5 Winter Wonders For Kids
The sky darkens early in winter, so it’s a great time to get outside with the kids for a little stargazing before bedtime. But what to see? Here are 5 objects primed for viewing in February and March that are easy for kids to see with binoculars or telescope, or even with the naked eye.
1. The Pleiades
Also known as Messier 45 (or M45), the Pleiades is a visual delight on a cold winter’s night and has been a favorite target of stargazers since antiquity. Because of it’s large angular size, this open cluster looks far better in binoculars or a finderscope than a telescope. The Pleiades formed some 100 million years ago, and is still enveloped in dusty nebulosity. It’s some 445 light years away; the light striking your eye from the Pleiades left the year William Shakespeare was born, give or take a few decade. The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters in Greek mythology, Alcyone, Maia, Asterope, Merope, Electra, Taygete, Celaeno, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione. Most people can only see six of these stars with the naked eye.
Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising thro’ the mellow shade, Glitter like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid. – Tennyson
2. Orion Nebula
The middle “star” in Orion’s sword, just south of the three belt stars, the Orion nebula never fails to impress stargazers, young or old. This stellar nursery looks like Christmas lights suspended in a grey-green fog, with a mottled texture that tests the observing skills of young stargazers. The nebula will eventually clear itself of glowing gas and dust and become an open star cluster, just like the Pleiades.
3. Orion’s Belt
While you’re in the area, sweep across the silver-blue stars of Orion’s belt with binoculars or a finderscope. From east to west, the stars of Orion’s Belt are called Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. These stars are, respectively, 800, 1300, and 900 light years away, and they are all young massive stars that burn extremely hot. Mintaka has a 7th-magnitude companion about 53″ away, easily visible in binoculars. Alnitak is bathed in nebulosity that includes IC434, the famed Horsehead Nebula. You will not, however, see this nebula visually. Look also for an S-shaped series of stars that starts above Mintaka, and sweeps down and ends between Alnilam and Alnitak.
4. Venus
Visible this month high in the southwest sky at sunset, Venus is almost at its brightest right now. You can’t miss it. Because it’s closer to the Sun than we are, Venus goes through phases just like the moon. With a telescope you can see it’s currently 1/4 lit. The planet is roughly 50 million km away. Venus is just a little smaller than the Earth, and might be a pleasant tropical planet if it weren’t covered with heat-trapping greenhouse gases and clouds that pour sulfuric acid. Still, a beautiful sight from afar.
5. Crab Nebula
This odd-looking nebula is the remnant of a supernova that lit the skies in 1054 and was recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers. A modest smudge in a small telescope, the beauty of this object lies in the imagination… you are seeing the remnant of the most massive explosions in the galaxy, a supernova that seeded the interstellar medium with heavy elements, some of which will find their way into new stars and planets over the coming billions of years. Find the Crab Nebula (or Messier 1) just off the prominent star zeta Tauri (see below).
A Map Showing the Crab Nebula, M1 (upper left)
