M42 Orion Nebula

Cosmic · M42 Orion Nebula

Last Night about 21.00 the skies cleared and the heavens were resplendent with with a myriad of observable objects.....Ok! Ok!
there were a lot of stars about Smile

I decided to try for DSO's with binoculars. So armed with my trusty 15x70's I settled to observe the night sky. It was very intermittent as clouds came and went. However, I managed to add M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga and around midnight I saw Orion gently meandering across the midnight sky. I looked through the bino's and saw two stars side by side in the mid belt area and these stars had a faint halo around them.

I rushed inside and got the wife to help me carry out the 12" beastie and what a revelation.

M42 in all it's glory.

A truly wondrous sight with veils of nebulosity opening like a Geisha's fan and the Trapezium of central stars glowing in the center of all this magnificent ordered confusion.
As a child looking at the belt with only my WW1 field glasses, I did not
have a chance to see this wonder of the heavens I am so thankful that I am now in a position to fulfill this with my own eyes rather than looking at a photograph in a book.

Astronomy has to be the most exciting and rewarding hobby in the Universe.

Cosmic

seabay

Loving this report, Geoff - it's all too easy to get caught up in the technical side of our hobby and to forget just how gorgeous and inspiring the heavens are, so thanks for reminding us in time for the forthcoming winter glories.

Cheers,
Emma

Cosmic

Hi Emma
Yes you are right. We should enjoy the science/hobby without letting the
technicalities get in the way.
By the way it's so cold here at the moment that I have had to release a new
single, should be in the shops next week.. it's a christmas carol......
"Geoff's nuts roasting by an open fire" Smile

Cosmic

seabay

Groan!!

It's turned absolutely bitter down here as well - it feels like it's the middle of January. Still, it's given rise to some half-way decent skies, so can't really complain.

Cheers.
Emma