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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 cloaked portions of the Moon meet.
Orion Nebula (M 42)
M 42 in the Orion constellation
Right ascension: 05:35 (Hours: Minutes)
Declination: -5:22 (Degrees: Minutes)
Distance from Earth: 1,500 light years
Located about 1,500 light years from Earth, the Orion Nebula (Messier 42, abbreviation: M 42) is the
brightest diffuse nebula in the sky – visible with the naked eye, and a worthwhile object for telescopes of
all types and sizes, from the smallest field glass to the largest earthbound observatories and the Hubble
Space Telescope.
When talking about Orion, we‘re actually referring to the main part of a much larger cloud of hydrogen
gas and dust, which spreads out over half of the Orion constellation. The expanse of this enormous
cloud stretches several hundred light years.
Ring Nebula (M 57)
M 57 in the Lyra constellation
Right ascension: 18:53 (Hours: Minutes)
Declination: -33:02 (Degrees: Minutes)
Distance from Earth: 2,400 light years
The famous Ring Nebula M 57 in the constellation of Lyra is often viewed as the prototype of a planetary
nebula; it is one of the magnificent features of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer sky. Recent studies
have shown that it is probably comprised of a ring (torus) of brightly shining material that surrounds the
central star (only visible with larger telescopes), and not of a gas structure in the form of a sphere or
an ellipsis. If you were to look at the Ring Nebula from the side, it would look like the Dumbbell Nebula
(M27). When viewed from Earth, we are looking directly at the pole of the nebula.
Dumbbell Nebula (M 27)
M 27 in the Fox constellation
Right ascension: 19:59.6 (Hours: Minutes)
Declination: -+22:43 (Degrees: Minutes)
Distance from Earth: 1,360 light years
The Dumbbell Nebula (M 27) in Fox was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. On July 12, 1764,
Charles Messier discovered this new and fascinating class of objects. We see this nebula almost directly
from its equatorial plane. If we could see the Dumbbell Nebula from one of its poles, we would see the
shape of a ring, and we would see something very similar to what we know as the Ring Nebula (M 57). In
reasonably good weather, we can see this object well even with low magnifications.
f=26 mm f=9.7 mm
Orion Nebula M 42
f=26 mm f=9.7 mm
Ring Nebula in Lyra
Constellation M 57
f=26 mm f=9.7 mm
Dumbbell Nebula in Fox
Constellation M 27
f=26 mm f=9.7 mm
The Moon
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