Finding your way around

Would a thread showing hints of finding your way around the night sky be of interest? Such as how to find the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies, the Ring or Horsehead nebula, that kind of thing. Perhaps the experts here can provide tips and pointers for getting around in this sea of black.

Personally, I'm out of practice and looking to get back in the game, but I haven't quite forgotten everything (yet), so I'll start with the Big Dipper (starfield taken from Stellarium, available free at stellarium.org).



In fact late Fall is not a great time to be viewing the Big Dipper as it will be near the horizon to most people in the Northern Hemisphere. But everyone is familiar with it and very few would fail to find it. It is also an incredibly useful asterism to help find your way around. Of course Merak and Dubhe (beta and alpha Ursa Majoris, or UMa) are the pointers, and point the way to Polaris. Megrez (name not shown) and Phad point the way to Regulus (alpha Leonis) the heart of the Lion. Extend the arc of the handle away from the ladle and you'll find Arcturus, the 2nd brightest star visible in the NH and 4th brightest overall.

There are also a number of deep sky objects visible in small scopes (mostly galaxies) and accessible to star trackers that are easy to find here.

Extend Phad - Dubhe one length and you are within a degree of M81, one of the brightest galaxies outside of the local cluster. Near it is M82. These are sometimes known as Bode's nebulas.

Extend Dubhe-Phad (opposite direction of above) about 75% and you find M106, another spiral galaxy.

About 20% of the way from Merak to Phad is the spiral galaxy M108. A little further on and a bit off the line is the Owl Nebula, M97, one of the visually larger planetary nebulas in the sky. A telephoto shot of the area should pick up both in the same FOV. (M108 is about where the M is in the label; M97 about where the 9 is).

The spiral galaxy M109 is quite close (FOV wise) to Phad.

Form a nearly equilateral isosceles triangle using the last two stars of the handle and the third vertex will be M101, a spectacular face on spiral galaxy known as the Pinwheel. As a face-on this one's a bit dimmer and IME you need good skies to see the structure (the nucleus is easy though).

Again using the last two stars of the handle go from Mizar to Alkaid, turn 90 degrees left, and go a half length. You'll find M51, another spectacular face on spiral, this one with a companion, and known as the Whirlpool.

If instead of going half the length of Mizar-Alkaid you go about 2 lengths (same direction) you will find yet another spiral galaxy, this one M94.

If instead of turning left 90 degrees at Alkaid you open up that angle and go a bit over one Mizar-Alkaid length you will find the spiral galaxy M63, sometimes known as the Sunflower.

M51, 63, 94, and 106 are actually in the constellation Canes Venatici, the brightest star of which is visible at upper left and is sometimes known as Cor Caroli.

If you have access to a bigger scope there are dozens and dozens of galaxies here, but no doubt you already know that. Would be interesting to see what a star tracker can bring out though.