Four Face-On Spirals
Use a large telescope to see the classic pinwheel shapes of galaxies M51 and M101 in the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major, and M99 and M100 in the Virgo galaxy cluster.
May’s Challenge Object
May skies present some of the best opportunities to grab a view of Omega Centauri — the brightest globular star cluster in the sky! While it’s big and bright, even visible as a “fuzzy” star in binoculars, the challenge Omega Centauri presents is its low position in southern skies, which can make it unobservable from higher northern latitudes. If you’re having trouble locating the famous globular cluster, Bruce McClure from EarchSky.org suggests letting the sparkling blue-white star Spica help you. He explains that when Spica climbs highest up for the night, so does Omega Centauri — look for it 35° directly below Spica.