Deep Sky

Find the clusters, nebulae and galaxies within reach of your eyes.

5 guides · about 35 min

Start anywhere. No guide on this path builds on another, so take them in any order.

1. 1. The Pleiades 8 min How many of the Pleiades can you count with your own eyes?

   You’ll be able to find the Pleiades, and count how many of its stars your sky shows.

   Builds on

   • Orion: The Hunter · Constellations. Its hop starts from Orion’s Belt, up past Aldebaran.

   Leads to

   The Sisters and the Hunter (Sky Cultures)

   Begin Know it already? Find it outside
2. 2. The Orion Nebula 6 min Where in Orion can you see stars being born?

   You’ll be able to find the Orion Nebula below Orion’s Belt.

   Builds on

   • Measure the Sky with Your Hand · Observing Skills. It uses “altitude”, which Measure the Sky with Your Hand explains.
   • Orion: The Hunter · Constellations. The nebula hangs just below Orion’s Belt.

   Begin Know it already? Find it outside
3. 3. Finding the Andromeda Galaxy 7 min What is the farthest thing most people ever see with their own eyes?

   You’ll be able to star-hop from the Great Square to the Andromeda Galaxy.

   Builds on

   • Dark Skies, Dark Eyes · Observing Skills. It uses “bortle”, which Dark Skies, Dark Eyes explains.

   Begin Know it already? Find it outside
4. 4. The Clouds of Magellan 6 min What are the two clouds that never drift with the weather?

   You’ll be able to find the two Magellanic Clouds by eye and say what they are.

   Builds on

   • The Southern Cross · How the Sky Turns. It works round the south celestial pole, which the Southern Cross finds.

   Begin
5. 5. The Plane of the Galaxy 7 min Where is the centre of our galaxy in your sky?

   You’ll be able to trace the Milky Way’s midline and point to the galaxy’s centre in Sagittarius.

   Builds on

   • The Ecliptic · Sun and Calendar. It uses “ecliptic”, which The Ecliptic explains.

   Begin

From other paths

Guides on this path build on these.

• Orion: The Hunter · Constellations · 6 min Its hop starts from Orion’s Belt, up past Aldebaran.
• Measure the Sky with Your Hand · Observing Skills · 5 min It uses “altitude”, which Measure the Sky with Your Hand explains.
• Dark Skies, Dark Eyes · Observing Skills · 6 min It uses “bortle”, which Dark Skies, Dark Eyes explains.
• The Southern Cross · How the Sky Turns · 6 min It works round the south celestial pole, which the Southern Cross finds.
• The Ecliptic · Sun and Calendar · 8 min It uses “ecliptic”, which The Ecliptic explains.