Deep-Sky Catalogs

starward provides access to four major deep-sky object catalogs containing galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and other non-stellar objects.

Catalog Overview

Catalog	Command	Objects	Description
Messier	messier	110	Classic catalog by Charles Messier
NGC	ngc	~7,840	New General Catalogue
IC	ic	~5,386	Index Catalogue (NGC supplement)
Caldwell	caldwell	109	Patrick Moore's complement to Messier

Object Types

All catalogs categorize objects by type:

Type	Description
galaxy	Spiral, elliptical, irregular galaxies
globular_cluster	Dense spherical star clusters
open_cluster	Loose stellar associations
planetary_nebula	Shells ejected by dying stars
emission_nebula	Gas clouds glowing from stellar radiation
reflection_nebula	Dust clouds reflecting starlight
dark_nebula	Opaque dust clouds
supernova_remnant	Expanding debris from stellar explosions
star_cloud	Dense regions of the Milky Way

---

messier — Messier Catalog

The 110 Messier objects cataloged by Charles Messier in the 18th century, comprising the finest deep-sky objects visible from mid-northern latitudes.

messier list

List Messier objects with optional filters.

starward messier list [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
--type TYPE	Filter by object type
--constellation CODE	Filter by constellation (3-letter code)
--magnitude MAG	Show objects brighter than magnitude

Examples:

# List all Messier objects
starward messier list

# List only galaxies
starward messier list --type galaxy

# Objects in Sagittarius
starward messier list --constellation Sgr

# Bright objects (mag < 6)
starward messier list --magnitude 6

# Combine filters
starward messier list --type globular_cluster --magnitude 7

messier show

Display detailed information about a Messier object.

starward messier show NUMBER

Arguments:

Argument	Description
NUMBER	Messier number (1-110)

Example:

starward messier show 31

Output:

M 31 — Andromeda Galaxy
────────────────────────────────────────
  Type            galaxy
  Constellation   And
  Coordinates     00h 42m 44.3s  +41° 16′ 09″
  Magnitude       3.4
  Size            178.0′ × 63.0′
  Distance        2.54 Mly
  NGC             224
────────────────────────────────────────

messier search

Search Messier objects by name, type, or constellation.

starward messier search QUERY [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

Argument	Description
QUERY	Search term (case-insensitive)

Options:

Option	Description
--limit N	Maximum results (default: 25)

Examples:

# Search by common name
starward messier search "orion"
starward messier search "ring"

# Search by type
starward messier search "galaxy"

# Search by constellation
starward messier search "Sgr"

messier altitude

Calculate the current altitude of a Messier object.

starward messier altitude NUMBER [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
--lat FLOAT	Observer latitude (degrees)
--lon FLOAT	Observer longitude (degrees)
--observer NAME	Use named observer profile
--jd FLOAT	Julian Date (default: now)

Example:

starward messier altitude 31 --lat 40.7 --lon -74.0

messier rise / transit / set

Calculate rise, transit, or set times for a Messier object.

starward messier rise NUMBER [OPTIONS]
starward messier transit NUMBER [OPTIONS]
starward messier set NUMBER [OPTIONS]

Options: Same as altitude command.

Example:

starward messier transit 42 --observer greenwich

---

ngc — NGC Catalog

The New General Catalogue containing approximately 7,840 deep-sky objects, the primary professional reference catalog.

ngc list

List NGC objects with optional filters.

starward ngc list [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
--type TYPE	Filter by object type
--constellation CODE	Filter by constellation
--magnitude MAG	Show objects brighter than magnitude
--limit N	Maximum results

Examples:

# List NGC objects (default limit applies)
starward ngc list

# Planetary nebulae
starward ngc list --type planetary_nebula

# Bright galaxies in Virgo
starward ngc list --type galaxy --constellation Vir --magnitude 11

ngc show

Display detailed information about an NGC object.

starward ngc show NUMBER

Example:

starward ngc show 7000

Output:

NGC 7000 — North America Nebula
────────────────────────────────────────
  Type            emission_nebula
  Constellation   Cyg
  Coordinates     20h 59m 17.1s  +44° 31′ 44″
  Magnitude       4.0
  Size            120.0′ × 100.0′
  Messier         —
────────────────────────────────────────

ngc search

Search NGC objects by name, type, or constellation.

