Betelgeuse!

[Dr Nurburg]

For many nights now I have been confused by what appears to be a red circular orb, with bright white center and green flashing light.

It sits stationary just to the left of the horsehead nebula.

I knew it wasn't the ISS since it never moved, it couldn't be a satellite either for similar reasons and so I was seriously interested.

It couldn't be mars or another planet since it wasn't really a reflector of light but an emitter, and neither did it increase to a disk when viewed through binoculars.

What was this object?

Surprisingly after looking in my atlas I pin pointed it as Alpha Orionis, Betelgeuse. It indeed appeared to be the mentioned red supergiant.

But what confused me still, was the flashing green light from its center.

Now, the atlas says it is a 'variable' star, which I assume means varying in light/colour. This could be the explanation for the apparent anomaly.

But, does anyone else notice a kind of flashing green light from this star?

[anthony]

I have not been up late enough to see Betelgeuse yet this year. It is going to be quite low in the sky and so the light will dance its way through lots of atmosphere before it hits your eye. I think that it is most likely this scintillation that is giving the nice colours.

[Chris H]

Betelguese is quite far from the Horsehead nebula are you sure this was the star you were looking at?

[yeti monster]

Could you see HH in your binoculars? I have yet to positively nail this ellusive target.

[Dr Nurburg]

Betelguese is quite far from the Horsehead nebula are you sure this was the star you were looking at?

Well according to my atlas, it is the large red supergiant in Orion, left of the Horsehead.

It can't be anything else, since I studied the chart closely.

[yeti monster]

Yes that's Betelguese, but Horsey is down by Alnitak, the far left star of Orions belt.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I reckon it was the atmospheric conditions playing tricks on your eyes.

[Chris H]

There's no way the horsehead is visible in binocs.

[barkis]

You perhaps caught the reflection Nebula M78 in your Binos.

Still a bit away from Betelgeuse, but nearer than the HH.

If the Binos are Low power ones, then you could have swept past M78.

Ron.

[GazOC]

Even M78 is tough to spot in binos unless you have great skies.

[Dr Nurburg]

I thought the horsehead was the three stars in a row with the slightly smaller one just a step down?

[yeti monster]

That's the Belt Jepps, HH is a small, dark object set against an almost as dark cloud of nebulocity, below and to the left of Alnitak, the furthest left of the three stars which make up the belt.

Horsey is notoriously tricky to nail without very dark sky and more than modest aperture.

See SteveLs image:

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-deep-sky/113832-horsehead-flame-m42-kelling.html

Alnitak is the brighter star to the left in this image. Horsey is obvious against the background nebulicity, a result of the long exposures and stacking. It may become clearer if you copy the image and rotate it about 80 degrees CW.

[Abell76]

Hi Kris

There's no way the horsehead is visible in binocs.

Might I bring THIS Sketch to your attention....

B33 in 25x125 Binos, no filter

But you´re right....in any binoculars potentially in use by Mr Jepps there´s hardly a chance to spot the mare^^

Cheers

Abell

[Chris H]

Hi Kris

Might I bring THIS Sketch to your attention....

B33 in 25x125 Binos, no filter

But you´re right....in any binoculars potentially in use by Mr Jepps there´s hardly a chance to spot the mare^^

Cheers

Abell

It's a fake, anybody could draw that from a book and pretend they saw it in a pair of bins

[Abell76]

You´re not serious there, right ??

No Fake....

[Chris H]

Yea yea I'm joking

Is that your sketch?

[Abell76]

Hey Chris

Wish it was

Would mean I had a 25x125 AND lived near the Alps.....

The sketch is by german Uwe Glahn - even if you don´t understand german his galery is amazing !

[LukeSkywatcher]

WOW Uwe's sketches are amazing. I love the way he has done the rollovers.