Taurus’ treasures
There’s more to the Bull than the glittering Hyades and Pleiades star clusters
Many constellations are famous for one or two special deep-sky objects. Summer favourite Lyra is famous for the smoky circle of the Ring Nebula (Messier 57), while in winter Orion’s Orion Nebula and fainter Horsehead Nebula always delight observers, and to their east the squashed box of Cancer is home to Messier 44, the Beehive Cluster.
Mention Taurus to a deep-sky observer and they will wax lyrical about the beauty of its two large, bright open star clusters: the V-shaped Hyades cluster and the ‘mini Big Dipper’ of the Pleiades cluster. However, there are other deep-sky objects hidden around those that are well worth taking the time to find in your telescope eyepiece.
The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) is rightly famous, but its misty beauty is reserved for observers blessed with dark skies; if you live somewhere with skies that are spoiled by even low levels of light pollution you’ll struggle to find it. The other objects listed this month will all require mediumor large-aperture telescopes to see them, and dark skies with no Moon to wash out their faint light, but they’re a welcome diversion ‘off the beaten track’ if you can drag your telescope away from the beautiful jewelled sprays of the Hyades and Seven Sisters. As spring approaches, why not swing your telescope towards Taurus and find something different for a change.
NGC 1817
This faint and sparse open star cluster is close enough to NGC 1807 that together the two look like a double cluster. Both will fit in a low-power eyepiece, but each is little more than a spatter of a couple dozen stars.
NGC 1615
This 12th-magnitude elliptical galaxy close to the ‘horns’ of the Hyades looks like a small, slim oval smudge through large telescopes under dark skies. It lies about 154 million light years from the Milky Way.
IC 353
Just to the north of the Pleiades lies IC 353, a gaseous nebula 24 light years wide and 460 light years away. You’ll need a small- to medium-aperture telescope to see it as a short, faint wisp of nebulosity.
Crab Nebula (Messier 1)
Best seen in a large telescope, Messier 1 is the most famous supernova remnant in the sky, but at magnitude +8.4 and with a low surface brightness and small size, any light pollution or moonlight will drown it out.
NGC 1807
Little more than a loose spray of faint stars pressed up close against Taurus’ border with Orion, this +7.0 open cluster requires high magnification to isolate its members from the many background stars.
NGC 1514
With its faint outer edge and bright interior blobs and clumps, some think this magnitude +10.9 planetary nebula resembles a tiny open flower. You’ll need a medium- or large-aperture telescope to see it.