The Orion Nebula (M42).

The Great Orion Nebula - M42

The Orion Nebula as seen from my 102mm (4-inch) cassegrain-maksutov telescope, the Celestron Nexstar 4 SE.  It is the easiest, brightest  nebula that can be seen with the naked eye.  More normally be better seen with a simple binoculars, one can see it as a 'bright-whitish' cloud located in the constellation of Orion; which within itself has many messier objects and other nebulas like the Horsehead Nebula and the Witchhead Nebula.  The photo above is a 'flipped image', a trademark of all cassegrain reflector telescopes.  Just 'flip' the image like a page to the left, and you'll have the correct orientation.  See 'Telescopes' for other examples and explanation

The constellation of Orion with the Orion Nebula (lower middle).

Latest Images 2 - Saturn

Wide angle of Saturn, overexposed to show its moons.

Saturn. (00:40 +8 GMT) 2/4/12

Latest Images - Saturn

Looking East

Spica, (right) in the constellation of Virgo and Saturn (left). 23:30 (+8GMT) 2/4/12

Overexposed image showing Saturn's 4 moons, and possibly a fifth hidden by the glare.

Clear skies does carry a new meaning, in that it usually means sacrificing comforts - mosquitoes, the heat and humidity for now!  Clear skies it was - cloudless skies.  I got out my scope and all my gear and stuff alike to brave the heat and 'little blood-sucking friends' Mr.Mossie!  But it was worth it.  The Opposition of Saturn will be on the 15th of April.  Which means Mr. Gas planet no.2 will be closest to Earth in its orbit this month.  More images will be up soon so watch out.  See also 'Planet Hunt' for other planets.

How Big is BIG - Antares

 

Antares, in the Constellation of Scorpius rising in the SE. (March 2012).[/caption]

We've seen Betelgeuse in 'How Big Is BIG?'.  The super-giant star Antares sits to the lower-left of M4 (NGC6121), the globular cluster in the Constellation of Scorpius.  They are mainly observed in young galactic structures such as open clusters, the arms of spiral galaxies, and in irregular galaxies.

Classed in the 'red' category, its other popular counterpart, Betelgeuse are called old stars and are much cooler that 'blue' stars.

It is about 550 light years away from Earth and its luminosity is measured at 65,000 times brighter than that of our Sun.  Notice the comparison between Arcturus and Antares in the diagram below.

Also known to ancient astronomers as one of four Royal Stars including, Aldebaran (East), Regulus (North) and Fomalhaut (South).

Antares in comparison to the other giant stars.

How Big is BIG - Arcturus

 

Arcturus, the giant star.

Arcturus, the third brightest star in our night sky after Sirius and Canopus, sits in the Constellation of Bootes, or also known as 'Bootes the Herdsman'. As of now in the month of April in conjunction with the early rise of Saturn (near Spica), just look left towards ENE, this hugh star presents itself without any hassle.

Distance to Earth is about 36.7 light years away.  Not completely a 'red' star but somewhere in between would prove just right - an orange giant star.  See 'How Big is BIG' for comparison between Arcturus and Betelguese - don't fall of your chair!   Next up, Antares! Feel free to share your comments. Clear skies.

Size comparison.

How Big is BIG - Betelgeuse

Defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a light-year is the distance that light travels in a space in one year.   1 light year = 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km)

 

Betelgeuse, the red supergiant.

One of my 'favourite stars' to shoot when I was at sea long time ago - I will blog about it some other time!  And also one of the most popular stars in the skies.

Currently measured to be 640 lights years away from Earth, in the 'Red supergiant' class, Betelgeuse.

'Red', because its old (by astronomical standards) and cooler than 'Blue' stars, hence blue stars are hotter.

Comparison between Betelgeuse and our Sun.

Our Sun is only 1 pixel compared to Betelgeuse in the above illustration.  Look at the 'arrow' underneath Betelgeuse.

Its position in 'Orion'.

What is Big?

If Betelgeuse is as big as Wembley Stadium, then our Sun is just a 'small pebble' on the field!

If you fit Betelgeuse in the middle of our Solar system, then its diameter is as big as from the Sun all the way past the asteroid belt, possibly till Jupiter's orbit!

More Nights Like This.

 

When will it be like this again? Soon maybe?