What's In The Sky - March 2021

Take your family on a journey to the stars from the comfort of your own backyard! Here are some of Orion Telescope and Binoculars' top picks for March stargazing:

Orion Continues to Shine

Constellation Orion is still well-placed in March skies for telescopic study. Check out the bright nebula M42, also called the Orion Nebula, which is visible as the middle "star" of Orion's "sword" just south of the three recognizable stars of Orion's belt. While easily detected in astronomy binoculars, the wispy Orion Nebula will reveal more intricate details in a telescope. After March, Orion's namesake constellation will get lower and lower in the west, making it harder to see as the Sun moves eastward in the sky.

Planetary group of Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, and the Moon in the south-eastern sky on March 10th around 5:40 am MST. Graphic created from Stellarium.

Morning Planetary Group

March 10th brings a nice group of planets. Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, and the Moon will all be grouped together. Get up early, grab a telescope, and take a look!

M45 - The Pleiades star cluster (left) was imaged on ATEO-1 and processed by Chris Lin using Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application, and the Double Cluster in Perseus was imaged and processed by ATEO-1 user Claudio Tenreiro.

Brilliant Binocular Clusters

Grab a pair of 50mm or larger astronomy binoculars in March for great views of the Pleiades star cluster (M45), the Beehive cluster (M44), and the must-see Double Cluster in Perseus. These sparkling sky gems are simply beautiful when observed with big binoculars, or use a wide-field eyepiece and short focal length telescope for a closer look.

Leo Triplet of galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628 (left) imaged and processed on ATEO-1 by Utkarsh Mishra and M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy imaged on ATEO-1 and processed by Jeff Padell using Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application.

Galaxies Galore

By about 9-10pm throughout March, Ursa Major, Leo, and the western edge of the Virgo galaxy cluster are high enough in the eastern sky to yield great views of some of our favorite galaxies. Check out the bright pair of M81 and M82 just above the Big Dipper asterism. Look east of bright star Regulus to observe the Leo Triplet of galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628. In the northeastern sky, check out the famous Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). While the Whirlpool can be seen with modest 50mm binoculars, using a 10" or 12" telescope in a location with dark skies will display the distant galaxy's beautiful spiral arms. With an 8" or larger telescope and a dark sky, this region of the sky harbors dozens of galaxies - try to find them all!

All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights where light pollution and bright moonlight do not overpower the stars.

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What's In The Sky - February 2021

Clear February nights present some great stargazing opportunities, as suggested here by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. Be sure to bundle up and keep warm while you get outside for some stargazing fun!

M81 - The Cigar Galaxy and M82 - Bode's Galaxy in Ursa Major. Image processed by Insight Observatory Starbase subscriber, Daniel Nobre, from image data acquired on the 16" f/3.7 Dream astrograph reflector (ATEO-1).

Bright Galaxies

In late February, bright galaxies M81 and M82 will be about as high in the sky as they will get for North American stargazers. From a dark sky site, these galaxies are visible with a 50mm or larger binocular, but we suggest you use a large telescope to chase these galaxies down just off the leading edge of the Big Dipper asterism. Many observers consider M81 and M82 the best pairing of visual galaxies in the sky!

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy (left) was processed by Utkarsh Mishra, and M45 was processed by Chris Lin, both imaged on ATEO-1 using Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application.

Binocular Targets

Astronomy isn't always about how much gear you have! Grab some Astro binoculars and check out the night sky without a lot of equipment. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is high in the sky in the evening right now, with the Pleiades (M45) higher up. Both make great targets for almost any binocular!

The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter

On February 11th, there is a conjunction between Venus and Jupiter in the early morning just before sunrise. With a separation of 0.5 degrees, the pair will be close enough together to fit into the field of view of most telescopes with around 75x-100x magnification. Plus, with Saturn still nearby, it's a great morning for planetary viewing. Get up early, find a clear southeastern horizon, and see if you can get a good view before sunrise!

M104 - The Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo (left) and M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici (right), both imaged on ATEO-1 by Charles Weaver using Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application.

Midnight Spirals

Some galaxies for the night owls, the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) and the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), are some nice spiral galaxies that are both visible after midnight in February. The spiral arms of M51 can be glimpsed under dark skies with a 4.5" telescope, but will have more definition in larger telescopes. M104 is similar; it is visible in a 4" telescope, but to distinguish the central "bulge" and 8" or larger instrument is required.

All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights, where light pollution and bright moonlight do not overpower the stars.

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What's In The Sky - November 2020

Clear November night skies offer incredible celestial sights recommended by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars for stargazers to be thankful for, so bundle up and get outside for stargazing fun!

Double Cluster in Perseus
Use a pair of big binoculars or a shorter focal length telescope with a wide-field eyepiece in November to seek out the sparkling Double Cluster in Perseus - two side-by-side open star clusters NGC 884 and NGC 869. 

NGC 884 and NGC 869 - The Double Cluster in Perseus imaged by Claudio Tenreiro on Insight Observatory's 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (ATEO-1).

Mars & The Moon

On November 25th, the Moon passes close by Mars, making them a great observing target! The pair will be separated by approximately 5.5 degrees, which is unfortunately too far apart to be viewed simultaneously at high magnification, but both could be observed together with wide-angle astronomy binoculars.

New Moon
November 14th will be the best time of the month to observe the fainter deep-sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Leonids Meteor Shower
Bundle up and get outside after midnight on November 17th to see the peak of the Leonids meteor shower as "shooting stars" appear to radiate outwards from the constellation Leo. Meteor showers are usually best viewed without optical equipment, but for a closer look, try out some Ultra Wide Angle Binoculars. The shower peak is very close to the New Moon, which should present little light pollution. The estimated peak rate is approximately 14 meteors per hour.

 

M45 - The Pleiades located in the constellation Taurus imaged by Plymouth South Middle School students Taylor A. and Kyleigh O. using ATEO-1 via Insight Observatory's online Educational Image Request (EIR) application.

The Pleiades
November is sometimes called "the month of the Pleiades," since the star cluster is visible all night long for observers in the Northern hemisphere. From a dark sky site, M45 is easy to see with the unaided eye and resembles a small "teaspoon" pattern in the sky. Use astronomy binoculars for immersive views of this open star cluster, or use a telescope with a lower-power eyepiece for a closer look at the Seven Sisters.

All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights where light pollution and bright moonlight do not overpower the stars.

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