springtime observing for small telescopes

8/12/2019 Springtime Observing for Small Telescopes

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Springtime observing for small telescopesAstronomymagazine Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich highlights the objects you can see thisspring using a small telescope. Highlights include the star Mizar, spiral galay M!"!, open clusterM#$, and the Sombrero %alay &M!"'(.By Michael E. Bakich

MizarLet's start with an easy target. Look high in the northeast. At the bend of the Big Dipper's handle,you'll find the star Mizar. Nearby, and visible to ost observers without opti!al aid, is Al!or. But

point a sall teles!ope at Mizar, and you'll split that star into two !oponents. "he brighter of

the two outshines its partner by nearly # ties.

If you are viewing from mid-northern latitudes, the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, rides high overhead on springevenings. Located far from oscuring dust clouds, Ursa Major is a picture window into the universe!s depths. "hile hundredsof gala#ies lie within its orders, only a few are in the range of most inoculars. M$% &right' and M$( &left' are two of thesechallenging e#ceptions.Photo by Christian Viladrich

M81 and M82

Above and to the northwest of the Big Dipper's bowl, you'll find our first two gala!ti! targets$

M%& and M%. "hrough your lowest(power eyepie!e, you ay be able to spot both of these

gala)ies at on!e.

M%& is a spiral gala)y, but its ars lie !lose to its !ore. A *(in!h teles!ope won't allow you tosee the well.

M% lies half a degree north of M%&. Astronoers !all this gala)y, whi!h sees to be e)ploding,

a starburst gala)y. +ere, you'll find u!h ore than a gala)y's noral aount of star foration.

Look !losely at these two obe!ts. M%& is brighter, but M% is easier to see be!ause its surfa!ebrightness is greater than M%&'s. "hat eans its light isn't spread out over su!h a large area.

Owl Nebula (M97)

+ead ba!k ust below the Big Dipper's bowl to find the -wl Nebula, also known as M/. "hislarge, round planetary nebula has two dark spots, giving the obe!t the appearan!e of an owl's

fa!e. 0ou'll need a dark site to pi!k out the low(!ontrast eyes. Be patient, and try all your

eyepie!es.
http://www.astronomy.com/sitefiles/utilities/image.aspx?item=%7BD8E25603-A366-4311-82EA-49A08CDFFAC6%7D&mw=900&mh=650


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)hillips used a *-inch +aahashi / refractor at f01.2 and BIG +-%34M5 667 camera. +he image is the product ofL8GB processing - 9 luminance images at 1 minutes each, 2, 1-minute red, 2, 1-minute green, and 2, $-minute luee#posures.Photo by Daniel Phillips

M101

-ur ne)t obe!t akes a ni!e triangle with the two stars at the end of the Dipper's handle. 1t's

spiral gala)y M&2&. "hrough a sall s!ope, you'll see this obe!t as large and round. 1n!rease the

agnifi!ation as u!h as sky !onditions allow, and look for faint dark streaks within the !ir!le."hose areas divide M&2&'s spiral ars.

The Whirlpool Galaxy (M1)

Ne)t on our list is one of the sky's true wonders 3 the 4hirlpool 5ala)y, also known as M#&."o find it, start at the end of the Big Dipper's handle and ove 6 degrees southwest. "ake your

tie observing the 4hirlpool 5ala)y. Note its bright !ore and the two ain spiral ars. At ost

agnifi!ations, you'll also see M#&'s !opanion gala)y, N57 #.

+he unflower Gala#y &M:2' displays a right core and tightly wound spiral arms, although the latter are hard to see inacyard scopes.Photo by John Chumack

The !un"lower Galaxy

Now ove a bit ore than #8 south of M#& to find the 9unflower 5ala)y, also !alled M:6.

"hrough a *(in!h s!ope, look for an oval halo that surrounds a bright !ore. Although M:6 is a

spiral gala)y, you won't see its tightly wound spiral ars until you triple the size of yourinstruent.

M#7

+ead over to 7an!er the 7rabne)t to observe open !luster M:/. "his !luster lies ust outside the

range of ost observers' vision but appears easily through bino!ulars. "hrough a *(in!hteles!ope, M:/ appears !opa!t. 0ou'll resolve a dozen or so of its stars.
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7656http://www.astronomy.com/sitefiles/utilities/image.aspx?item=%7BA1051AEC-A133-4FEB-A9B2-6D52B6B79473%7D&mw=900&mh=650http://www.astronomy.com/sitefiles/utilities/image.aspx?item=%7B45438AA4-ADCA-4AD7-BA81-28011289FCF8%7D&mw=900&mh=650http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7656


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+his color image of ;G6 (932 was taen with a %:-inch Meade L4(33 and multiple 667 e#posures.Photo by Ryan Branch / Robin Milner / Adam Block / ARA / !"A" / !#$

NG$ 290%

-ur ne)t obe!t, barred spiral gala)y N57 26, lies not ;uite *8 southwest of the 6rd(

agnitude star

springtime observing for small telescopes

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