Happy holidays!
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This week, we explore the winter skies using telescopes! But don’t fret — we’ll be talking with Michael Petrasko from Insight Observatory learning how to see the winter sky using telescopes from the warmth and comfort of home.
The winter sky is filled with dazzling targets calling out to amateur astronomers.
Jupiter is shining brightly in the southwestern sky. Look for the King of the Planets glowing with a bright white light in the southwestern skies during evening hours. Even a small telescope should reveal bands of color across the face of that mighty world, as well as up to four moons. Go out over the course of several nights, and you can actually see those Galilean moons of Jupiter race around their mighty parent world.
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Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can witness The Andromeda Galaxy high in the northwestern sky during evening hours. Located more than 2.5 million light years from Earth, this is the most-distant object which can be seen with just human eyes. This collection of hundreds of billions of stars is also an easy (and rewarding!) target for those using binoculars or a backyard telescope. Look for this fuzzy patch of light in the sky more than 45 degrees to the west (right) of Jupiter.
Did I say “fuzzy patch of light?” Indeed I did! That brings us to M42 — the Orion Nebula.
Swing your view over to the southeast to find this constellation. The three stars which make up the belt of Orion is an easy find in the night sky. From there, look a bit to the west (right) and downward. This diffuse blob of light at the center of the sword of Orion is a stellar nursery where new stars are being born. Large, bright, and stunningly beautiful, the Orion Nebula or M42 is a favorite target for amateur astronomers around the globe.
Possibly the best-known star in Orion is Betelgeuse, a bright red star seen as the right shoulder of the celestial hunter. From this star, look up about 25 degrees, to another bright red beacon in the sky. This is Mars — the Red Planet. Turn a backyard telescope to this world and see if you can find the polar ice caps on our planetary neighbor.
Before leaving this section of sky, turn your sights up and to the right again — about 20 degrees each way — to find the Pleiades. Although known as the Seven Sisters, this cluster of stars, nearly 450 light years from Earth, has around 100 members. Even a small telescope will reveal the Pleiades in stunning detail.
If you don’t have a telescope, or even a good pair of binoculars, never fret! Online observatories, such as Insight Observatory or Telescope Live, allow the public to use telescopes from the comfort of their own homes.
Next up, we welcome Michael Petrasko from Insight Observatory to the show. He’ll tell us all about what we can see in the night sky this winter — even if you don’t own a telescope!
You early birds out there are in for your own set of treats in the morning sky!
Go out around 5am, and look for a bright bluish-white star low on the northeastern horizon. This is Vega. This was the star which appeared to be the source of the alien radio signal in Contact.
From Vega, head on up and to the right again. Between 15 and 20 degrees each way will bring you to the Great Star Cluster in Hercules. If you have trouble finding it, look further up above the eastern horizon for a stunningly bright red star. This is Arcturus. If you trace a line between this star and Vega, this cluster is found about 60% of the way back to Vega. This collection of hundreds of thousands of stars is considerred by many to be the finest globular cluster seen from northern skies, and is well worth the search.
Finish out your morning exploration with a tour of the western skies. Dozens of bright nebulae and star clusters are hiding just above (and to both sides) of the red giant Betelgeuse. A good pair of astronomical binoculars will reveal the secrets hidden in this large patch of space.
Enjoy your explorations!
The Cosmic Companion takes next week off for the holidays. But we return on 31 December — New Year’s Eve — for our season finale… Space: 2023! We will look forward to what is happening around the Cosmos in the coming year.
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Clear skies!
James
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