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This article from Astronomy magazine provides a list of large and spectacular celestial objects that can be observed through small telescopes or even with the naked eye. The author created a list of their top 50 objects, considering only deep-sky objects that are at least twice as large as the Full Moon. The list includes objects from all seasons, such as the Barnard's Loop, Rosette Nebula, Virgo Cluster, Coma Star Cluster, zodiacal light, Serpens-Aquila rift, Pipe Nebula, M16, M17, Sharpless 2-54, Eta Persei, Double Cluster, Heart and Soul nebulae, IC 1396, and the Andromeda Galaxy. The article also mentions that the other 38 objects can be explored on Astronomy's website. [Extracted from the article]

FEATURES GLO:ast/01feb23:24n1.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): OPPOSITE: Some 40,000 light-years distant, M79 is a sparkling blizzard in the constellation Lepus. At magnitude 9.3, spiral M100 in Coma Berenices ranks as one of the brightest galaxies in the Coma-Virgo cluster, and it's a great target for amateur telescopes. That's why French comet-hunter Charles Messier documented 109 deep-sky objects that, through his small scope, appeared to be masquerading as comets, despite the fact they didn't move against the starry background sky. ALAN DYER/AMAZINGSKY.COM gl Lenticular galaxy M85 in Coma Berenices looks like an edge-on spiral, but it doesn't have a spiral galaxy's arm structure. [Extracted from the article]

FEATURES GLO:ast/01mar22:50n1.jpg PHOTO (COLOR): The Helix Galaxy (NGC 2685) is a polar ring galaxy - a rare formation thought to be caused by two galaxies colliding. ADAM BLOCK/MOUNT LEMMON SKY CENTER/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA gl ANTENNAE GALAXIES NGC 2775 NGC 2903 LEO GALAXY CLUSTER NGC 4435 & 4438 NGC 4565 NGC 4490 Others you'll be able to spot include magnitude 12.7 NGC 3861, magnitude 12.7 NGC 3862, magnitude 13.3 NGC 3837, and magnitude 13.7 NGC 3840. If your sky is steady, look 3' north of NGC 4490's western end for its magnitude 12.5 companion, irregular galaxy NGC 4485. [Extracted from the article]

A SLEW OF NEWFOUND STARS LINGERING in the fringes of our galaxy are so far away, they could redefine the outer limits of the Milky Way. If that's the case, there's a chance that the halos of the Milky Way and Andromeda already overlap. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on stars or members in the Virgo Cluster. Topics discussed include M59, M60, and NGC 4647. M59 and M60 pair of 9th magnitude elliptical galaxies along with the M87 region that features black hole, the Markarian's Chain galaxies extending from M84/M86 and the 6 Comae Berenices region.

Please include the date and location of the image and complete photo data: telescope, camera, filters, and exposures. The 39-image mosaic is the result of 290 hours of exposure through a 4.2-inch scope, processed in the Hubble palette. Clever use of a synthetic luminance image created from a blend of H and OIII data reveals structure that is often hidden in RGB images. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the galaxies in the universe. Topics discussed include the Milky Way, its Local Group of galaxies and galaxies in Virgo Supercluster binded by gravity, the methods to compute the distance to a faraway galaxy defined by researcher Helene Courtois and study of astronomers J. Xavier Prochaska and colleagues on quasars.

The article discusses galaxies closest to the Milky Way galaxy. Topics discussed include Milky Way that lies near the middle of an assembly of galaxies called Local Group, study by astronomer Tobias Westmeier and colleagues on high-velocity clouds (HVCs) of hydrogen that enrich member galaxies NGC 55 and NGC 300, and constituents of the Virgo Cluster, collection of galaxies in the direction of the constellation Virgo.

The article discusses several galaxies within the Fornax supercluster galaxy. The Fornax supercluster is a collection of bright galaxies located in the star-forming regions of the constellation Orion. It contains giant elliptical and barred spiral galaxies and is the second most abundant supercluster next to the Virgo supercluster. An in-depth discussion of several galaxies of interest within the constellations Fornax and Eridanus is presented.