starward ngc search QUERY [OPTIONS]

Examples:

starward ngc search "veil"
starward ngc search "cygnus"
starward ngc search "galaxy"

ngc stats

Display catalog statistics.

starward ngc stats

Output:

NGC Catalog Statistics
────────────────────────────────────────
  Total objects     7,840

  By Type:
    galaxy              5,234
    open_cluster          632
    globular_cluster      152
    planetary_nebula      245
    emission_nebula       412
    ...
────────────────────────────────────────

ngc altitude / rise / transit / set

Calculate visibility for NGC objects. Same options as Messier commands.

starward ngc altitude 7000 --lat 51.5 --lon 0
starward ngc transit 224 --observer greenwich

---

ic — IC Catalog

The Index Catalogue containing approximately 5,386 objects, serving as a supplement to the NGC.

ic list

List IC objects with optional filters.

starward ic list [OPTIONS]

Options: Same as ngc list.

Examples:

# Dark nebulae
starward ic list --type dark_nebula

# Objects in Orion
starward ic list --constellation Ori

ic show

Display detailed information about an IC object.

starward ic show NUMBER

Example:

starward ic show 434

Output:

IC 434 — Horsehead Nebula
────────────────────────────────────────
  Type            dark_nebula
  Constellation   Ori
  Coordinates     05h 40m 59.0s  −02° 27′ 30″
  Magnitude       —
  Size            60.0′ × 10.0′
────────────────────────────────────────

ic search / stats / altitude / rise / transit / set

Same interface as NGC commands.

starward ic search "horsehead"
starward ic stats
starward ic altitude 434 --lat 40.7 --lon -74.0

---

caldwell — Caldwell Catalog

The 109 Caldwell objects compiled by Sir Patrick Moore, featuring deep-sky objects not included in the Messier catalog.

caldwell list

List Caldwell objects with optional filters.

starward caldwell list [OPTIONS]

Options: Same as other catalogs.

Examples:

# List all Caldwell objects
starward caldwell list

# Southern hemisphere objects
starward caldwell list --constellation Car

# Bright galaxies
starward caldwell list --type galaxy --magnitude 9

caldwell show

Display detailed information about a Caldwell object.

starward caldwell show NUMBER

Example:

starward caldwell show 14

Output:

C 14 — Double Cluster
────────────────────────────────────────
  Type            open_cluster
  Constellation   Per
  Coordinates     02h 20m 00.0s  +57° 08′ 00″
  Magnitude       4.3
  Size            60.0′
  NGC             869
────────────────────────────────────────

caldwell search / stats / altitude / rise / transit / set

Same interface as other catalog commands.

starward caldwell search "sculptor"
starward caldwell stats
starward caldwell transit 14 --observer greenwich

---

Cross-References

Many objects appear in multiple catalogs. The show command displays cross-references:

starward messier show 31    # Shows NGC 224
starward ngc show 224       # Shows M 31
starward caldwell show 14   # Shows NGC 869

For searching across all catalogs simultaneously, use the find command.

---

JSON Output

All commands support JSON output for scripting:

starward --json messier show 31
starward --json ngc list --type galaxy --limit 10
starward --json caldwell stats

Example JSON:

{
  "number": 31,
  "name": "Andromeda Galaxy",
  "type": "galaxy",
  "constellation": "And",
  "ra_hours": 0.7123,
  "dec_degrees": 41.2692,
  "magnitude": 3.4,
  "ngc_number": 224
}

---

Tips

Finding Objects

# Find an object by common name
starward messier search "whirlpool"
starward ngc search "ring nebula"

# Find all objects in a constellation
starward ngc list --constellation Ori
starward messier list --constellation Sgr

Planning Observations

# Check if object is above horizon
starward messier altitude 42 --lat 40.7 --lon -74.0

# Find transit time (best viewing)
starward ngc transit 7000 --lat 51.5 --lon 0

# List bright objects for tonight
starward messier list --magnitude 8

Scripting

# Get coordinates for planetarium software
starward --json messier show 31 | jq '{ra: .ra_hours, dec: .dec_degrees}'

# Export list of galaxies
starward --json ngc list --type galaxy --magnitude 12 > galaxies.json

---

Next: Star Catalog — Hipparcos bright stars