NGC 6822 -- Barnard's Galaxy in Sagittarius
Barnard’s Dwarf Galaxy
In the Local Group of galaxies, the Milky Way and Andromeda (M31) galaxies dominate by
their sheer size and mass. Most of the remaining 54+ galaxies in the Local Group are
composed of far fewer stars and are referred to as dwarf galaxies. Barnard’s Galaxy
(NGC 6822) is one of the easiest of these dwarf galaxies to find in the northern celestial
hemisphere.
Under good skies at a local park, Barnard’s Galaxy was not difficult to find with the 110mm
refractor. The trick is to use low power that gives a wide two-degree field-of-view or more
at the eyepiece. The galaxy dissolves into the background when higher magnification is
applied.
The Little Gem (NGC 6818) is a tiny Planetary Nebula that resides 35 arcminutes north of
Barnard’s Galaxy. Unlike Barnard’s Galaxy the Little Gem requires significant magnification
before its charms materialize. These very different deep sky objects make a nice contrasting
pair to observe without having to move the telescope much.
their sheer size and mass. Most of the remaining 54+ galaxies in the Local Group are
composed of far fewer stars and are referred to as dwarf galaxies. Barnard’s Galaxy
(NGC 6822) is one of the easiest of these dwarf galaxies to find in the northern celestial
hemisphere.
Under good skies at a local park, Barnard’s Galaxy was not difficult to find with the 110mm
refractor. The trick is to use low power that gives a wide two-degree field-of-view or more
at the eyepiece. The galaxy dissolves into the background when higher magnification is
applied.
The Little Gem (NGC 6818) is a tiny Planetary Nebula that resides 35 arcminutes north of
Barnard’s Galaxy. Unlike Barnard’s Galaxy the Little Gem requires significant magnification
before its charms materialize. These very different deep sky objects make a nice contrasting
pair to observe without having to move the telescope much.