Here is the transcript for my podcast about how to see the Pleiades star cluster, open cluster M34, and the Little Dumbbell Nebula.
Check out the Astronomy.com's interactive star chart to see an accurate map of your sky. It'll help you locate some of this week's key targets. Astronomy magazine subscribers have access to a slew of cool functions with StarDome PLUS.
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The Pleiades star cluster, open cluster M34, and the Little Dumbbell Nebula are visible in the next few days. We’ll help you find them in this week’s Astronomy magazine podcast.
Hello, I’m Astronomy magazine senior editor Michael Bakich. Each week, I highlight three different night-sky targets for you to see:
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One object you can find without optical aid
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One object to find with a small telescope, and
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One deep-sky object to find with an 8-inch or larger telescope for you avid astronomers
An autumn evening eye test
This week’s naked-eye object ranks as the sky’s brightest star cluster. It’s the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, and also known as M45.
Many ancient astronomers classified the Pleiades as a separate constellation. And why not? This object shines brighter and is more recognizable than many of the 88 constellations that currently fill the sky.
Astronomers call the Pleiades the Seven Sisters, but most people casually glancing at this star cluster see only six stars. Perhaps the hidden sister is too shy? More likely, it’s that our observing is too casual.
Amateur astronomers with good vision can spot more than the six, or seven stars. My record is 11 Pleiads naked eye, but I’ve only tried once. And, on the same night I made that sighting, an observing buddy standing next to me saw 13 stars within the cluster.
Although M45 is our naked-eye target this week, I have to mention that it looks terrific through binoculars. Most amateur astronomers choose binoculars that magnify between 10 and 15 times to observe the Pleiades.
View an overlooked cluster
This week’s small telescope target is open cluster M34 in Perseus. Although this is one of Messier’s objects — and a bright one at that — it often gets overlooked by amateur astronomers.
From a dark site you’ll find M34 with your naked eyes roughly 5° west-northwest of Algol (Beta [β] Persei). This magnitude 5.2 cluster contains 10 stars brighter than 9th magnitude spread out over an area 35' across. That’s a bit bigger than the Full Moon.
A 4-inch scope reveals three dozen member stars between 8th and 12th magnitude. At medium magnification (say, 100x), look for chains of faint stars crisscrossing the field of view.
A little gem with lots of detail
This week’s deep-sky object completes the trio of Messier objects I’m recommending. It’s the Little Dumbbell Nebula in Perseus, number 76 on Messier’s famous list.
This planetary nebula sits in far western Perseus, near its border with Cassiopeia and Andromeda. You’ll find it 1° north of the 4th-magnitude star Phi (φ) Persei.
At magnitude 10.1 it’s tied for the designation “Messier’s faintest object” with galaxies M98 and M91. But don’t let its magnitude fool you. M76 appears fairly bright because it isn’t that large. Its elongated disk measures about 1' across. And don’t be afraid to crank up the magnification on this object — there’s lots of detail to see.
An 8-inch telescope reveals the two lobes that gave the nebula its name, with the southwestern patch appearing a little brighter. A 16-inch scope brings out a faint strand extending west from the northeastern lobe. You might even catch a hint of the large, diffuse halo that surrounds the entire inner region.
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Last week's podcast: Touring constellation Cassiopeia
Last week's transcript