This article reports on some of the Virgo cluster and some of the author's favorite galaxies. The author made most of his observations using a 13-inch f/5.6 Newtonian reflector. NGC 4216 is a spiral galaxy that shines at magnitude 10.3. The author challenges readers to try and find 3C 273, the first quasar to be discovered. INSET: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

Presents a guide to the night sky in 2004 from the magazine 'Astronomy.' Consideration of the lunar phases; Position and visibility of planets such as Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn; Characteristics of the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, Castor, and the Rosetta Nebula; Appearance of globular clusters in the deep sky; Vastness of the Whirlpool Galaxy; Stars located in the constellations of northern Virgo and Coma Berenices.

Our Local Group of galaxies lies on a side street 50 million light-years from the great intersection of two dark matter filaments that created the magnificent Virgo Cluster of about 2,000 galaxies. To alien astronomers living in the Virgo Cluster, our little galactic neighborhood would appear as two smudges of light: our own Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). We are seeing order emerge out of the chaos of energy and matter that followed our universe's birth; the Local Group is a microcosm of the rowdy cosmos at large. Edwin Hubble described it as a fortunate accident that the Local Group contains nearly all the types of galaxies he saw in the universe at large. Hubble likely never envisioned that eighty years later a telescope comparable in size to the Hooker Telescope, lofted far above the blurry atmosphere--and bearing his name--would routinely resolve stars in the Local Group barely 1/10,000 the brightness of M31's Cepheids. Today's Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey, or GOODS program, (using observations by Hubble, the Chandra X-ray Telescope, and soon, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility) shows increasing galaxy size in the universe is consistent with "bottom-up" models of galaxy formation.

Presents a guide in determining the galaxies in Coma-Virgo Cluster. Telescope angles; Locations of the galaxies; Characteristics of some of them.

This section offers descriptions of our galaxy. The Milky Way is one of two giant spiral galaxies in the Local Group, a gathering of about two dozen galaxies. The Local Group in turn lies in the fringes of the much larger Virgo cluster. Virgo H121 is a galaxy trapped in perpetual darkness. In fact, it confounds all understanding of what a galaxy is. Galaxies are supposed to have stars, but this one has none.

Probes on the constellation Virgo. Primary telescopic draw to Virgo; Neighboring constellation of Virgo; Telescopes used to observe the constellation. INSETS: The active giant at Virgo's heart, by Andrea Gianopolous;Goddess of the Harvest, by Andrea Gianopolous;Deep-sky objects in Virgo.

Focuses on the controversies associated with breakthrough measurements of Cepheid variable stars in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies regarding the age and size of the universe. Principle of the Hubble constant; Information on the use of Cepheids as distance indicators; Role of the high-resolution camera called HRCam; Remarks by industry experts.

The final members of Markarian's Chain, NGC 4473 (magnitude 10.2; 4.5' by 2.5') and NGC 4477 (magnitude 10.4; 3.7' by 3.3'), lie across the border in Coma Berenices. Markarian's Chain is named after the Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian (1913-1985). [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the spiral galaxies NGC 4302 and NGC 4298 near the Virgo Cluster and lie some 55 million light years from the Earth.

The article offers instructions and suggestions to amateur astronomers for viewing the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster with binoculars.

A diagram is presented showing the galaxies in the Local Group of galaxies extending from the center of the Virgo cluster, including the Ursa Major North group, the Ursa Major South group, and the NGC 5005 group.

The article reports that new observations using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope have revealed the gas streaming behind the Galaxy NGC 4569 which is charging through the Virgo cluster of galaxies, and mentions that the radiation pressure in a runner's face has stripped out the gas.

The article discusses use of the NGC 4298 face-on galaxy and the NGC 4302 edge-on galaxy by astronomers to study spiral galaxies and mentions that the pair resides in the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the sky.

The article discusses the galaxies NGC 5774 and NGC 5775 in the Virgo Cluster and offers suggestions on how to group them on a paper when hunting them. It mentions that both the galaxies are of similar size and magnitude. Also is provided step-by-step detail of the making the sketch of the galaxies on the paper.

The article talks about astronomical predictions related to the changes in universe. Topics discussed include evidences supporting the big freeze theory that suggests an expanding cosmos becoming larger, darker and devoid of activity until it achieves the state of heat death with zero activity, indication for invisibility of the Virgo Cluster that passes beyond horizon and beginning of the degenerate era of the universe after 100 trillion years.

