Under very dark skies, you can see NGC 300 with 10x50 binoculars. In a 200mm (8") telescope, the galaxy will appear as a round, nebulous patch with a slightly brighter center.
• Description: NGC 300 is a spiral galaxy similar to our Milky Way, but a bit smaller. Located at a distance of about 6 million light-years away from us, it is one of the closest galaxies to the Local Group, which also includes the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy.

11. Saturn Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 7009, Caldwell 55
• Apparent size: 41″ × 35″ (0.02 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.0
• Constellation: Aquarius
• Where to observe: Both hemispheres
• How to observe: Through a small telescope, the Saturn Nebula looks like a greenish patch of light. Larger telescopes will reveal more detail, including two extended “handles” on either side of the nebula that resemble the rings of Saturn.
• Description: The Saturn Nebula is a planetary nebula located at a distance of about 2,000 light-years away from us. The nebula has a complex structure and includes a halo, jet-like streams, multiple shells, characteristic “handles”, as well as small filaments and knots.

10. Sculptor Galaxy

• Alternative names: NGC 253, Silver Coin, Silver Dollar Galaxy
• Apparent size: 27.5′ × 6.8′ (0.7 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 8.0
• Constellation: Sculptor
• Where to observe: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Sculptor Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies in the sky and can be seen through 10x50 binoculars as a fuzzy elongated patch. It is also a good target for observation with 300mm (12") or larger telescopes.
• Description: The Sculptor Galaxy is an intermediate spiral galaxy located about 11.4 million light-years away from Earth. It is the brightest member of the Sculptor Group of galaxies.

9. Cave Nebula

• Alternative names: Caldwell 9, Sh2-155
• Apparent size: 50′ × 30′ (1.3 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 7.7
• Constellation: Cepheus
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: Despite its promising apparent magnitude, the Cave Nebula is too dim and low-contrast to observe visually, even with large binoculars. You can spot it with a medium-sized telescope, but it probably won’t look very spectacular. However, this nebula is a great target for astrophotography!
• Description: The Cave Nebula is a diffuse nebula located at about 2,400 light-years away from us. It is part of a much larger cloud of gas and dust called Cepheus B.

8. Helix Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 7293, Eye of God, Eye of Sauron
• Apparent size: 25′ (0.8 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 7.6
• Constellation: Aquarius
• Where to observe: Both hemispheres
• How to observe: Due to its low surface brightness, NGC 7293 is difficult to see. You can try to spot it using 20x100 binoculars with an O-III or UHC filter. However, using a telescope is still more preferable.
• Description: The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula located only about 655 light-years away from us. It is one of the closest planetary nebulae to Earth.

7. NGC 362

• Alternative names: Caldwell 104
• Apparent size: 12′54″ (0.4 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.5
• Constellation: Tucana
• Where to observe: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: You can observe NGC 362 with 8x40 or 10x50 binoculars — it will look like a slightly unfocused “star”. Under clear dark skies, you can even spot this cluster with the naked eye!
• Description: NGC 362 is a globular cluster located at about 30,000 light-years from Earth. It is one of the youngest globular clusters, probably formed long after our galaxy.

6. M2

• Alternative names: NGC 7089
• Apparent size: 16′ (0.5 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 6.3
• Constellation: Aquarius
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: Under a perfectly dark sky, M2 can be visible to the naked eye. However, it’s still better to use 10x50 binoculars or a small telescope for its observation.
• Description: M2 is a globular star cluster located around 40,000 light-years from Earth. It is one of the brightest clusters visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

5. Triangulum Galaxy

• Alternative names: M33, NGC 598
• Apparent size: 1° × 41′ (2 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 5.7
• Constellation: Triangulum
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Triangulum Galaxy is bright enough to be observed with 10x50 binoculars in a location away from light pollution. With a telescope, you’ll see more details, but the wide field of view of binoculars will make your observations easier.
• Description: The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy located 2.73 million light-years from Earth. It is the third-largest galaxy in the Local Group.

4. California Nebula

• Alternative names: NGC 1499, Sh2-220
• Apparent size: 2°40′ × 40′ (5 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 4.1
• Constellation: Perseus
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: Due to its very low surface brightness, the California Nebula is quite difficult to observe — you’ll need at least a small telescope with an H-Alpha filter to see it in the sky. Besides, it is a very large nebula that requires a wide field of view.
• Description: The California Nebula is an emission nebula located about 1,000 light-years away from Earth. Its glow is most likely caused by Xi Persei, the hot blue star located beside it.

3. Double Cluster

• Alternative names: NGC 869 and NGC 884, Caldwell 14
• Apparent size: 1° (2 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 3.7
• Constellation: Perseus
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Double Cluster is bright and large enough to be visible to the naked eye, even from moderately light-polluted locations. Through 10x50 binoculars, you’ll be able to see that it consists of two separate clusters.
• Description: The Double Cluster comprises two open star clusters and is located approximately 7,500 light-years away from us. NGC 869 (also known as h Persei) represents the Double Cluster’s western half, while NGC 884 (χ Persei) represents its eastern half.

2. Andromeda Galaxy

• Alternative names: M31, NGC 224
• Apparent size: 3° × 1° (6 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 3.4
• Constellation: Andromeda
• Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
• How to observe: To the naked eye, the Andromeda Galaxy looks like a small elongated cloud of light. You can easily spot it using averted vision if the night is dark and clear. To see the galaxy’s elongated shape and brighter core, use 10x50 binoculars or a small telescope.
• Description: The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from Earth. It is the most distant object you can see with the unaided eye.

1. Small Magellanic Cloud

• Alternative names: SMC, NGC 292
• Apparent size: 5° × 3° (10 x Moon)
• Apparent magnitude: 2.1
• Constellation: Tucana
• Where to observe: Southern Hemisphere
• How to observe: The Small Magellanic Cloud is visible to the naked eye as a hazy glow. Even small binoculars will allow you to see the galaxy’s unusual shape.
• Description: The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf irregular galaxy positioned about 200,000 light-years away from us. It is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye.

How to find a galaxy in the sky?

To quickly locate any of the celestial objects listed above, you can use the astronomy app Sky Tonight. It has a database of more than 90,000 deep-sky objects, all of which are available for free! To find the object you’re interested in, tap the magnifier icon on the main screen, write the object’s name or catalog designation (for instance, “Andromeda Galaxy”, “M31”, or “NGC 224”) in the search field, and tap the blue target icon on the object’s info card. Sky Tonight will immediately show you the object’s location in the sky above you.

Deep-sky objects in October: Bottom line

In October 2024, multiple deep-sky objects (including the big and bright Andromeda Galaxy!) will be favorably positioned for observation. Try to see as many of them as possible with the help of the Sky Tonight app. If you’re interested in deep-sky objects, make sure to take our “Guess the Nebula!” quiz, it will amaze you!

Astronomers are weird people and they often name things according to their strange ideas. Let’s see how weird you are – try to guess a nebula’s name from its picture!

Take the quiz!