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http://www.facebook.com/AstronomyMagazine6 ASTRONOMY • JANUARY 2020FROM THE EDITOR
You might not appreciate it, but with
every glance into a dark sky, you’re seeing
the grandest recycling program there is.
Deep within molecular clouds in the galaxy, grav-
ity is working its magic to collapse hydrogen and
helium down into pockets, where new stars are
born. This material, f loating out in the so-called
interstellar medium, originated from the deaths of
older stars that are no more. Through the slow
outgassing of planetary nebulae for stars like the
Sun, or the explosive events known as supernovae
for massive stars, atoms from former stars are
blown out into space to eventually reaccrete into
new stars.
One of the regions of such star formation closest
to us exists in the Perseus Molecular Cloud, an area
of dense interstellar medium lying about 1,
light-years away. As the name suggests, it lies in the
direction of the constellation Perseus the Hero, in
a bright and prominent part of the wintertime
evening sky.
Steve O’Meara’s story “Inside the Perseus
Molecular Cloud,” on page 56, details the many fascinating sights
you can see there with a small- or medium-size telescope. The cloud
contains some of the bright, naked-eye stars you associate with
Perseus, which are members of the so-called Perseus OB
Association, a gravitationally linked group of young, hot, blue-white
suns. These include Zeta Persei, Xi Persei, and Omicron Persei,
dazzling stars that ma ke up part of the form of the Hero.
Moreover, several alluring emission nebulae — star-forming
regions — lie within the cloud’s domain. They include the California
Nebula — a famous object, but a challenging one for visual observ-
ers due to its large size and low surface brightness. Others are there,
too: NGC 1333, IC 348, and Van den Bergh 12, 13, and 16. An array
of dark nebulae lies within the region as well, including Barnard 1,
Barnard 3, Barnard 4, and Barnard 5.
This winter, find a good night when the Moon is out of the way,
get away from city lights, and take a long look at the region of the
Perseus Molecular Cloud. You’ll be staring into a rich area of star
for mat ion, seei ng photons t hat lef t on t hei r jou r ne y s t h rou g h space
a thousand years before striking your eyes tonight.
The cloud reminds us that the universe is vast, and that change
is everywhere. And that life is finite, even the lives of stars, which
leave us on a relentless cycle, donating their atoms back into the
darkness of space.Yo u r s t r u l y,David J. Eicher
EditorA look at infant suns
Editor David J. Eicher
Design Director LuAnn Williams Belter
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year, payable in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank. BN 12271 3209 RT. Not responsible for unsolicited materials.The California Nebula
(NGC 1499) is one of
the spectacular star-
forming regions in
Perseus. JASON WAREFollow the
Dave’s Universe blog:
http://www.Astronomy.
com/davesuniverse
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