Introduction

The ASSA Top-100 is an observing challenge for the novice and seasoned observer alike. Hand-picked and collected together in a single list for the first time are the 100 best galaxies, star clusters and nebulae visible in the southern skies. Many can be seen with the naked eye and all are visible in binoculars, so a telescope is not essential to see them. For each 20 objects you observe, the Society will issue a General Observer’s Certificate in recognition of your work (given that the observations meet basic quality standards). Your observations will also be added to the DOC Deep Sky Database.

Download the Top-100 list

 Download the ASSA Top-100 as a PDF or scroll down to the bottom of the page for the table.

How do I record an observation?

Guidelines for recording observations can be found in the “Deep Sky Observing Checklist“. You may also want to take a look at the “Deep Sky Observer’s Companion tutorial“, a thorough introduction to deep sky observing techniques.

“As stargazers we should practice what Lee Cains calls ‘the serene art of visual observing.’ We must learn to see with the mind as well as the eye. This means really examining and contemplating the varied scenes before us in the eyepiece. All deep sky objects deserve at least 15 minutes of your time. Glancing at an object once it’s found and then rushing to another and another is like reading only the Cliff’s Notes of the world’s great novels.” – James Mullaney

Brief summary of the list

Of the 100 gems, 86 appear in the NGC (New General Catalogue), six are from the IC (Index Catalogue) and the remaining eight are from various other catalogues. The objects are spread about the sky, but all are south of the celestial equator. The most southerly object has a declination of −79.3°. Several objects are circumpolar from southern Africa, and in any given month, more than 45 of the 100 objects can be seen during the course of an evening.

Who’s completed the Top-100 Challenge?

1. Michael Poll – 2018 October; ASSA Pretoria Centre
2. Percy Jacobs – 2013 September; ASSA Pretoria Centre
3. Louis Kloke – 2013 September; ASSA Pretoria Centre
4. Michael Moller – 2013 September; ASSA Pretoria Centre
5. George Dehlen – 2013 March; ASSA Pretoria Centre

Photographing the Top-100

 

 

 

