Coma Berenices, “Berenice’s Hair,” presents the naked eye with a fun array of stars to look at beyond Leo’s tail. Unlike Leo or Ursa Major, Coma Berenices is a fairly compact constellation that, nonetheless, abounds with deep sky objects for astronomers to enjoy.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The extensive Virgo Galaxy Cluster occupies part of the “Hair,” leading to plenty of targets. Another factor is that Coma Berenices marks the direction of the Milky Way’s North Pole. Accordingly, this region marks where we’re looking directly away from the galactic arm that crosses our view of the summer skies. Consequently, we’re able to see distant galaxies that would otherwise be obscured in other parts of the sky.

We can get a look toward some of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster components toward the southwest corner of the constellation. One is M100, one of the largest spiral galaxies in the cluster. Discovered in 1781, it appeared “pearly white” to an initial observer, an unusual observation considering the limited amount of light that galaxies present. Despite this hint of unusual brightness, M100’s shape was not easy to identify, as it appeared largely as a round glow. It wasn’t until 1850 that it became categorized as a spiral galaxy. An interesting facet of its structure is in the width of its arms — estimated to be about twice the width as that of the Milky Way’s.

M88 is another bright spiral galaxy in the cluster; with multiple arms and a core almost appearing star-like. Some observers report this to be an easy viewing object, taking higher magnification well. A third cluster galaxy worth searching out with a telescope is M85, another bright galaxy to spot with a telescope. Found in 1781, M85 is an elliptical galaxy, with an ellipsoidal shape that evades the neat patterns discerned within the spiral galaxies.

Looking beyond Coma Berenices’ corner takes us to other sights that are great for sky watchers this season.

To the north of the first three galaxies is the spiral galaxy NGC 4565. It’s positioned edge-on to our perspective from a distance of about 20 million light-years. NGC 4565’s nucleus has a condensed form, to the point of appearing star-like to some viewers. Images reveal long bands of dust along the entire width of the arms’ span.

Toward the center of Coma is an object regarded as one of the best for viewing with small telescopes. M64 was discovered in 1779 and quickly charted as a “small nebulous star.”

It wasn’t until subsequent observations of M64 that its unique profile was seen. That led this bright and massive spiral galaxy to become a favorite target of observers. A good look to its nucleus, with a medium-sized telescope, shows a massive dust cloud — causing M64 to be commonly referred to as the “Black Eye Galaxy.” Imaging can reveal intricate details within this cloud.

Finally, near Coma Berenices’ eastern border is M53; not a galaxy, it’s actually a rich globular cluster. This was found with a small telescope in 1775 and promptly described as “new nebula appearing ... round and pretty lively.”

This bright cluster has a condensed formation that appears as a ball shape in low-power views. Using a medium-sized telescope can resolve M53 into a swarm of tiny stars from its distance of 65,000 light-years.

If you gaze

Interested in a telescope view of Saturn, Coma’s galaxies, or any other great cosmic views? Then visit Heart of the Valley Astronomers at our next stargazing night. If the sky is clear, we will set up our scopes by the baseball field at Adair County Park on Saturday. Stargazing starts at 9:30 p.m. and is a free family-oriented event.

More information on this event is posted on our website, www.hvaastronomy.com

Questions that you might have about astronomy can be answered by contacting us at 766-6048 or e-mailing mcgettis@peak.org.