Star Points for March, 1999; by Curtis Roelle Peering Into The Stellar Nursery Typically human beings are born into this world one at a time. Multiple births are possible, but the probability drops sharply as the number of babies increases. With stars it is just the opposite. Most astronomers agree that stars form together in clusters of dozens or even hundreds of stars at a time. Indeed, the probability of a star being an "only child" is essentially nil. Before there are stars or a cluster there is a large nebulous cloud of gas and dust. Star formation occurs when the cloud starts to collapse due to gravitational forces and fragments into smaller clouds which coalesce into individual stars. Something as simple as a pair of binoculars can show you this process in action within the boundaries of the constellation of Orion the hunter which occupies the southwestern sky in the early evening hours of late winter. Hanging below Orion's three belt stars is a small sword. Theta Orionis, the central sword star is surrounded by a nebulous cloud known to astronomers as the "Orion Nebula". Within the dusty envelope of the nebula are a host of infantile stars. In fact, Theta is actually not one star but seven! The brightest three or four are visible as a tight knot in even the smallest telescopes. These stars have been estimated to be less than 100,000 years old and perhaps as young as 23,000. Considering that stars can shine for billions of years, these particular youngsters are indeed mere babes. The Orion Nebula has gone by several other designations. In the 17th century it was number 42 in French astronomer Charles Messier's catalog which has always been a favorite resource of interesting telescopic objects for amateur astronomers. The nebula was numbered 1179 in Sir John Herschel's 1864 General Catalog and was entry 1976 in J.L.E. Dryer's "New" General Catalog published in 1888. There are many more objects in the sky visible in modest telescopes. The Westminster Astronomical Society (WAS) and the Carroll County Parks are sponsoring an all night star party at the Bear Branch Nature Center north of Westminster on the night of Saturday March 20. Telescopes will be on hand for viewing objects such as the Orion Nebula and objects from catalogs such as Messier's. The WAS invites the public to attend and I encourage you readers to go out to Bear Branch that night. Bring the family, something hot to drink, and dress warmly. You may stay as late or as early as you desire. Now to check the mail bag. Baltimore's "Street Corner Astronomer" Herman Heyn responded to the recent series on the topics of meteor showers and meteorites. Mr. Heyn pointed out an interesting little known fact writing, "to date, no meteorite fall has ever been associated with a meteor shower. This is because shower meteors are attributed to comets, which are made only of dust and sand grain size particles too small to make it through our atmosphere." By the way, Mr. Heyn can be found many clear nights of the year in Fells Point, pointing out stellar treasures to passers by with his telescope. You don't have to be an astronomer to write. Anyone should feel free to comment via e-mail at StarPointsUSA@yahoo.com.