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Treasures of Orion
Treasures of Orion

Orion is proud to partner with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, the UK's biggest selling astronomy periodical, to bring you this article as part of an ongoing series to provide valuable content to our customers. Check back each month for exciting articles from renowned amateur astronomers, practical observing tutorials, and much more!

Treasures of Orion

Paul Money takes us on a tour of the best sights the Hunter has to offer.

M42, the Great Orion Nebula

Image by Ron Adams, M42 the Great Orion Nebula

Orion holds something for everyone, whether you enjoy the naked-eye splendor of its stars, want to tour it with a pair of binoculars, peer deeper with a modest telescope or delve into its deepest and faintest targets with 10- to 14-inch systems. It is easy to enjoy the view of the Orion Nebula alone, but a host of astronomical treasures awaits those willing to look a little closer. In this article we reveal some of Orion's most striking features and the equipment needed to see them.

Naked Eye

Allow 30-40 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark before you start observing.

Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis)
RA: 05h 55m 10s
Dec.: +07° 24' 25"
We begin with the most famous star in Orion, mag. +0.5 Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis). An unmistakable bright orange star of spectral class M0, Betelgeuse is often cited as the most likely red supergiant to go supernova any time in the next million years.

Rigel (Beta Orionis)
RA: 05h 14m 32s
Dec.: –08° 12' 06"
On the opposite side of the Belt stars to Betelgeuse is mag. +0.2 Rigel (Beta Orionis). In contrast to Betelgeuse, Rigel is a brilliant blue-white star of spectral class B8. It is technically a little brighter than Betelgeuse despite being designated Beta.

Binoculars

Delights await you whether you have a pair of 7x42s, 10x50s or 15x70s.

Orion's Belt
RA: 05h 36m 12s (Alnilam)
Dec.: –01° 12' 07" (Alnilam)
With 10x50 binoculars you will see a little deeper. The 6° field of view allows a stunning view of the three stars that form Orion's Belt: mag. +1.9 Alnitak (Zeta Orionis), mag. +1.7 Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) and mag. +2.4 Mintaka (Delta Orionis). All three are B0 spectral class.

Sword of Orion
RA: 05h 35m 16s (Theta Orionis)
Dec.: –05° 23' 23" (Theta Orionis)
For now let's sidestep the Orion Nebula, as the sword also contains the wonderful open cluster NGC 1981 at the top. A group of stars including mag. +4.6 42 Orionis and mag. +5.2 45 Orionis sits north of the Orion Nebula (M42) and the adjacent De Mairan's Nebula (M43), which itself is above mag. +2.8 Hatsya (Iota Orionis).

Meissa (Lambda Orionis)
RA: 05h 35m 8s
Dec.: +09° 56' 03"
Mag. +3.5 Meissa (Lambda Orionis) is found in a neglected group of stars known as Collinder 69 or the Lambda Orionis Association. Meissa makes a triangle with mag. +4.4 Pi1 Orionis and mag +4.1 Pi2 Orionis. Meissa and the cluster it resides in are thought to be 1,100 lightyears away and certainly worth looking at with larger binoculars.

Orion's Shield
RA 04h 49m 50s (Tabit)
Dec.: +06° 57' 40" (Tabit)
Another neglected pattern is that of Orion's Shield, formed by the six stars designated Pi Orionis (mag. +4.6 Pi1, mag. +4.4 Pi2, mag. +3.2 Pi3, mag. +3.7 Pi4, mag. +3.7 Pi5, and mag. +4.5 Pi6). They form a curved line best seen with low-power binoculars, such as a pair of 7x42s, as the distance between the two ends of the shield is 8.5°. Pi3 Orionis, also known as Tabit, is a relatively close 26 lightyears away.

Small Telescope

Use a reflector up to 6 inches or refractor up to 4 inches and you'll see more detail.

The Orion Nebula
RA: 05h 35m 16s (Theta Orionis)
Dec.: –05° 23' 23" (Theta Orionis)
The Orion Nebula is the showpiece of the constellation and really comes alive with a small refractor. It has two patches with Messier designations: M42 is the main nebula, its wisps and tendrils stretching out from the central Trapezium Cluster. Just above it is the much smaller M43, also known as De Mairan's Nebula.

M78
RA: 05h 46m 45s
Dec.: +00° 04' 45"
M78 would be the showcase nebula of the constellation were it not for the Orion Nebula. It possesses two stars immersed in nebulosity, shines at mag. +8.0 and from Earth looks like a typical white-sheeted ghost. Look out for nearby NGC 2071: it is smaller than its neighbor but shines at mag. +8.0.

NGC 2112 and Barnard's Loop
RA: 05h 53m 45s (NGC 2112)
Dec.: +00° 24' 39" (NGC 2112)
The emission nebulosity described as Barnard's Loop is well known among astrophotographers, yet part of its section above and slightly east of M78 can be traced with a 6-inch Dobsonian. This faint, 'milky' patch curves and ends close to mag. +9.0 open cluster NGC 2112. Low magnification is best for the loop.

