Featured Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz, M. Mountain, A. Koekemoer, and the HFF Team (STScI)
1. Exploring The Wonders Of The Orion Nebula
Orion’s Belt is by far the easiest group of stars to spot.
It’s called an asterism by the way; a prominent, easy to spot group of stars that aren’t a full constellation, but might be part of one (like “Orion, the Hunter,” in this case).
Orion’s Belt is so easy to spot because it’s literally a distinct line of three very bright stars, that amateur astronomers often use it as a reference point to locate other objects in the sky. Makes sense, right?
You can see why here, in this picture we’ve put together to make it easy for you:
Look how clear it is. That row of 3 bright stars is something you can’t miss.
As for the Orion Nebula, the beautiful place you’re looking for that’s also known as Messier 42 or M42. It’s the green circle in the picture above.
Yep, all three of those spots of light in it make up the Orion Nebula.
The Orion Nebula is visible throughout the year from the United States, but its optimal visibility occurs during the winter months.
The best time to observe it is during December to February. However, it can still be observed from late September to early May. During these months, Orion rises in the east around 9-10 pm and remains visible throughout the night.
Beautiful Images of the Orion Nebula
I could look at these for hours. It’s just hypnotic.
Credit: Opo Terser, CC BY 2.0
Credit: Christina Irakleous, CC BY-SA 4.0
Credit: Jean Beaufort, CC0 Public Domain
2. The Mesmerizing Beauty Of The Whirlpool Galaxy
If you thought that was cool, now we’re going to look a a whole galaxy.
The Whirlpool Galaxy is just located off the tail of the Big Dipper, which is notoriously easy to spot because it’s very distinct.
You can’t really see it with the naked eye though and instructions are not the best way to find it, so we’ve made a handy picture for you:
You’ll need a telescope to see more than a faint smudge, which is what you’ll get if you try to look at it with big binoculars.
Choose a clear, moonless night to see this galaxy. Late spring and early summer months are the best time of the year for viewing.
Magnificent Images of the Whirlpool Galaxy
I could just look at these for hours. It’s just hypnotic.
Credit: F. Summers, J. DePasquale, and D. Player (STScI)
Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA
3. Finding Tranquility In The Sombrero Galaxy
To locate the Sombrero Galaxy, first you’ll want to locate the Virgo Constellation.
The best time of year to observe the Virgo constellation is during the spring months in the Northern Hemisphere (March to May) and in the autumn months in the Southern Hemisphere (September to November).
During these times, Virgo is well-placed in the night sky and is visible for longer periods.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Virgo rises in the east in the evening during spring and is high overhead in the late evening. Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, Virgo is visible during the evening in autumn and can be seen high overhead.
Here are the two best ways to find the Virgo Constellation:
A. Use the Stellarium Mobile Application (Both on Ios and Android).
This is hands down one of the best mobile application which will help you figure the cluster of stars and constellations when you look up the night sky.
Simply update your location in the application and point your phone towards the sky and it’ll tell you the constellation or the group of stars you are looking at.
You can move around, zoom in or out and select other features like the option for ‘Deep Space Objects’ to locate what you’re looking for. The application works offline although it’ll have access to limited data rather than with access to the internet.
B. Arc to Arcturus and Spike on to Spica
A simple way to locate the constellation Virgo is by remembering the helpful phrase, “arc to Arcturus and spike on to Spica.”
Begin by following the curved handle of the Big Dipper the prominent star Arcturus in the Boötes constellation. By staying on that same path, you will then come across Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.
From there, it becomes easier to identify the rest of the constellation. Spica is a bright star with a beautiful blue hue.
From Spica, sharply curve-in more towards the nearest bright star along the same angle of the arc you just traced (think like a 90 degree sharp turn in). What you’re looking at is the star Porrima in the Virgo constellation. From that you can trace the main box of Virgo constellation.
Between the two stars we’ve just looked at? Let’s call that the long side of the box. You can see it in the picture below that we’ve made for you.
Opposite that is a shorter side that we’ve labelled there as “short side.” The distance between the long side and short side is about the same as the distance from the long side outwards to the Sombrero galaxy. Go literally straight out at a 90 degree angle from the middle of that long side that very same distance, and you’ll be shaking your maracas before you know it. See the picture above again. We’ve labelled it with arrows so you can see what we mean.
