The winter season so far, at least by Laramie’s standards, has been somewhat warm in comparison to the frigid temperatures we’re used to. While this has thus far caused problems for ski-bums nationwide, amateur astronomers around the country have been using the opportunity to gaze up into the heavens to observe some of nature’s most wondrous sights. In Laramie, where the skies are dark and there are few obstructing trees, getting out to see the winter sky may be a good way of making the most of the “warm” weather, although we’ll see what Spring has to offer! To help get you started, here are just some of the amazing sights that you can see right now, some just with your naked eye.
One of the most prominent constellations of winter and one that I’m sure many of you have heard of and even seen is Orion, the Hunter. Orion is a visually distinct constellation visible in the northern hemisphere during the winter months, currently rising at around 3:30PM, meaning it’s visible as soon as the skies turn dark. For those with a telescope, binoculars, or even a particularly dark field and good eyes, there lies a spectacular sight within the constellation, The Orion Nebula. The Nebula (which is a brightly lit cloud of gas in interstellar space) is the closest star forming region to Earth, and as such makes an impressive sight even with the naked eye under dark enough conditions. When looking for the Nebula, find Orion’s “belt” (the three stars in a line known as Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka respectively from left to right) and go down from, Alnitak to his “sword.” With only your eye, you may notice that this area looks a little more fuzzy than the surrounding stars, but with binoculars or a telescope, the true majesty of the nebula becomes visible. With a powerful enough telescope, you can begin to make out beautiful hues of blue and purple and see some of the stars that were only recently (by astronomy standards!) born in the region.
If you’re looking for something further away and have a telescope or binoculars, looking at Virgo in the spring is a great way to see some galaxies. The Milky Way itself is located in what astronomers call the “Virgo Supercluster,” a collection of galaxies all gravitationally bound together. The supercluster is named Virgo because, if you look into the constellation Virgo from Earth, you can see the core of this cluster, where some of the largest nearby galaxies reside. Messier 49 is the brightest of these galaxies and is large elliptical galaxy (meaning it doesn’t have a spiral shape like our Milky Way) roughly 54 million light-years away from Earth. At 157,000 light-years across, it’s about 1.5 times larger than our Milky Way, with a comparable number of stars (around 200 billion). The real star of the cluster, however, is Messier 87, a supergiant elliptical galaxy that contains several trillion stars and is one of the largest galaxies in the universe. Messier 87 also has an enormous jet of plasma that extends from its core (a supergiant black hole) all the way into intergalactic space. While these galaxies are significantly harder to see than most due to their distance, they make a worthwhile sight for the seasoned amateur astronomer.
But what about if you don’t have a telescope? What if you’re just looking to get out to see something with no equipment required? Fear not, astronomers dealt with this problem for the many thousands of years before the telescope was invented. Early in the season, a good sight to watch out for is the Winter Triangle, consisting of the stars Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse. These are some of the brightest stars in our night sky and are rewarding to find for someone just getting into the hobby. Of particular interest in this “asterism” (An asterism is a pattern of stars that isn’t part of one of the 88 official constellations) is Betelgeuse, a large supergiant star that makes up the upper tip of the Winter Triangle and is also a part of the previously discussed constellation of Orion. Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its stellar lifespan, and astronomers believe it may die soon in a spectacular explosion known as a “supernova,” caused by a star’s outer layers collapsing into the core when it runs out of fuel. If this occurs, it would be immensely bright and visible from Earth almost like a second sun. Don’t get your hopes up though, it could happen tomorrow or 200,000 years from now. Soon is a relative term within astronomy!
I hope this has inspired you to get out there and try some amateur astronomy. It’s a great hobby, and one that teaches valuable information about the universe in which we live. If you ever want some recommendations for good spots to go, feel free to reach out to my email at any time!
