Many constellations are famous for one or two
well-known and beloved deep-sky objects. Orion is
famous for the Orion Nebula and the neighbouring
Horsehead Nebula; Lyra’s ‘celebrity feature’ is
the Ring Nebula, M57, and pretty much the only
reason for pointing a telescope or pair of binoculars
towards the little box of Cancer is to look at M44,
the Beehive Cluster. Likewise, when you think of
Taurus you automatically think of its two large,
bright open star clusters, the V-shaped Hyades
clusterandthe‘Mini-BigDipper’ofthePleiades
cluster, M45. However, there are other deep-sky
objects lurking within the borders of this zodiacal
constellation well worth your time tracking down.
You might not think of M1, the famous ‘Crab
Nebula’, as being particularly challenging, but it is if
you live anywhere with skies that are corrupted by
even low levels of light pollution. Our other objects- remote galaxies, clusters and nebulae – will all
require medium- or large-aperture telescopes to see,
but all offer something refreshingly different from
the beautiful, but very familiar jewelled sprays of
the Hyades and Seven Sisters. So, telescopes at the
ready, swing them towards Taurus and let’s go...
There’s more to the Bull than the Pleiades and the
Hyades clusters - if you’re up to the challenge
Tantalising treats in Taurus
Deep sky challenge
Crystal Ball Nebula (NGC 1514)NGC 1615
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