M91 (NGC 4548), barred spiral galaxy, Coma Berenices
92x: Fairly large, round galaxy with a bright, but not stellar core. Suggestion of a dark area east of the core.
See also:
NGC 4571, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Southeast of M91 (and confused with it for while; Messier made a position error in his notes). Very faint galaxy immediately southwest of a bright star. Barely visible with averted vision.
M92 (NGC 6341), globular cluster, Hercules
133x: Smaller, more compact than M13, but an impressive globular in its own right, rivalling M3 and M15. Resolves nicely with a bright condensed core (albeit not as concentrated as M15). It looks a little elongated along one axis, making it somewhat oval–shaped. Also appears to be a couple of dark patches east of the core. If there is colour in this cluster, it’s subtle: a very pale blue tinge.
171x. A bright, underrated globular with a very condensed core. Lots of stars resolved at this power, but the oval shape noted previously starts to break up, although the area around the core still appears somewhat elongated. Other distinctive features include two straggly arms of stars trailing roughly to the north and south, and another tighter one folding back on itself east of the core.
M93 (NGC 2447), open cluster, Puppis
92x: Rich little cluster of bright stars, looks good in the XT10 despite its low altitude (-24 degrees declination). Central triangle of stars surrounded by loose assembly of bright stars on either side. Outline can resemble a butterfly with a bit of imagination. Two prominent red giant stars on the southern edge of the cluster. Also visible in 7x50 binoculars.
M94 (NGC 4736), Cat’s Eye Galaxy, spiral galaxy, Canes Venatici
133x: Bright core with a circular extended envelope (brighter overall than M63). At first glance it might be mistaken for an unresolved globular cluster, or a planetary nebula (imagine NGC 2392 with an additional shell of nebulosity). One bright star some distance west of the galaxy.
At 171x the impression remains much the same, although the galaxy seems slightly more oval in shape, with a suggestion of mottling in the outer envelope. Very bright towards the centre.
M95 (NGC 3351), barred spiral galaxy, Leo
92x: Large, brighter towards the centre. Stellar nucleus. No other detail apparent. Forms a wide pair with the brighter M96.
M96 (NGC 3368), spiral galaxy, Leo
92x: Similar size to M95. Brighter core, also has a stellar nucleus. Both galaxies appear somewhat round in shape.
M97 (NGC 3587), Owl Nebula, Planetary nebula, Ursa Major
133x: Large, faint and diffuse on first impression, but the addition of an Ultrablock or (especially) an OIII filter really improves the view of this planetary nebula, transforming it into a bright disc with more clearly defined edges. Averted vision brings out the two dark cavities (the Owl’s “eyes”). Faint star north of the nebula.
171x + OIII filter: Large round disc, seems speckled with averted vision. The dark “eyes” were still visible but ill-defined on this occasion.
M98 (NGC 4192), spiral galaxy, Coma Berenices
133x: Large faint streak of light, aligned NW-SE. Brighter towards the centre with averted vision. Like a smaller, fainter version of M31.
M99 (NGC 4254), spiral galaxy, Coma Berenices
133x: Ghostly round blur, brighter towards the centre. Dark patch west of the nucleus. Suggestion of mottling and reverse-s spiral structure.
M100 (NGC 4321), spiral galaxy, Coma Berenices
133x: Large round galaxy with bright fuzzy core and extended envelope. Possible bright spot east of the core but tough to discern detail in this one. Over time, averted vision starts to give the impression of a reverse s-shaped spiral, though - as with M51 - it’s easier to see the dark crescents either side of the core than the spiral arms themselves. Faint star to the northwest.
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