Plan by type of object

Planets

Different planets are visible in the evening from year to year. You will need to look up what is visible when you use this plan. The bright, easy-to-see planets that might be in the sky in the evening are:

• Mercury (but it is always difficult to find low on the horizon)
• Venus
• Jupiter
• Saturn

Everybody has heard of Mars, but it usually appears as only a pale orange dot. It is exciting when you know what it is, or if you can see surface features at high magnification, but Mars is usually not a successful choice for an easy target with youth.

Comets

Only occasionally does a bright comet appear in the sky.  If you hear of an opportunity to show one, take advantage of it.

Nebulas

The best nebulas rise late in the fall.

• Pleiades Nebula rises mid-evening
• Orion Nebula rises late

Galaxies

• Andromeda Galaxy

Open clusters

• The Big Dipper in Ursa Major, though it is so spread out it does not impress kids as a cluster. All but two of its stars are in the Ursa Major Moving Group. Technically, it has spread out more than groups we typically call clusters.
• • Double Cluster
  • Pleiades
  • Hyades
  • M35
  • Beehive

Globular clusters

I haven’t come up with any that are bright and easy for kids to appreciate. M79 is easy to find, but all globulars look like small faint fuzzies to kids.

Planetary Nebulas

The best planetaries are easier to find in other parts of the year.

• Little Dumbell Nebula M27, but low and not an easy target

Colored Stars

• Mu Cephei (Herschel’s Garnet Star)
• Deneb (blue giant)

Double Stars

• Albireo, beta Cygni in Cygnus. Many consider this the most beautiful double star in the sky.
• Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major
• ι (iota) Cassiopeiae in Cassiopea
• Polaris (you will need high magnification to split the double)
• Cor Caroli carbon star in Canes Venatici
• • lambda Orionis
  • sigma Orionis, 5 bodies, A and B are red and blue
  • alpha Leporis
  • gamma Andromedae, triple

Constallations

• Ursa Major, with asterism Big Dipper
• Ursa Minor, with asterism Little Dipper
• 6 constallations in the myth of Andromeda:
• Cygnus
• Cassiopea
• • Andromeda
  • Pegasus
  • Perseus
  • Cetus
• Zodiacal constellations:
  • Sagittarius (setting at sunset)
  • Capricornus
  • Aquarius
  • Pisces
  • Aries
  • Taurus (after midnight)

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Plan in target order

Cygnus

Aquarius

Cephus

Andromeda

Milky Way

Cassiopeia

Perseus

Pegasus

Pisces

Cetus

Taurus

Ursa Major

Ursa Minor

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Story of a Star Life

Merope Nebula in Pleades

Birthplace of stars.

Sun

A main sequence star.

Uranus

Example of planet formation. Rings are common.

Albiereo

Many stars are found in pairs.

Pleiades

Stars often cluster close together.

Andromeda Galaxy

An even larger grouping of stars. Galaxies are important structures in the larger universe.

Deneb, Polaris

A blue giant. A large star may become this instead of a main sequence star.

Antares, Aldebaran

A red giant. A main sequence star in old age may become this.

Ring Nebula

A planetary nebula. An older star sheds its outer layer to make a nebula. This is the brightest fall candidate, but may be too dim to see.

DM Lyrae, Wolf 28 ( van Maanen’s star), ZZ Ceti

A white dwarf is the core remnant after a giant loses mass. We probably won’t be able to distinguish the dwarf

Polaris B

A white dwarf is the core remnant after a giant loses mass. We probably won’t be able to distinguish the white dwarf

Crab Nebula M1

A supernova remnant. A supernova is another possible end of star life. This is not easy to see. A supernova might leave behind a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.