Best deep-sky targets in June
Galaxies, nebulae and clusters that are well placed for imaging in June, from northern and southern latitudes. A target makes the list when it spends at least an hour above 30° in astronomical darkness on June 15 and is either in its best season or up for most of the dark night.
New moon in June
The darkest nights fall around the new moon: , and (UTC). Galaxies and faint dust need those nights. Emission nebulae can be imaged with the moon up using a narrowband or dual-band filter. See the new moon calendar for dark weeks, or the dark sky calendar for moon-free hours at your location.
From 45° N
45° N is about the latitude of Minneapolis, Bordeaux and Milan. On June 15 a well-placed target can stay above 30° for up to 3.3 hours of astronomical darkness, and 56 targets are well placed. Top picks: North America Nebula (NGC 7000), Wild Duck Cluster (M 11), Hercules Cluster (M 13), Eagle Nebula (M 16).
Coming into season this month: North America Nebula, Wild Duck Cluster, Eagle Nebula, Western Veil (Witch's Broom), Eastern Veil, Eastern Veil (Bat Nebula), Cocoon Nebula, Wizard Nebula and 18 more.
Galaxies 16
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 81Bode's Galaxy | Galaxy | 2.5 h | 66° |
| M 101Pinwheel Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.3 h | 81° |
| M 82Cigar Galaxy | Galaxy | 2.7 h | 65° |
| M 51Whirlpool Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.3 h | 88° |
| M 63Sunflower Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.0 h | 87° |
| NGC 6946Fireworks Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.3 h | 75° |
| M 102Spindle Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.3 h | 79° |
| NGC 5907Splinter Galaxy | Galaxy | 3.3 h | 79° |
| IC 2574Coddington's Nebula | Galaxy | 3.0 h | 67° |
| M 94 | Galaxy | 2.7 h | 86° |
6 more galaxies
Nebulae 22
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 7000new this monthNorth America Nebula | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 90° |
| M 16new this monthEagle Nebula | Nebula | 1.7 h | 31° |
| NGC 6960new this monthWestern Veil (Witch's Broom) | Supernova remnant | 3.3 h | 76° |
| NGC 6992new this monthEastern Veil | Supernova remnant | 3.3 h | 77° |
| NGC 6995new this monthEastern Veil (Bat Nebula) | Supernova remnant | 3.3 h | 76° |
| IC 5146new this monthCocoon Nebula | Cluster with nebula | 3.3 h | 88° |
| NGC 7023Iris Nebula | Nebula | 3.3 h | 67° |
| NGC 7380new this monthWizard Nebula | Cluster with nebula | 3.3 h | 77° |
| M 27new this monthDumbbell Nebula | Planetary nebula | 3.3 h | 68° |
| NGC 6888new this monthCrescent Nebula | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 83° |
12 more nebulae
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| IC 5070new this monthPelican Nebula | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 89° |
| M 57Ring Nebula | Planetary nebula | 3.3 h | 78° |
| NGC 6543Cat's Eye Nebula | Planetary nebula | 3.3 h | 68° |
| NGC 6826Blinking Planetary | Planetary nebula | 3.3 h | 84° |
| NGC 7635new this monthBubble Nebula | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 74° |
| NGC 40new this monthBow-Tie nebula | Planetary nebula | 3.3 h | 62° |
| C 9new this monthCave Nebula | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 72° |
| IC 1396new this monthElephant's Trunk Nebula | Cluster with nebula | 3.3 h | 78° |
| NGC 7129 | Cluster with nebula | 3.3 h | 69° |
| NGC 6820new this month | Nebula | 3.3 h | 68° |
| NGC 6914new this month | Reflection nebula | 3.3 h | 87° |
| NGC 7822new this month | Emission nebula | 3.3 h | 68° |
Star clusters 18
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 11new this monthWild Duck Cluster | Open cluster | 2.8 h | 39° |
| M 13Hercules Cluster | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 81° |
| M 39new this month | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 87° |
| M 10 | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 41° |
| M 14 | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 42° |
| M 5 | Globular cluster | 2.5 h | 47° |
| M 12 | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 43° |
| M 71new this month | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 64° |
| M 3 | Globular cluster | 2.7 h | 73° |
| NGC 7243new this month | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 85° |
8 more star clusters
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 92 | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 88° |
| M 29new this month | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 84° |
| M 52new this month | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 73° |
| NGC 188 | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 50° |
| M 56 | Globular cluster | 3.3 h | 75° |
| M 26new this month | Open cluster | 2.5 h | 36° |
| NGC 7006new this month | Globular cluster | 2.5 h | 61° |
| NGC 6882new this month | Open cluster | 3.3 h | 71° |
From 35° S
35° S is about the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires. On June 15 a well-placed target can stay above 30° for up to 11.2 hours of astronomical darkness, and 58 targets are well placed. Top picks: Ptolemy's Cluster (M 7), Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592), Butterfly Cluster (M 6), Rho Ophiuchi region (IC 4604).
Coming into season this month: Wild Duck Cluster, Omega Nebula, Trifid Nebula, Barnard's Galaxy, M 25, M 71, M 22, M 15 and 15 more.
