Everyone who knows the first thing about constellations can find Orion’s belt. For the vast majority of the Northern Hemisphere, those three unmissable stars in a slightly curved row can be seen on almost any night.
This month, an excellent opportunity will present itself to view the Orion Nebula, when on the 13th of December, just before midnight, it will be extremely visible in the night sky.
The Orion Nebula is the only nebula that can be seen with the naked eye, despite being 1,344 light years away. At times during the year it can appear extremely bright as the middle ‘star’ in the sword of the constellation of Orion.
While visible to countryside dwellers without optics, this photograph above was taken with an 85mm lens—hardly telescopic, and could probably be seen much better in areas with low light pollution with a pair of good binoculars or a basic telescope/spotting scope.
In other words, any optical aid will allow one to see the nebula as it passes overhead, offering the perfect opportunity to see your first one, or introduce a child to the concept of a nebula, sometimes called a star nursery.
Down a short way from the Orion Nebula is the so-called Running Man Cluster, making up the point of the sword of Orion. This cluster of nebulae is officially called Sh2-279, and is made up of three nebulae to the north of the Orion Nebula.
It includes a reflection nebula, which is a cloud of dust and gas that affects the optical perception of star-forming parts of the nebula. The light from the latter isn’t enough to shine through the former, meaning that even with simple optics, it’s extremely difficult to see clearly.
However, for astrophotography, the Running Man Cluster is a very popular target for amateurs as a low shutter speed will allow enough of the nubulae’s light to make it through the reflection nebula and into a photograph.
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