Suggested Searches

May

These night-sky objects are visible in May. We invite you to find them and compare your view to Hubble's!

The Milky Way above Devil's Tower National Monument.
NPS / Damon Joyce

Hubble's Night Sky Challenge is a year-round observing adventure for amateur astronomers to commemorate 35 years of Hubble science and discoveries. This challenge can also serve as a guide for star parties. Below, you’ll find a list of Messier and Caldwell night sky targets visible during May that Hubble has imaged over the years for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere observers.

Helpful Tips

  • Some objects may be visible from most locations on Earth, while others are only visible at specific latitudes and may not be accessible for those in other parts of the world. This page has two lists of recommended targets: one for the Northern Hemisphere and another for the Southern Hemisphere. For best results, we recommend using the list that corresponds to the part of the world you live in.
  • If the name of the object starts with an "M," it's part of the Messier catalog; names that start with "C" are part of the Caldwell catalog.
  • A difficulty scale of 1-3 denotes how easy an object is to find: 1 is the easiest and 3 the hardest. The easiest targets for each hemisphere are listed first, and the most difficult ones are listed last.

Northern Hemisphere Objects

These night sky objects are visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere.

A spiral galaxy seen from overhead, with its two major arms spiraling out from its bright white core. At the end of the arm on the right is another bright white blob, this is a second galaxy. The arms are bluish and purple, peppered with countless stars.

M51: Whirlpool Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Large galaxy that's globular in shape, the closer to the center you get the brighter and whiter the image due to the amount of stars. Stars are everywhere in this image, of all sorts of colors.

M53

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A spiral galaxy fills the image. Dark spiral arms dotted with brown dust and pinkish bursts of stars surround a bright core.

M64: Black Eye Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

A bright hazy, oblate ball of stars fills the scene. Its core is bright white. Around the equator is a disk of bright stars and dark dust. The dust lane is prominent and bisects the sphere of stars.

M104: Sombrero Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Large grouping of stars and bluish dust and gas. Near the center the stars create a bright white light. Galaxy is a amorphous blob.

C21

Object Type: Irregular Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Long thin side view of a galaxy. On the left side, a larger part of it, closer to the central core. Lots of gas and dust surrounding countless stars. The stars softly stretch out to the right of the image.

C32: Whale Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

An elliptical galaxy emits a bright white glow that surrounds it like a halo.

C52

Object Type: Elliptical Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

A bright, yellowish galaxy core shines near the center, with a faint jet of material ejecting toward the right.

M87

Object Type: Elliptical Galaxy
Difficulty: 3

Southern Hemisphere Objects

These night sky objects are visible to viewers in the Southern Hemisphere.

A compact spherical cluster of so many stars that their light blurs together.

C80: Omega Centauri

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Several bright white stars with x-shaped spikes of light are located to the left of the image. A few more, inclucing some reddish stars, are at the edge of the image to the right. Smaller scattered stars are in the background against black space.

C94: Jewel Box

Object Type: Open Cluster
Difficulty: 1

A spiral galaxy seen from overhead, with its two major arms spiraling out from its bright white core. At the end of the arm on the right is another bright white blob, this is a second galaxy. The arms are bluish and purple, peppered with countless stars.

M51: Whirlpool Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Large galaxy that's globular in shape, the closer to the center you get the brighter and whiter the image due to the amount of stars. Stars are everywhere in this image, of all sorts of colors.

M53

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A spiral galaxy fills the image. Dark spiral arms dotted with brown dust and pinkish bursts of stars surround a bright core.

M64: Black Eye Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

A bright hazy, oblate ball of stars fills the scene. Its core is bright white. Around the equator is a disk of bright stars and dark dust. The dust lane is prominent and bisects the sphere of stars.

M104: Sombrero Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Large grouping of stars and bluish dust and gas. Near the center the stars create a bright white light. Galaxy is a amorphous blob.

C21

Object Type: Irregular Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Long thin side view of a galaxy. On the left side, a larger part of it, closer to the central core. Lots of gas and dust surrounding countless stars. The stars softly stretch out to the right of the image.

C32: Whale Galaxy

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

An elliptical galaxy emits a bright white glow that surrounds it like a halo.

C52

Object Type: Elliptical Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

C77 is a mixture of prominent dark dust lanes and bright yellow glowing areas sprinkled with red groupings of stars.

C77: Centaurus A

Object Type: Peculiar Galaxy
Difficulty: 2

Scattered blue and white stars against a black background. A black line runs horizontally through the image.

C108

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A bright, yellowish galaxy core shines near the center, with a faint jet of material ejecting toward the right.

M87

Object Type: Elliptical Galaxy
Difficulty: 3