Deep sky challenge
There’s more to the Bull than the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters – just look a little deeper
On frosty January nights, Taurus’ glittering Hyades and Pleiades star clusters, two of the most famous and beloved deep-sky objects in the whole of the sky, demand attention. Peering into their telescopes, clapping their hands together for warmth, many deep-sky observers are happy just to gaze at the picture-perfect pair through their telescopes, ignoring the rest of the sky. But if you take a moment to look away from them, there are plenty of other fascinating things to look at around those two famous clusters.
The supernova remnant of the Crab Nebula (Messier 1) is a popular target for deep-sky observers throughout the winter months, even if it bears only a passing resemblance to the scuttling creature it is named after and is a lot fainter and more challenging to see than many inexperienced observers expect when they look for it for the first time.
Lurking between the sharp horns of the Bull is NGC 1615, a faint but pretty galaxy, close to a little-known open star cluster known as the Pirate Moon Cluster. The Crystal Ball Nebula, a planetary nebula would be much more popular if it wasn’t overshadowed by the sparkling haze of the nearby Seven Sisters (Messier 45).
NGC 1807 and NGC 1817
Nicknamed ‘the Poor Man’s Double Cluster’, this neighbouring pair of scattered open star clusters is technically bright enough to be seen in binoculars, but a telescope’s wide-field eyepiece gives by far the best views.
The Crab Nebula (Messier 1)
You’ll need a medium-aperture telescope, high magnification and dark skies to see the delicate, wispy structure in the outer regions of this famous eighthmagnitude supernova remnant.
NGC 1647
Some 1,800 light years away, the Pirate Moon Cluster is a +6.5 irregular spray of colourful stars that is overshadowed by the nearby Pleiades. A medium-power eyepiece reveals the cluster’s faint outer members.
NGC 1615
Views of this 11th-magnitude elliptical galaxy, 159 million light years from Earth, are reserved for large-aperture telescopes on nights of excellent seeing. Even then it is just a small, irregular smudge, however.
NGC 1514
This tenth-magnitude planetary nebula is known as the Crystal Ball Nebula because of the pretty and delicate structures and mottling within it, but you’ll need a large telescope and a highpower eyepiece to see them.
NGC 1746
Roughly 2,600 light years away, this open cluster contains around 20 stars, spread thinly over a wide area. Its low surface brightness means you’ll need good seeing and a mediumaperture telescope to see all its members properly.
“There are plenty of other fascinating things to look at around those two famous clusters”