Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, one of Britain's most
respected astronomers and one of the world's most renowned
astronomical writers, compiled a list of 109 deep-sky objects
for those who wish to go beyond the Messier Objects. This list
was first published in the December 1995 issue of Sky & Telescope,
and it has been supported and popularized by Sky & Telescope.
These objects are both challenging and spectacular. They cover a
wide range of sizes and magnitudes. Some are large, bright, and
well known. Others are faint, small, and very difficult. It is
impossible to image them with the same instrument and the same
imaging parameters. Unlike the Messier Objects, they can not be
observed only from the Northern Hemisphere. At least 30 of the
objects require Southern skies for proper observation. Unlike
most other observing lists, the Caldwell Objects are presented
in order of declination from North to South.
To learn more about
the Caldwell Objects, the following books are highly
recommended:
1. O'Meara SJ. The Caldwell Objects. Sky Publishing
Corporation, 2002.
2. Ratledge D. Observing the Caldwell
Objects. Springer, 2000.
The present color images of the Southern Caldwell Objects
were taken by Chris Picking of New Zealand. He has
graciously consented for them to be displayed here.
Please check
out his Starry Night Skies Photography website.
Many of the Caldwell
Objects can be equally observed from either hemisphere. The
Southern Caldwell Objects depicted herein are those that can not
be seen at all or very poorly from the Southern part of the
United States.
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