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Observing Tips:
Star hopping
Star hopping is a technique used by amateur astronomers to navigate the night sky. By using easily
recognizable constellations and asterisms as a guide, an observer can locate stars and other objects.
For example, Polaris, which is
commonly referred to as The
North Star, can be located quickly
using star hopping. First, find the
Big Dipper asterism in the Ursa
Major constellation. The popular
pattern is defined by seven stars,
and the two stars on the front
edge of the Big Dipper’s “bowl”
are Merak and Dubhe. Next, draw
an imaginary line from the bottom
star (Merak) on this front edge
through the top star (Dubhe) on
the front edge. Follow the line to
the first bright star you see. That
should be Polaris. Finally, to verify
your finding, locate the Little
Dipper asterism. Polaris is the
anchor star at the end of the Little Dipper’s “handle.”
BIG DIPPER
LITTLE DIPPER
POLAR STAR
Zeta
Beta
Kochab
Pherkad
Gamma
Eta
Epsilon
Delta
Alpha
Alkaid
Alcor
Mizar
Alioth
Megrez
Phecda
Merak
Dubhe
Orion Nebula(M42):
Right ascension:
05: 35.4 (hours: minutes)
Declination:
-05: 27 (degrees: minutes)
Distance:
Approximately 1,344 light years
The Orion Nebula is a vast star-forming region located in the
“sword” branching off of the famous Orion’s Belt. Also known
as Messier 42, this diffuse nebula is bright enough to see with
the unaided eye — although it will only appear as a slightly
foggy star. However, with your telescope, you can see many of
the beautiful details, such as the billowing clouds of gas and
dust where new stars are being born.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA)
and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team
Image credit: Howard Eskildsen
Note: Images are for illustration purposes only. Quality of your image may very depending upon atmospheric conditions and location.
Possible Objects for Observation:
What you can observe at any one time in your telescope depends
on several factors beyond aperture and magnification. These
factors include location, date, time and sky conditions. The
following are all objects that can be seen with the unaided eye
and/or binoculars. Your telescope can enhance views of any of
these objects if the observing conditions are right.
The Moon:
Diameter:
3,476 km
Distance:
Approximately 384,401 km
The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite, and it is the second
brightest object in the sky (after the Sun). Although it is our
closest neighbor, a lot of people have never really taken a good
long like at the Moon. With your telescope, you should be able to
see several interesting lunar features. These include lunar maria,
which appear as vast plains, and some of the larger craters. The
best views will be found along the terminator, which is the edge
where the visible and shadowed portions of the Moon meet.
Note: The positioning of the Big Dipper in relation to the Little
Dipper does not change, but the orientation of both in the night sky
will rotate throughout the year due to the motion of the Earth.
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