Page 115 - BBC Sky at Night Beginners Guide to Astronomy - 2017 UK

WHAT TO SEE

Clockwise from this image: The Carina Nebula, a
stunning emission nebula; the Pleiades star cluster
is given a ghostly hue by a refl ection nebula; the
Crab Nebula is a dramatic supernova remnant;
the Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula

because, through a telescope,
many have the appearance of THE ORION NEBULA
a faint, small, fuzzy disc and
look a lot like a planet. These One of the most famous deep-space objects visible with the naked eye
nebulae are formed during
the death of a star of similar Out of all the types of nebula, A spectacular treat
the only one that can be easily
mass to the Sun. As it grows through a small
seen with the naked eye is
unstable, the star puffs off the Orion Nebula, M42. Not telescope: the
its gaseous atmosphere to surprisingly, it’s the brightest Orion Nebula
form clouds around it. Stars nebula in the night sky, and that
larger than the Sun end makes it perfect for practising on.
their days explosively in With a casual glance below
the three belt stars of Orion in
a supernova, leaving a
a dark, light-pollution free sky,
spectacular remnant in
you’ll see it as a small misty
their wake. smudge. A pair of binoculars
You’ll fi nd details of where will begin to reveal its curving
to locate nebulae from the shape. With a small telescope,
many catalogues that have you will start to see some
structure in this vast cloud
been made by astronomers.
1,600 lightyears away.
One of the most famous lists
In the heart of the Orion
was made by the 18th-century Nebula you’ll see four stars.
observer Charles Messier. These are part of the Trapezium
His catalogue of 110 objects open cluster, named because
includes 12 nebulae. Many of the shape the four stars
form. It’s the radiation from
star atlases include the
these stars that is energising
Messier Catalogue. See if
the entire nebula and
yours does – you may be able causing it to glow.
to spot a nebula tonight.
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