Category Archives: stargazing

Orion, Orion Nebula, stargazing
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I had an onslaught of relatives over the long holiday weekend (here in the U.S. we celebrate Presidents’ birthdays on the third Tuesday in February). My nephew brought his telescope along, and we did a little stargazing outside for as long as we could stand the cold weather. He’s starting to learn the constellations and a few of the brighter stars. Not that he needed the telescope to show us those things, but I think he wanted to show off his new acquisition.
Their visit was a nice break from show production. We’re working on a series of shows about stargazing and how easy it is, and we needed a bit of a break.

Orion in the wintry sky
Orion in the wintry sky

Stargazing is one of those things that I used to think everybody knew how to do. That was before I did lectures in the planetarium, back in grad school. Then I found out that people really don’t know much about the sky, other than “the sun sets in the west” kind of information. It’s kind of a shame that this knowledge isn’t really prized as much as it used to be, because the sky is up there, free for the gazing. Even through all the glow of light pollution, if you live in the city. I noticed when I was living and working in New York City, I was still able to make out a fair number of bright stars and planets each night (when it was clear).

I like winter stargazing because (for me, anyway) it brings Orion, the Hunter to my attention. My favorite constellation. It’s got it all: bright stars, a starbirth nebula, and an easily recognizable pattern.

A false-color view of the Orion Nebula from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
A false-color view of the Orion Nebula from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

So, go out tonight and check it out. If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, find the line of three stars (the “Belt” of Orion) and then look just below the belt. You’ll spot a fuzzy patch of light; that’s the Orion Nebula. It lies about 1,500 light-years away and is the nearest star-forming region to us. Here’s a false-color view of the nebula, as seen by the Spitzer Space Telescope in several wavelengths of infrared light.

stargazing

Snakes on a (Galactic) Plane

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While we’re waiting for the IAU to decide on the latest planet definitions, let’s turn our attention to a pair of constellations that lie in the southern part of the northern hemisphere sky at this time of year (mid to late summer): Ophiuchus and Serpens. They both lie near the plane of the galaxy, and believe me, finding a play on the words in the name of a popular movie and relating it to astronomy has been bugging me for days!

So, work with me here. It’s been a long, hot summer. You wanna see some other kinds of snakes on a plane? Step outside tonight, face south and look around for the familiar teapot of Sagittarius or the S-shaped sweep of Scorpius. Ophiuchus is just above the heart of the Scorpion, the red star Antares.

Courtesy of StarrySkies.com (and a link to a fine, large sky chart).
Courtesy of StarrySkies.com (and a link to a fine, large sky chart).

This chart shows you the general outlines of Ophiuchus and his ophidian companion. One half of the snake (Serpens Cauda) points toward Aquila the Eagle (with the bright star Altair), and the other half of the snake (Serpens Caput) points toward Corona Borealis (the northern crown).

So, that’s the snake part. To get the plane part, just scan the sky with binoculars (or your naked eye if you happen to have good dark skies) and you’ll be looking at the plane of the Milky Way, and in particular, you’ll be looking toward the center of our galaxy. What more could you ask for, and it’s not even scary!