Northerly Targets µ ν 21h α γ η θ 20h CEPHEUS ε δ 19h φ 18h DRACO ζ γ 17h 2 1 3 4 5 6 16h ORION M101 θ κ η λ χ M106 DIZZYING HEIGHTS It can be tricky to orient oneself when observing around the north celestial pole. While this chart isn't meant to go deep - you can follow the author's galaxy- and star-hopping instructions to zoom in on targets - it is meant to give a general overview of the area around the pole. In my 18-inch, 14th-magnitude NGC 3172 appears fairly faint, small, and round with only a slightly brighter core. There's a 12.6-magnitude star 1.5′ west-northwest of the center of the galaxy. NGC 3172 is quite challenging in my 10-inch: a barely detectable smudge. Under the Little Dipper's Handle The double star Epsilon Ursae Minoris (magnitude 4.2) in the Little Dipper's handle is a convenient jumping-off point for a 28 DECEMBER 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE pair of galaxies that William Herschel discovered on January 1, 1802. They mark his closest discoveries to the pole. So close in fact that it took the pair eight minutes to traverse the 4.5′ field of view of Herschel's standard eyepiece. NGC 6251 is a giant elliptical and a bright radio source. An article that appeared in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1977 notes that its angular dimensions are " greater than those of any other radio galaxy in the northern sky, " and, along with M87, it's also one of the first galaxies in Mizar ζ ε δ M109 µ ψ +40° γ λ η θ α α ι β M40 M108 M97 URSA MAJOR +50° β URSA MINOR λ κ υ M82 M81 9h η 6252 ε IC 1139 IC 1143 ζ Polaris δ 6251 3172 1544 α 2276 2300 UGC 9668 UGC 9650 5640 ο IC 499 IC 512 IC 455 2268 IC 440 IC 442 2336 IC 469 IC 467 CAMELOPARDALIS 7h β γ 1184 α 6h β 22h ξ ι 5h 23h 0h 1h 2h ι 3h 4h 3057 8h Star magnitudes