Deep sky challenge A challenging hunt for a treasure trove of treats in the icy sky
A challenging hunt for a treasure trove of treats in the icy late-autumn sky
There are many bright and obvious deep-sky objects in the sky around this time of year that telescopes are drawn to over and over again. The Orion Nebula is a stunning sight through any telescope large or small, and the Pleiades star cluster is a glittering spectacle through any eyepiece too. But if you can bear to drag your frost-bitten eyes away from those celebrity objects there are other sights well worth your attention, especially in and around Taurus.
The Crab Nebula has to be on every deep-sky observer’s must-see list as Christmas approaches, and with a large telescope a lot of detail emerges out of its misty smudge – even its vaguely crablike shape. Train your large telescope on the Pleiades, fitted with your highest quality highpower eyepiece, and you’ll see its brighter stars are embedded in clouds of pale grey-blue nebulosity.
Elsewhere, close to the sharply pointed horns of Taurus, the little-known ‘Pirate Moon Cluster’ is overshadowed by its brighter, attention-seeking neighbours, but again it is well worth a look through a large telescope on a night with good clarity and no Moon drowning the sky with its light.
1 The Crab Nebula (Messier 1)
This magnitude 8.0 smudge is all that remains of a star that blew up, visible as a supernova in the year 1054. A large telescope and high magnification shows delicate tendrils of gas and dust within it.
2 Hind’s Variable Nebula (NGC 1555)
Close to the star T Tauri, this small reflection nebula looks like a very faint, misty curve of light through a large telescope, but requires perfect conditions on a Moon-free night to see it.
3 Nebulosity in the Pleiades (Messier 45)
A large telescope’s wide-field eyepiece is necessary to show the ghostly clouds of gas and dust which the Pleiades star cluster is currently flying through, 430 light years away from Earth.
4 NGC 1807 and 1817
These two ninth-magnitude open clusters are known to some observers as ‘The Poor Man’s Double Cluster’. Your best view will be through your large telescope’s best medium-power eyepiece.
5 Pansy Nebula (NGC 1514)
This ninth-magnitude planetary nebula requires high magnification through a large telescope and a very dark sky to reveal bright blobs inside it.
6 Pirate Moon Cluster (NGC 1647)
This scattered open cluster is neglected by many observers due to its proximity to the Hyades and Pleiades, but low magnification through a large telescope reveals its 100-plus stars.