The Top-100 Deep-Sky Objects

N	ID	Other designations	Ben	Type	Mag	Size	Con/td>	RA	Dec
1	NGC 55	LEDA 1014	1	Glxy	7.9	32’x5.6’	Scl	00 15	–39 11
2	NGC 104	47 Tucanae	2	Glcl	4.5	31’	Tuc	00 24	– 72 05
3	NGC 247	LEDA 2758	3	Glxy	8.9	18’ x 5’	Cet	00 47	– 20 46
4	NGC 246	PN G118.8-74.7		Plnb	8.5	4’ x 3.5’	Cet	00 47	– 11 53
5	NGC 253	Silver Coin	4	Glxy	7.1	22’ x 6’	Scl	00 48	– 25 17
6	NGC 288	Mel 3	5	Glcl	8.1	14’	Scl	00 53	– 26 35
7	SMC			Glxy	2.3	5° x 3°	Tuc	00 53	– 72 50
8	NGC 362	Mel 4	7	Glcl	6.6	13’	Tuc	01 03	– 70 51
9	NGC 1068	M 77	9	Glxy	8.9	7.1’ x 6.0’	Cet	02 43	– 00 01
10	NGC 1261	GCl 5	11	Glcl	8.4	7’	Hor	03 12	– 55 13
11	NGC 1291	NGC 1269	12	Glxy	9	11’	Eri	03 17	– 41 08
12	NGC 1316	Fornax A	14	Glxy	8.5	12‘ x 8.5’	For	03 23	– 37 12
13	NGC 1365	LEDA 13179	16	Glxy	9.5	9’ x 4’	For	03 34	– 36 08
14	NGC 1535	PN G206.4-40.5	22	Plnb	9.3	20” x 17”	Eri	04 14	– 12 44
15	NGC 1851	GCl 9	32	Glcl	7.3	11’	Col	05 14	– 40 03
16	LMC			Glxy	0.5	11° x 9°	Dor	05 24	– 69 45
17	NGC 1904	M 79	34	Glcl	8.4	3’	Lep	05 25	– 24 33
18	NGC 1976	Orion Nebula, M 42		BrtN	2.9	1.1° x 1°	Ori	05 35	– 05 27
19	NGC 1977			BrtN	4.6	20’ x 10’	Ori	05 36	– 04 52
20	NGC 2070	Tarantula Nebula	35	BrtN		40’	Dor	05 39	– 69 06
21	NGC 2287	Messier 41		OpCl	4.6	38’	CMa	06 46	– 20 46
22	NGC 2362	Tau CMa cluster		OpCl	4.1	8’	CMa	07 19	– 24 57
23	NGC 2422	Messier 47		OpCl	4.5	30’	Pup	07 37	– 14 30
24	NGC 2437	Messier 46		OpCl	6.1	27’	Pup	07 42	– 14 49
25	NGC 2451	VdB-H 9		OpCl	2.8	45’	Pup	07 45	– 37 58
26	NGC 2447	M 93		OpCl	6.2	22’	Pup	07 45	– 23 52
27	NGC 2477	VdB-H 13		OpCl	5.7	27’	Pup	07 52	– 38 33
28	NGC 2516	OCl 776.0		OpCl	3.8	30	Car	07 58	– 60 52
29	NGC 2547			OpCl	4.7	20’	Vel	08 11	– 49 16
30	NGC 2548	M 48		OpCl	5.8	55’	Hya	08 14	– 05 48
31	IC 2391	omicron Vel Cluster		OpCl	2.5	50’	Vel	08 40	– 53 04
32	NGC 2808	GCl 13	41	Glcl	6.3	14’	Car	09 12	– 64 52
33	NGC 2818	PN G261.9+08.5		OpCl	8.2	9’	Pyx	09 16	– 36 37
34	IC 2488	VdB-H 69		OpCl	7.4	15’	Vel	09 28	– 56 59
35	NGC 3114	VdB-H 86		OpCl	4.2	35’	Car	10 03	– 60 07
36	NGC 3115	Spindle Galaxy	42	Glxy	8.9	7.2’ x2.5’	Sex	10 05	– 07 43
37	NGC 3132	Eight-Burst Nebula	43	Plnb	8.2	84” x 53”	Vel	10 08	– 40 26
38	NGC 3201	GCl 15	44	Glcl	6.8	18’	Vel	10 18	– 46 25
39	NGC 3242	Ghost of Jupiter	45	Plnb	8.6	16”	Hya	10 25	– 18 38
40	IC 2581	VdB-H 97		OpCl	4.3	8’	Car	10 27	– 57 38
41	NGC 3293	Cr 224		OpCl	4.7	40	Car	10 36	– 58 14
42	NGC 3324	Ced 108		BrtN	6.7	6’	Car	10 37	– 58 38
43	IC 2602	Southern Pleiades		OpCl	1.9	50’	Car	10 43	– 64 24
44	NGC 3372	eta Carinae Nebula		BrtN	5	120’	Car	10 44	– 59 52
45	NGC 3532	VdB-H 109		OpCl	3	55’	Car	11 06	– 58 40
46	NGC 3766	BRAN 360, VdB-H 120		OpCl	5.3	12	Cen	11 36	– 61 37
47	NGC 3918	Blue Planetary		Plnb	8.4	12	Cen	11 50	– 57 11
48	NGC 4361	PN G294.1+43.6		Plnb	10.3	45”	Crv	12 25	– 18 48
49	Black Python	SDC 301.0-08.6c		DrkN	–	80’ x 3’	Mus	12 27	– 71 25
50	NGC 4594	Sombrero, M 104	52	Glxy	8	8.7’ x 3.5’	Vir	12 40	– 11 37
