Perseus and Taurus - Downloadable article
Big, bright star clusters and wispy nebulae populate the constellations of the Hero and the Bull.
By
Tom Polakis —
Published:
March 3, 2009This downloadable article is from an Astronomy magazine 45-article series called "Celestial Portraits." The collection highlights all 88 constellations in the sky and explains how to observe each constellation's deep-sky targets. The articles feature star charts, stunning pictures, and constellation mythology. We've put together 11 digital packages. Each one contains four Celestial Portraits articles for you to purchase and download.
"Perseus and Taurus" is one of four articles included in Celestial Portraits Package 3.
With Frigid arctic air now covering a good portion of the northern latitudes, abandoning the warmth of indoors for a night of stargazing is the last thing many people have on their minds. That's their loss. The cold temperatures often bring with them crystal-clear skies that will warm the heart of any backyard observer. So grab a telescope, don that parka, and fill a thermos with your favorite hot beverage — it's time to get out and see some of winter's many celestial wonders.
January evenings find the band of the Milky Way arching high across the sky and cutting through two venerable constellations: Perseus and Taurus. The winter Milky Way has a much different character than the more familiar regions of summer. Here we look in the opposite direction from the center of our galaxy, toward the nearby Perseus spiral arm. Although the two constellations contain perhaps the palest stretch of the Milky Way, the region nevertheless abounds with emission nebulae and some of the best and brightest star clusters in the sky. To read the complete article, purchase and download Celestial Portraits Package 3. |
Deep-sky objects in Perseus and Taurus
M76 (Little Dumbbell Nebula), NGC 869 (Half of Double Cluster), NGC 884 (Half of Double Cluster), NGC 1023, M34, Beta Persei (Algol), NGC 1245, NGC 1275, Melotte 20 (Alpha Persei Association), NGC 1333, M45 (Pleiades), NGC 1499 (California Nebula), NGC 1491, NGC 1514 (Hind's Variable Nebula), NGC 1554/55, Hyades, IC 2087, NGC 1624, NGC 1817, M1 (Crab Nebula), Simeis 147 |
Package 3 contains the following Celestial Portraits articles
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