Calming Images of the Sombrero Galaxy
There’s just something about these images that makes me feel deeply peaceful.
Credit: BOB
4. The Breathtaking Views From The Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula is hard to spot since there isn’t really anything near it that you can use to try and locate it. So I’d recommend to use the Stellarium app. You can actually just type it in and it’ll show you where it is when you point your phone towards the night sky. It’s super easy to align your telescope armed with an app like that in hand.
Here’s a picture of what you’ll see when you use the app for it.
Messier 16 or M16 you see there is the scientific name for the Eagle Nebula. That’s what shows up on the label when you search for the Eagle Nebula in that app. Don’t worry, they’re the same thing.
Captivating Images of the Eagle Nebula
The pillars of creation are indeed the highlight of the Eagle Nebula.
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Credit: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team
5. The Horsehead Nebula in All its Glory
This is a super easy one to spot. It’s right on Orion’s Belt. Don’t ask us why he has a horse head on his belt…
It’s not an exactly straight line and it dips like a really flat chevron (V-shape).
That’s the trick for figuring out which way up you’re looking (remember, star formations rotate all the way around during the course of the year!)
The Horsehead nebula is located just a little bit further from the star Alnitak. You can’t miss it.
Here’s a picture I’ve put together for you:
Breathtaking Images of the Horsehead Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
6. The Calmness of the Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula is another one that’s pretty easy to pinpoint. The nebula itself is quite distinct, rather than a faint smudge like they often can be.
It’s right between the two parallel (facing the same direction) arms of the “teapot” part of Sagittarius. These are the lines coming out of the spout and out of the top of that teapot.
Or, if you can imagine the classic bow-wielding centaur of the Sagittarius constellation, it’s between the head of the “arrow” and the tip of top limb of the bow.
It’s right there between those two stars that mark those points. We’ve made another diagram below so you get what we’re talking about. It’s that pink-reddish cloud we’ve circled. You can’t miss it.
Cool Images of the Lagoon Nebula
Cool like a lagoon!
Credit: .jpg){kind=link}
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Credit: NASA, ESA, ESO/Digitised Sky Survey 2, S. Brunier and S. Guisard
Credit: NASA, ESA, ESO/Digitised Sky Survey 2, S. Brunier and S. Guisard
Credit: NASA, ESA
7. The Trifid Nebula: The Lagoon Nebula’s Next Door Neighbour!
The Trifid nebula is right next to the Lagoon Nebula in the Sagittarius constellation. Just a touch further out.
Here’s a handy picture:
Cool Images of the Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula is within the box and located right next to the Lagoon Nebula.
Credit: D. Malin and the Anglo Australian Observatory/Royal Observatory, Edinburgh
Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
Credit: Mike Herbaut & the ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator
8. The Beautiful Eye of the Helix Nebula
If you think of the stick man that makes up Aquarius, look to its left leg that’s cut off at the thigh (if he’s facing toward you).
Head on down to where his feet would be and just beyond that you’ll see one of the brightest stars in the entire sky. It’s a double star, which is why it’s so bright.
The mid point between that ultra-bright beauty and the unfortunate cut-off stump of our poor pal Aquarius is where you’ll find the Helix Nebula. Once again, check out our diagram below if you’re unsure:
A Stunning Image of the Helix Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, C.R. O’Dell (Vanderbilt University), and M. Meixner, P. McCullough, and G. Bacon (Space Telescope Science Institute)
9. The Incredible Bubble Nebula
The Bubble Nebula is so close to us. Really. It’s only about 1.5 times the distance between us and the nearest star system to us, Alpha Centauri.
Look at the two stars that make the right side of the “W” of Casseiopeia. Trace it out the same distance again, and you’re really close.
It’s just a bit further out and away. A tiny bit.
Check out the chart and you’ll see:
Remarkable Images of the Bubble Nebula
Credit: ESA/Hubble, Digitized Sky Survey 2, Nick Risinger
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
Credit: ESA/Hubble, Digitized Sky Survey 2, Nick Risinger
Thanks for reading. Hope this has helped you all. Let me know if you have any places in space that are your absolute favorites.