The article discusses galactic imaging of two spiral galaxies conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope before it was serviced in May 2009. The phenomenon of ram-pressure stripping was observed as the galaxies NGC 4522 and NGC 4402 traveled through the Virgo cluster. Astronomers are said to study the evolution of galaxies by reference to galaxies that show ram-pressure stripping.

The article discusses tracking a comet through the galaxies of the solar system. Topics include an overview of a comet-galaxy duo that can be observed during the New Moon on the weekend of November 14-15, 2009, an overview of the Comet C/2007 Q3 (Sliding Spring) as it passes through the Coma-Virgo galaxy cluster, and tips on avoiding moisture on the mirrors and lens of a telescope when viewing in the early morning hours.

The article reports that a group of astronomers used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to measure the size of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy. The researchers found that M87 is significantly smaller than they had previously hypothesized. M87 is located in a group of galaxies called the Virgo cluster, and some researchers believe it could have been reduced in size because of a close encounter with the M84 galaxy, which is also in the Virgo cluster.

Pictured in this article is a Spitzer Space Telescope image of spiral galaxy NGC 4579 in the Virgo cluster. The image was taken using a false-color composite with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera, which suggests that the red areas have longer infrared wavelengths where gas and dust are forming new stars. The blue region corresponds to micron emissions caused by mature stars. The NGC 4579 spiral galaxy exists 70 million light years away from planet Earth.

This article previews the observation of comets and asteroids for April 2005. Occasionally, a comet rewards us by staying visible throughout the night. This month, Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) fits the bill. It currently resides in the far northern sky and does not set unless you live south of the United States or Europe. With a couple of notable exceptions, namely Andromeda's M31 and Triangulum's M33, Comet Machholz glows brighter than any galaxy in the Messier catalog. Asteroid 2 Pallas appears bright because it is large (325 miles across) and comes relatively close to Earth. Heinrich Olbers discovered Pallas in March 1802, making it the second asteroid to be found. This month, Pallas travels in front of the "realm of the galaxies," making it a roving guide through what many beginners consider a scary part of the sky.

The article highlights objects in the deep sky for viewing in April 2005. Any of the Deep Field images beamed back by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the fathomless depths of the universe. Only 80 years ago, Edwin Hubble himself was striving to convince other astronomers all those fuzzy elliptical and spiral clouds in Virgo were actually galaxies like the Milky Way, not small solar systems in development. Novice observers are justifiably a little scared of diving into what Hubble called "the realm of the galaxies." Without the proper techniques and approach, panic can set in. For your first foray into the galaxy realm, anchor yourself to the star 6 Comae Berenices. Then, shift one Moon-width west to hit M98, and slide back. Step along the stars to the east and a bit north to the circular glow of the spiral galaxy M100. Next, plunge north past a field star to reach 11 Comae. With short out-and-back forays like this, you can remain calm enough to enjoy the experience. The first few times you're in this area, tour only at low power to solidify your telescope skills. Then, go back for a longer look at higher power.

Presents a photograph of the Virgo Cluster in space. Estimated galaxies of Virgo; Distance of the Virgo Cluster from Earth; Location of the Local Group.

Describes Spica, a sparkling blue-white star in the constellation Virgo. Magnitude; Distance from the Earth; Etymological meaning of Spica; Legend about the constellation Virgo; Description and extent of Virgo.

Reports on the observation on Virgo cluster of galaxies. Study by Michael Pierce of Indiana University; Findings on the distance for the cluster; Research by Wendy Freedman of the Carnegie Observatories; Speculation on the age of the universe; Inexplicability of the paradox.

Presents a photograph of the tenth-magnitude elliptical NGC 4261 in the Virgo Cluster. Description; Photograph as best view of NGC 4261's central region to date; Ultrafast motion of gas and dust suggesting the pressure of a central black hole.

Reports on the explosion of the supernova SN 1994D on March 7, 1994 in the tenth-magnitude lenticular galaxy, NGC 4526. Number of light-years away from the Virgo Cluster; Discoverers; Other spectral observations on the supernova.