Galaxies 3
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 64Black Eye Galaxy | Galaxy | 2.3 h | 33° |
| NGC 6822new this monthBarnard's Galaxy | Galaxy | 7.7 h | 70° |
| NGC 6744new this month | Galaxy | 10.2 h | 61° |
Nebulae 14
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| IC 4592Blue Horsehead Nebula | Reflection nebula | 8.5 h | 74° |
| IC 4604Rho Ophiuchi region | Nebula | 8.8 h | 78° |
| M 8Lagoon Nebula | Nebula | 9.2 h | 79° |
| M 16Eagle Nebula | Nebula | 8.3 h | 69° |
| M 17new this monthOmega Nebula | Nebula | 8.5 h | 71° |
| M 27Dumbbell Nebula | Planetary nebula | 2.2 h | 32° |
| M 20new this monthTrifid Nebula | Nebula | 9.2 h | 78° |
| NGC 6302Bug Nebula | Planetary nebula | 10.2 h | 88° |
| NGC 6188Fighting Dragons of Ara | Nebula | 10.2 h | 76° |
| NGC 6334Cat's Paw Nebula | Supernova remnant | 10.2 h | 89° |
4 more nebulae
Star clusters 41
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 7Ptolemy's Cluster | Open cluster | 10.0 h | 90° |
| M 6Butterfly Cluster | Open cluster | 9.8 h | 87° |
| NGC 6087S Nor Cluster | Open cluster | 10.2 h | 67° |
| M 11new this monthWild Duck Cluster | Open cluster | 7.5 h | 61° |
| NGC 6231 | Open cluster | 10.0 h | 83° |
| M 25new this month | Open cluster | 8.8 h | 74° |
| M 10 | Globular cluster | 7.3 h | 59° |
| NGC 6025 | Open cluster | 10.0 h | 65° |
| NGC 6397 | Globular cluster | 11.2 h | 71° |
| M 4 | Globular cluster | 9.0 h | 82° |
31 more star clusters
| Target | Type | Dark hours above 30° | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 23 | Open cluster | 8.8 h | 74° |
| M 19 | Globular cluster | 9.3 h | 81° |
| M 14 | Globular cluster | 7.3 h | 58° |
| NGC 6124 | Open cluster | 9.5 h | 84° |
| M 21 | Open cluster | 9.0 h | 77° |
| M 5 | Globular cluster | 6.7 h | 53° |
| M 12 | Globular cluster | 7.2 h | 57° |
| M 71new this month | Globular cluster | 3.7 h | 36° |
| M 22new this month | Globular cluster | 9.2 h | 79° |
| M 15new this month | Globular cluster | 4.3 h | 43° |
| NGC 6752new this month | Globular cluster | 10.0 h | 65° |
| M 55new this month | Globular cluster | 8.5 h | 86° |
| M 18new this month | Open cluster | 8.5 h | 72° |
| M 28new this month | Globular cluster | 9.3 h | 80° |
| M 80 | Globular cluster | 8.8 h | 78° |
| NGC 6541new this month | Globular cluster | 10.5 h | 81° |
| M 62 | Globular cluster | 9.7 h | 85° |
| M 54new this month | Globular cluster | 9.2 h | 85° |
| M 53 | Globular cluster | 3.2 h | 37° |
| NGC 5823 | Open cluster | 8.8 h | 69° |
| M 69new this month | Globular cluster | 9.7 h | 87° |
| M 75new this month | Globular cluster | 7.7 h | 77° |
| M 9 | Globular cluster | 8.8 h | 74° |
| M 107 | Globular cluster | 8.3 h | 68° |
| M 26new this month | Open cluster | 8.0 h | 64° |
| NGC 6352 | Globular cluster | 10.8 h | 77° |
| M 70new this month | Globular cluster | 9.5 h | 87° |
| NGC 6934new this month | Globular cluster | 5.7 h | 48° |
| NGC 6101 | Globular cluster | 11.0 h | 53° |
| NGC 7006new this month | Globular cluster | 4.5 h | 39° |
| NGC 6193 | Open cluster | 10.2 h | 76° |
Filters for June's nebulae
21 of June's picks are emission nebulae, including the North America Nebula, the Western Veil (Witch's Broom), the Eastern Veil. With a dual-band filter on a color camera they stay workable on the moonlit nights between the dark weeks.
- Optolong L-Ultimate 3 nm 3 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
- Antlia ALP-T 5 nm 5 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
- Optolong L-eXtreme 7 nm 7 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
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How this list is made
For each of the 272 targets in the target guide, the time spent above 30° while the sun is more than 18° below the horizon is worked out for the night of June 15, at 45° N and 35° S. A target is listed if it gets at least an hour and either has at least 80% of its best month's hours, or is up for at least 75% of the longest time any target gets that night. The first rule keeps low targets such as the Orion Nebula from northern sites; the second keeps summer targets whose best month is later only because the nights get longer.
Named and brighter objects are listed first. "Highest" is the altitude at which the target crosses the meridian, which may fall outside the dark hours. The moon is not counted here. The stars rise about four minutes earlier each night, so on the 1st each target reaches a given spot in the sky about an hour later in the night than on the 15th, and at the end of the month about an hour earlier. For your own location and date, open the imaging planner.