The Deep Sky Observing Section of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa is pleased to present the "Top 100 Deep Sky Objects", an observing programme for the novice and seasoned observer alike.
Hand-picked and collected together in a single list for the first time are the 100 best galaxies, star clusters and nebulae visible in the southern skies.
Many can be seen with the naked eye and all are visible in binoculars, so a telescope is not essential to see them.
ASSA Deepsky 100 (MS Word; 555 Kb)
ASSA Deepsky 100 (MS Excel; 38 Kb)
ASSA Deepsky 100 (PDF; 105 Kb)
The table shows a breakdown of the list by object type. Of these objects, 86 appear in the NGC (New General Catalogue), six are from the IC (Index Catalogue) and the remaining eight are from various other catalogues.
The objects are spread about the sky, but all are south of the celestial equator. The most southerly object has a declination of -79.3°.
Several objects are circumpolar from southern Africa, and in any given month, more than 45 of the 100 objects can be seen during the course of an evening.
With thanks to Auke Slotegraaf: www.psychohistorian.org