Dog Star tonight

[Bugfly]

Just been out for two to three hour and looked the Dog Star looking good then I moved left to left I spotted what thought was a cloud with four stars in the middle three stars two the side as can you help me with id

[paul mc c]

Where you using optical aid....sounds like you seen the Orion nebula

[Bugfly]

Using 8inch Dobson with a balow lenes and 17mm lenes

[paul mc c]

What yoy have described sounds like the Orion neb viewed through a telescope,dut it would be to the west and north of the Dog star

[Bugfly]

Where you using optical aid....sounds like you seen the Orion nebula

thanks Paul that's what is saw mate thanks for your help

[Bugfly]

What yoy have described sounds like the Orion neb viewed through a telescope,dut it would be to the west and north of the Dog star

live in brighton I saw it in the west my first one of the year well happy

[RichM63]

I don't quite disagree, but Orion's belt points'  from the left to Sirius. Not from Sirius further to the left towards Orion's belt. (when moving that way).

ie look right from Sirius towards Orion's belt if rqd.

[Bugfly]

Thanks for your help

[alan potts]

Bugfly,

No one minds answering your questions we are all happy to do so. It sounds to me as if you are just starting out and I can remember back to that day in 1972. I had a book by Patrick Moore called the Observer Book of Astronomy and it helped me pick up the consellations really quickly. Why don't you try and buy yourself a cheap star atlas, it dosen't need to cost a lot of money or go to a low magnitude, you will really get a lot out of being able to find your way around and before you know you will be helping others.

I have a book here called Norton Star Atlas which would help a beginner to intermediate as it covers lots of other topics, that would be a good buy to at about 20 quid, which is not a lot these days especially in the UK.

The dog star is a double but difficult, it can be cracked with an 8 inch, the other group to me sounds like the trapizuim below Orion's belt, lovely object.

alan.

[wheresthetorch?]

I'd also recommend Turn Left at Orion - an excellent book for finding objects in the night sky.

[bingevader]

And Stellarium if you haven't downloaded it yet.

[mikeyrea]

I didn't know Sirius was called 'the Dog Star" ! 

Looked up and its faint companion, Sirius B, is apparently known as "the Pup"

[paul mc c]

What yoy have described sounds like the Orion neb viewed through a telescope,dut it would be to the west and north of the Dog star

Sorry i have just read my own post...........i meant to say that M42 was to the east of Sirius... sorry...ill get my coat.

[RichieP]

I didn't know Sirius was called 'the Dog Star" !

Looked up and its faint companion, Sirius B, is apparently known as "the Pup"

It's where we get the expression "Dog Days". The Romans believed (I think) that when Sirius is in the daylight sky in Summer, its power augmented that of the Sun's and gave us the extra hot month of August