2. the pleiades
2.
The Pleiades is an open star cluster located in the
constellation of Taurus the bull. It is also known as the
Seven Sisters, and also Messier 45. There are over 1,000
stars in this cluster which is characterised by a number
of bright blue stars. The Pleiades is a naked eye object
and will be seen as a fuzzy patch from which a few
individual stars can be seen, my best view on a dark
night revealed 4 stars, but others with me saw 6.
Photographically the cluster displays blue nebulosity
around the stars drifting off into space. With a low power
telescope the beauty of the cluster is observed, with
the stars shining like electric blue christmas lights. The
Pleiades are easy to spot as they resemble a question
mark “?”.
1. Saturn
Saturn has to be at the top of everyones list purely
for the WOW factor of actually seeing it with your own
eyes. Saturn is the second largest planet in our Solar
System, about 9 times the size of Earth, and is a gas
giant. The striking feature of the planet is the system of
rings that surround it. Although Saturn can be seen with
the naked eye it is best viewed using a telescope. Even
a small telescope you will be able to pick out the rings
and with a larger telescope you will be able to see the
divisions between the rings.
Photo: Mike Barrett
1.
Photo: NASA/ESA/Erich Karkoschka - University of Arizona
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