As it has been nearly year of observing from home in COVID-19 quarantine, it would be a great idea to provide some information on some objects that one can view from home throughout the year. Regardless of COVID-19, one can not always make it out to dark sky places to observe so we thought it would be a smart idea to provide some targets that one can view from a porch or backyard with your amateur astronomy gear.

Some constellations have more objects that are visible from a light polluted sky, while others only have 1. Every constellation has their own times to best view these objects. Viewing conditions and light pollution levels will change depending on where one is observing from.

This does not include the Moon or planets such as Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn, that move throughout the skies. But these are simply objects in constellations that one can view consistently throughout the year.

Number Of Objects	Constellations
1 Object	Scutum, Aries, Sculptor, Monoceros, Lynx, Puppis, Corona Borealis, Ophiuchus, Pegasus, Delphinus, Vulpecula, and Sagitta
2 Objects	Eridanus, Auriga, Draco, Hydra, Perseus, Centaurus, Cepheus, Coma Berenices, and Serpens
3 Objects	Andromeda, Aquarius, Canis Major, Cygnus, Gemini, Boötes, Cassiopeia, Lepus, and Lyra
4 Objects	Cancer, Hercules, Orion, Taurus, and Ursa Major
5 Objects	Canes Venatici
6 Objects	Sagittarius, and Virgo
7 Objects	Scorpius
9 Objects	Leo

Table 2 below maps how many constellations have a number of objects that are visible in light polluted skies.

Number Of Objects	Number Of Constellations
1	12
2	9
3	9
4	5
5	1
6	2
7	1
9	1

Here is a quick breakdown of object type.

Object Type	Number Of Objects
Galaxy	19
Double Star	33
Open Cluster	13
Multiple Star	10
Star	11
Nebula	4
Planetary Nebula	7
Globular Cluster	11
Quasar	1
Starcloud	1

Here’s a great time to view each object type, which we have grouped into general seasons.

Season	Constellations
Spring	Cancer, Canes Venatici, Centaurus, Coma Berenices, Hydra, Leo, Lynx, Ursa Major, and Virgo
Summer	Boötes, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Draco, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Scutum, and Serpens
Fall	Andromeda, Aquarius, Cygnus, Cepheus, Delphinus, Pegasus, and Vulpecula
Winter	Aries, Auriga, Canis Major, Eridanus, Lepus, Monoceros, Orion, Perseus, Puppis, Sculptor, and Taurus

This was based on an article in Sky And Telescope. If you’re interested in learning how amateur astronomy clubs are handling meetings during COVID-19, check out our article on the subject. Make sure to come back to CosmosPNW shortly to learn more about these objects and many more fascinating topics!

What are your favorite objects to view from light polluted skies? Let us know your favorites below!