51	Coalsack			DrkN	–	6.5° x 5°	Cru	12 53	– 63 00
52	NGC 4755	Herschel’s Jewel Box		OpCl	4.2	10’	Cru	12 54	– 60 20
53	NGC 4833	GCl 21	56	Glcl	7.4	14’	Mus	13 00	– 70 53
54	NGC 4945	LEDA 45279	57	Glxy	8.3	20’ x 3.8’	Cen	13 05	– 49 28
55	NGC 5128	Centaurus A	60	Glxy	7	18’ x 14’	Cen	13 26	– 43 01
56	NGC 5139	Omega Centauri	61	Glcl	3.7	36’	Cen	13 27	– 47 29
57	NGC 5189	IC 4274	62	Plnb	10.3	2.6’	Mus	13 34	– 65 59
58	NGC 5236	M 83	63	Glxy	7.5	13’ x 11’	Hya	13 37	– 29 52
59	NGC 5281	VdB-H 152		OpCl	5.9	5’	Cen	13 47	– 62 54
60	NGC 5460	C 1404-480		OpCl	5.6	25’	Cen	14 08	– 48 19
61	NGC 5662	VdB-H 162		OpCl	5.5	12’	Cen	14 35	– 56 33
62	NGC 5822	VdB-H 168, Mel 130		OpCl	6.5	40’	Lup	15 05	– 54 21
63	NGC 5823	VdB-H 169, Mel 131		OpCl	7.9	10’	Cir	15 06	– 55 36
64	Barnard 228	Be 148		DrkN	–	4° x 20’	Lup	15 45	– 34 24
65	NGC 6025	VdB-H 181		OpCl	5.1	12’	TrA	16 04	– 60 30
66	NGC 6067	Mel 140		OpCl	5.6	13’	Nor	16 13	– 54 13
67	NGC 6087	S Norma Cluster		OpCl	5.4	12’	Nor	16 19	– 57 54
68	NGC 6121	Me 4, GCl 41	75	Glcl	6	26’	Sco	16 24	– 26 32
69	NGC 6124	C 1622-405		OpCl	5.8	29’	Sco	16 26	– 40 40
70	NGC 6193	VdB-H 195		OpCl	5.2	15’	Ara	16 41	– 48 46
71	NGC 6218	M 12	80	Glcl	6.6	15’	Oph	16 47	– 01 57
72	NGC 6231	VdB-H 201		OpCl	2.6	15’	Sco	16 54	– 41 48
73	NGC 6254	Me 10	83	Glcl	6.6	15’	Oph	16 57	– 04 06
74	NGC 6266	Me 62, GCl 51	85	Glcl	6.6	14’	Oph	17 01	– 30 07
75	NGC 6273	M 19, GCl 52	86	Glcl	7.1	14’	Oph	17 03	– 26 16
76	NGC 6281	Cr 324		OpCl	5.4	8’	Sco	17 05	– 37 54
77	B 59-78	Pipe Nebula		DrkN	–	7°	Oph	17 25	– 26 30
78	NGC 6405	Butterfly Cluster, M 6		OpCl	4.2	15’	Sco	17 40	– 32 13
79	NGC 6397	GCl 74	98	Glcl	5.6	26’	Ara	17 41	– 53 40
80	NGC 6475	Ptolemy’s Cluster, M 7		OpCl	3.3	80’	Sco	17 54	– 34 49
81	NGC 6494	M 23		OpCl	5.5	27’	Sgr	17 57	– 19 01
82	NGC 6514	Trifid Nebula, M 20		BrtN	8.5	29’ x 27’	Sgr	18 03	– 23 02
83	NGC 6523	Lagoon Nebula, M 8		BrtN	5.8	1.5° x 0.7°	Sgr	18 04	– 24 23
84	NGC 6531	M 21		OpCl	5.9	13’	Sgr	18 05	– 22 30
85	NGC 6541	GCl 86		Glcl	6.6	13’	CrA	18 08	– 43 42
86	NGC 6584	GCl 92	107	Glcl	9.2	8’	Tel	18 19	– 52 13
87	NGC 6618	Omega Nebula, M 17	108	BrtN	7	0.8° x 0.6°	Sgr	18 21	– 16 11
88	IC 4715	M 24		*cld	3.1	95’ x 35’	Sgr	18 27	– 18 23
89	IC 4725	M 25		OpCl	4.6	32’	Sgr	18 32	– 19 15
90	NGC 6656	M 22	114	Glcl	5.1	24’	Sgr	18 36	– 23 54
91	NGC 6705	Wild Duck Cluster, M 11	116	OpCl	5.8	14’	Sct	18 51	– 06 16
92	NGC 6723	ESO 396-SC010	119	Glcl	7.2	11’	Sgr	18 59	– 36 38
93	R CrA	DCld359.8-17.9		DrkN	–	110’ x 28’	CrA	19 02	– 37 03
94	NGC 6744	LEDA 62836	120	Glxy	9	15’ x 10’	Pav	19 10	– 63 51
95	NGC 6752	GCl 108	121	Glcl	5.4	20’	Pav	19 11	– 59 59
96	NGC 6809	M 55	122	Glcl	7	19’	Sgr	19 40	– 30 58
97	Melotte 227	Cr 411		OpCl	5.3	50’	Oct	20 12	– 79 19
98	NGC 7089	M 2	127	Glcl	6.5	13’	Aqr	21 34	– 00 49
99	NGC 7099	M 30	128	Glcl	7.5	11’	Cap	21 40	– 23 11
100	NGC 7293	Helix Nebula	129	Plnb	6.5	15’ x 12’	Aqr	22 30	– 20 48