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advice please

nick w

By nick w
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nick w

nick w

Posted
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hello again its been 2 weeks now and i have been out every night the moon is providing great views for me and the kids at the mo but i am longing to see some more interesting stuff ie m42 and perhaps some planets please could anyone give me some advice on finding these in laymans terms many thanks a very eager stargazer:icon_salut:

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brantuk

brantuk

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For M42 you need to learn the Orion constellation. It's easy to spot - right now it's just West of South in the evenings and has 3 bright stars accross the middle. You can see it easilly in Stellarium (free software download).

Under the middle star is a series of "smudges" going downwards - M42 is the third one. I'd also recommend a book like "Turn Left at Orion" or follow the middle page pullouts in Sky at Night or Astronomy Now magazines monthly. Hope that helps :(

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bombassa

bombassa

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tried to download stellerium but had to download some business pack at a cost to do so dont trust stuff like that . thanks brantuk exactly what i wanted

This is odd? I click the link and choose for windows and it links to soulforge.net and starts the download?

Nevertheless I have a translated version of 'Eyewitness Handbook: Stars and Planets' by Ian Ridpath. It's not very big and illustrates all the constellations and the major things to look for in them.

I haven't seen the actual english version but I think something similar would be a good place to start.

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mikeknowle

mikeknowle

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Maybe the next easiest thing to find is The Hyades. It's dead easy to find and see, and because it lies on the ecliptic (the path of the Sun through the heavens) the moon and planets can sometimes be seen close by to it (eg. the moon is quite close to it at the mo.).

So, back to Orion's belt as Brantuk suggested, then follow the line of the 3 stars to the right. You'll come to a big red star - that's the centre of the constellation 'Taurus the Bull', that Orion the Hunter is fighting. The red star is the bulls's eye, Aldebaran.

You can see The Hyades, an open cluster just a little up to the right. They have nothing to do with Aldebaran itself, but as seen as forming part of the bull's face.

Best to look as soon as poss. after dusk as they are sinking in the western sky now.

You might also be able to catch The Pleiades (a bit further West), or M45 - also in Taurus. This is the best open cluster visible to the naked eye and looks fab. through binoculars or any scope. It's often called the 'Seven Sisters', as there are 7 bright stars...but some people can see more....and with a scope you can also see some nebulosity surrounding them. Might be a bit low in the sky now, depending where you live.

ps. check that Stellarium download again...you don't have to download any business pack...it's just a sponsor!

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todd8137

todd8137

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hi nick and welcome stick at it ,it does get easier, if you have found m42 then orion still as many more interesting things to look at look around it with the scope and have a look at th doubles theres plenty of stuff around it good luck pat

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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one thing which differentiates a planet from a star is that planets don't twinkle and stars do. so look in the approximately correct direction based on Stellarium and you'll see the brighter ones. Jupiter is in the far west now at dusk and Saturn is just starting to rising in the south east in the late evenings. in about a month it will be up in the earlier evenings.

a good way to learn your way around is to not use a scope for a few nights and just work out the constellations from a small book e.g. Philip's Stargazing 2010: Amazon.co.uk: Heather Couper, Nigel Henbest: Books

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rocketandroll

rocketandroll

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Just a real quick point to add...

If you're looking for M42, when you see the line of three feint stars hanging down below the belt, this is Orion's sword... M42 is actually the middle 'star' of those three.

You should know when you've found it through a scope as it is actually a diamond formation of four bright stars with a misty patch around it.

I only saw it through a scope for the first time this week too :-)

Oh, and if you want some ideas of what to look for and where to look... The monthly astronomy magazines usually have some great sky charts with a list of things to look at and advice on what you'll need to see them each month.

Hope that helps :-)

Ben

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Guest

Guest

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As suggested get a copy of "Turn Left at Orion" to compliment Stellarium - also Philips guide to Stars and Planets by Sir Patrick Moore. Using them you'll be able to cross reference objects of interest on Stellarium and Wiki. I've used them to great affect to set up monthly viewing schedules for my location. Don't forget that while your searching for these illusive deep sky objects and planets you'll be "learning the night sky" as they say - and as you do you'll find your way around much easier. It's a great hobby, and this forum is one of the best - welcome to the lounge!

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