Sigma Orionis
RA: 05h 38m 44s
Dec.: –02° 36' 00"
Close to mag. +1.9 Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) is mag. +4.0 Sigma Orionis, which appears as a stunning multiple star system through small to medium telescopes. There are four splittable stars, the brightest of which is another double ? though this one is too tight to resolve in amateur instruments.

The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)
RA: 05h 41m 55s
Dec.: –01° 51' 00"
The Flame Nebula needs dark skies and low magnification to see well. Use a 6-inch reflector, making sure you keep nearby Alnitak out of the field of view to improve contrast, and you should be able to see its mottled fan shape. As a bonus, reflection nebula NGC 2023 lies nearby.

NGC 1662
RA: 04h 48m 27s
Dec.: –02° 56' 38"
Now for something different. NGC 1662 is a lovely mag. +6.4 open cluster forming a right-angle triangle with mag. +4.6 Pi1 Orionis and mag. +4.4 Pi2 Orionis, the two stars at the top of Orion's Shield. Pi1 Orionis sits in the right angle. This is another overlooked target, said to resemble a Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek.

NGC 2022
RA: 05h 42m 6s
Dec.: +09° 05' 10"
This little planetary nebula can be found just southeast of mag. +3.5 Meissa (Lambda Orionis). The nebula shines at mag. +11.6. In a 6-inch Dobsonian it is small and round, appearing a pale greenish-blue. It can sustain high magnification if conditions permit.

The 37 Cluster
RA: 06h 08m 24s
Dec.: +13° 57' 53"
Also designated NGC 2169, this cluster gets its name because its stars appear to form the numerals three and seven. A lovely little cluster shining at mag. +5.9 and well worth seeking out even under moderately light-polluted skies. This cluster bears higher magnifications well.

Large Telescope

Delve deep into the constellation with a reflector over 6 inches or a refractor over 4 inches.

The Trapezium Cluster
RA 05h 35m 16s (Theta Orionis)
Dec.: –05° 23' 23" (Theta Orionis)
At the heart of the Orion Nebula is the Trapezium Cluster. The main stars can be easily seen through small scopes, but use a large instrument and two more pop easily into view. Two more challenging stars are mag. +16.0.

Jonckheere 320
RA 05h 05m 40s
Dec.: +10° 42' 21"
This is a stunning but neglected planetary nebula shining at mag. +11.8. In smaller telescopes it looks like a green star at low magnification, so larger telescopes really do it justice and bring out its true nature. Through a 14-inch Newtonian it appears as a small green disc.

NGC 1999
RA: 05h 36m 25s
Dec.: –06° 42' 58"
This is another nebula that could have more attention if it were not for the Orion Nebula. NGC 1999 shines at mag. +9.5 and in small telescopes looks like a small misty star, but a 14-inch scope reveals the mag. +10.3 star V380 Orionis surrounded by faint nebulosity.

NGC 1788
RA: 05h 06m 54s
Dec.: –03° 20' 05"
Off the beaten track and roughly north of mag. +2.8 Cursa (Beta Eridani), NGC 1788 is a reflection nebula that deserves to be better known. It glows by reflecting the light of the mag. +10.0 star embedded within it, and using a large scope reveals more stars around it.

NGC 1924
RA: 05h 28m 02s
Dec.: –05° 18' 39"
Orion is home to dozens of galaxies. One of the easier ones to find is NGC 1924, which lies to the west of M42, shines at mag. +13.3 and may be as far as 100 million lightyears away. When viewed through a 14-inch Newtonian at 200x magnification it appears as a pale, oval smudge of light.

IC 421
RA: 05h 32m 08s
Dec.: –07° 55' 06"
This barred face-on spiral galaxy has a stated magnitude range of mag. +14.2 to mag. +16.4 and is a challenging object. See if you can detect it with a 14-inch Newtonian at 200x magnification as a faint roundish smudge of light. It lies 140 million lightyears away.

UGC 3188
RA: 04h 51m 49s
Dec.: –08° 50' 38"
Use mag. +4.4 Pi2 Orionis to home in on this faint galaxy, which rests just 18 arcminutes east of the star and shines at mag. +15.0. This galaxy has a couple of mag. +10.0 stars nearby that help you locate it. Just south of Pi2 Orionis is UGC 3180, another mag. +15.0 galaxy, this time all alone in the night sky.

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33)
RA 05h 41m 01s
Dec.: –02° 27' 14"
To see the famous Horsehead Nebula, you have to be able to pick up faint emission nebula IC 434, which hangs south from mag +1.9 Alnitak (Zeta Orionis). The horse's head appears as a dark notch through a 14-inch Newtonian and requires averted vision — a great, subtle challenge.

ABOUT THE WRITER
Paul Money is the BBC Sky at Night magazine reviews editor and an experienced astronomer who regularly organizes outreach events.

Copyright © Immediate Media. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without permission from the publisher.

Details
Date Taken: 07/20/2017
Author: Paul Money for BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Category: Astronomy

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