Sky & Telescope - February 2023 - 23

Viewers should easily see the pattern of the four brighter stars
that constitute the Trapezium and will be interested to know
that they're hot young stars that are primarily responsible for
lighting the nebula. The Orion Nebula has enough mass to create
about 10,000 stars the size of our Sun; it's fun to imagine
the brilliant star cluster that will greet future stargazers here.
Generation III night-vision devices are a new tool available
to amateur astronomers that seem poised to revolutionize our
vocation. The enhancement they bring to emission objects
is incredible. I've started employing my PVS-14 night-vision
monocular at outreach events, and it has afforded me the
opportunity to share objects that I used to think unsuitable.
One night-vision favorite is the Horsehead Nebula.
The Horsehead, or Barnard 33, is one of the most photographed
objects in the sky and so is rather well known,
but it's also notoriously difficult to observe except under the
darkest skies. That all changes with night-vision enhancement.
In my 10-inch Dobsonian, coupled with a 65-mm
Super Plössl eyepiece and a hydrogen-alpha filter, the PVS-14
shows the Horsehead in remarkable fashion. The subtle glow
of IC 434, the faint emission nebula that backlights B33, is
greatly enhanced, making the inky-black nebula stand out in
stark contrast. The wide field - the combination yields more
than 2° - can encompass both the Horsehead and the Flame
Nebula, NGC 2024, in a single field of view. Such a striking
vista is sure to impress. Night-vision enhancement will allow
you to add other remarkable but often hard-to-see nebulae to
your outreach repertoire, such as the Rosette Nebula in nearby
Monoceros and even Barnard's Loop, besides adding a new
dimension to more familiar favorites like the Orion Nebula.
Tantalizing Targets
Object
Alpha Geminorum
NGC 457
NGC 2169
NGC 2264
NGC 2437
NGC 2438
NGC 869
NGC 884
M45
NGC 2392
M42
Barnard 33
IC 434
NGC 2024
Name
Castor
Owl Cluster
37 Cluster
Christmas Tree
M46
Double Cluster
Double Cluster
Pleiades
-
Orion Nebula
Horsehead Nebula
-
Flame Nebula
TWO FOR ONE Open clusters are showpieces at any outreach event,
but the Double Cluster in Perseus is doubly so.
Night-vision devices are useful, but the most important
tool at your disposal is your enthusiasm. It's every bit as vital
to effective outreach as is sharing your telescope. A keen
attitude is infectious, so don't shy away from expressing your
own excitement. It's only because we ourselves are astonished
and inspired that we can astonish and inspire others.
¢ Contributing Editor TED FORTE continues to be active in
outreach activities and derives his biggest pleasure from guiding
his guests to fascinating targets in the sky.
Type
Double star
Open cluster
Open cluster
Open cluster
Open cluster
Planetary nebula
Open cluster
Open cluster
Open cluster
Planetary nebula
Bright nebula
Dark nebula
Bright nebula
Bright nebula
Constellation
Gemini
Cassiopeia
Orion
Monoceros
Puppis
Puppis
Perseus
Perseus
Taurus
Gemini
Orion
Orion
Orion
Orion
Mag(v)
1.9, 3.0
6.4
5.9
4.1
6.1
10.8
5.3
6.1
1.5
9.1
4.0
-
-
-
Size/Sep
5.4″
20′
6′
40′
20′
76″
18′
18′
120′
54″
40′ × 35′
6′ × 4′
60′ × 10′
30′ × 30′
RA
07h 34.6m
01h 19.5m
06h 08.4m
06h 41.0m
07h 41.8m
07h 41.8m
02h 19.1m
02h 22.1m
03h 47.5m
07h 29.2m
05h 35.3m
05h 40.9m
05h 41.0m
05h 41.9m
Dec.
+31° 53′
+58° 17′
+13° 58′
+09° 54′
-14° 49′
-14° 44′
+57° 08′
+57° 08′
+24° 06′
+20° 55′
-05° 23′
-02° 28′
-02° 24′
-01° 51′
Angular sizes and separations are from recent catalogs. Visually, an object's size is often smaller than the cataloged value and varies according to the aperture and
magnification of the viewing instrument. Right ascension and declination are for equinox 2000.0.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * FEBRUARY 2023 23
RON BRECHER

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Sky & Telescope - February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - February 2023