![living earth shoulders living earth shoulders](https://i.etsystatic.com/9785666/r/il/6d2db2/3978721961/il_570xN.3978721961_8993.jpg)
The cluster is easily located as the brightest four stars form the shape of a trapezoid.
![living earth shoulders living earth shoulders](http://theguardsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/6_News_EarthDay_Atlas_WEB.jpg)
According to ESA (opens in new tab), high-speed jets of hot gas released by some young stars are sending shockwaves through the nebula at speeds of 100,000 mph. The Trapezium Cluster is a young star cluster and contains hundreds of young stars at various staged of formation. Location: 05h 35.4m (right ascension) -05° 27' (declination) Orion NebulaĪpproximate distance from Earth: 1,600 light-years There are 60 arcmins in a degree and 60 arcsecs in an arcmin. Its units are degrees, arcminutes and arcseconds. Like Earth's latitude, declination measures north and south. Measured in hours, minutes and seconds since, as Earth rotates, we see different parts of the sky through the nightĭeclination (Dec): Tells you how high your object will rise in the sky. Right ascension (RA): Right ascension is to the sky what longitude is to the surface of the Earth, corresponding to east and west directions. For example, an object of a -1 magnitude is brighter than one with a magnitude of +2. Quite confusingly the lower the number, the bright the object. In astronomy, magnitudes are represented on a numbered scale. Magnitude: An object's magnitude tells you how bright an object is as it appears from the Earth. If you need equipment, our best binoculars and best telescopes guides may help. Though some of these targets can be seen with the naked eye, for a better view we recommend using binoculars or a telescope. The Orion Constellation is home to many interesting stargazing targets, we explore a handful of them here. Rigel (opens in new tab), Orion's brightest star, forms the hunter's left knee. Other stars in the constellation include Hatsya, which establishes the tip of Orion's sword that hangs off the belt, and Meissa, which forms Orion's head. Bellatrix serves as Orion's left shoulder. Its right ascension is 5 hours, and its declination is 5 degrees.īetelgeuse (opens in new tab), the second brightest star in Orion - according to the night sky guide website (opens in new tab), establishes the right shoulder of the hunter. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and minus 75 degrees. Orion is in the southwestern sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. Orion's Belt is formed by three bright stars Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak.
![living earth shoulders living earth shoulders](http://jxmartin.com/Joseph_X._Martin/St._Martins_files/4_stamp_ship-1.png)
Finding Orion's Belt is the easiest way to locate the Orion Constellation. Orion is clearly visible in the night sky (opens in new tab) from November to February. (Image credit: Eerik via Getty Images) (opens in new tab) Orion is located on the celestial equator and can be seen throughout the world.