Page 113 - BBC Sky at Night Beginners Guide to Astronomy - 2017 UK

WHAT TO SEE

GALAXY TOURS

WITH THE WITH WITH A SMALL
NAKED EYE BINOCULARS TELESCOPE

THE GALACTIC ARC DOUBLE CLUSTER IN PERSEUS M27, DUMBBELL NEBULA
Best seen: Best seen: Best seen:
Autumn October to September to
Even though February November
the Milky Way These two This wonderful
can be seen Galactic star planetary
from mildly clusters form nebula in the
light-polluted a perfectly constellation
areas, it will sized object of Vulpecula
only be visible for binocular is well worth
as a brighter viewing, and a look. It
wash across the night sky. To truly view its what targets they are: two concentrated appears as a misty oval. Nearby stars
amazing structure and detail in high contrast, clumps of stars sitting within the melee of and the marvellous backdrop of the
look at it from a really dark location. Galactic star clouds that surround it. Milky Way complete the view.

SAGITTARIUS M8, THE LAGOON NEBULA ALBIREO, BETA CYGNI
Best seen: Best seen: July Best seen:
August and and August September to
September This easily November
It may be noticeable It would be
quite low on accumulation hard to fi nd
the horizon of dust and a better double
from the UK, gas can be star in the
but if you seen as a sky. Golden
can fi nd a brighter patch Albireo A
reasonably in 10x50 and blue
dark location this constellation can still reveal binoculars, even sitting where it does within Albireo B sit in a fi eld of faint stars. The
our Galaxy at its brightest and best, since the constellation of Sagittarius – a busy and two components are easily separated
we’re looking right into its central area. star-rich area of the Milky Way. with a small telescope.

CYGNUS M35, OPEN CLUSTER M17, THE OMEGA NEBULA
Best seen: Best seen: Best seen:
September to January to August and
November March September
A section This star cluster This glowing
of the Milky in Gemini can nebula sits
Way runs the just about be among the star
length of this seen with the fi elds of the
constellation. naked eye constellation
Here you’ll see under clear of Sagittarius.
the dust and skies. It’s It has a curved
gas within our Galaxy obscuring the bright a very good target for binoculars, which shape that can be likened to the Greek
stars beyond. There’s much to look out for should reveal about a dozen out of the capital letter omega, 1, hence its name.
– dark rifts and brighter patches galore. 200 or so stars in its elongated shape. It’s sometimes called the Swan Nebula.
PERSEUS AND CASSIOPEIA NGC 7000, THE NA NEBULA M16, THE EAGLE NEBULA
Best seen: Best seen: Best seen:
September September to August and
and October December September
Another fi ne, It takes a bit This cluster of
diverse area of practice to around 100
of the Milky see NGC stars in the
Way, made 7000, also constellation
more glorious known as the of Serpens is
by the bright North America embedded in
Double Cluster Nebula, as it’s a fi ne cloud
in Perseus. You can’t ask for much more than such a large object. The surrounding area in of gas, the Eagle Nebula, which features in
these two glorious concentrations of stars, Cygnus has so many features for binoculars, one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s most
which are both visible to the naked eye. like open cluster M39, that it’s worth the effort. iconic images – the ‘Pillars of Creation’.

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