Star Points for March, 2006; by Curtis Roelle False Comets Turned Into Sky Gems March has become a popular month for amateur astronomers who enjoy participating in marathons at which they attempt to observe as many as possible of the celestial objects cataloged by the French comet hunter Charles Messier (pronounced mess-yea). The 110 items attributed to Messier comprise his catalog of "fools comets" or objects that a comet hunting astronomer should be familiar with in order to avoid the humiliation of a false discovery. I've had first hand experience with such mix-ups. Once as a teenager I was walking home one night and looking up I saw what appeared to be a rather large nebulous glow. Certain that I had discovered a new naked eye comet I rushed home to check my star charts. Excitement turned to embarrassment when my naked eye "comet" turned out to be the Pleiades star cluster, which is also known as the "Seven Sisters." Luckily, I refrained from announcing the discovery until after it had been confirmed. It wasn't a total bust, however. I did learn that I was nearsighted and needed to have my eyes checked. What makes March a good month is that the distribution of Messier's objects across the sky features a barren hole. When the sun occupies this hole during late March, around the time of the Equinox, it is possible to observe nearly all of Messier's objects in a single all night observing session. Although best viewed with a telescope, it is possible to see quite a few with binoculars and even the naked eye. Let us look at a couple of examples, starting with the Pleiades cluster mentioned earlier. The Pleiades is object 45 in Messier's catalog and therefore is referred to as M45. If you go out and face due west at 8 p.m. on Sunday March 5, the Pleiades cluster will be about halfway up between the horizon and the "zenith" point directly overhead. To assist you the crescent moon will be just above the cluster on that night. Point a pair of binoculars at the moon and focus. Now slowly move them down and a little to the right until you see a pretty grouping of stars. It might help to move the moon just out of the field of view at the top. That is M45. Some people think they look a little bit like a tiny form of the "Big Dipper." Now, put the binoculars down. Can you see M45 with the naked eye? There are different types of star clusters. M45 is called an open cluster. By the way, the bright "star" near the moon to its upper left is the planet Mars. Another kind of object on Messier's list are nebulae. A nebula is an enormous gas cloud floating in space at very great distance. One of the most famous diffuse nebulae is in the constellation Orion. In early March after twilight ends Orion's altitude above the horizon is similar to that of the Pleiades M45 star cluster. However, look to its left in the southwestern sky for Orion. Orion's belt is marked by three distinctive stars of similar magnitude. From left to right their names are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Below the belt are some fainter stars forming Orion's sword. Looking at the sword region through binoculars you will notice that one of the stars seems a bit fuzzy. What you are seeing is the Great Orion Nebula or M42 in the Messier catalog. This cloud of gas is the place of ongoing star birth -- a stellar nursery. A telescope reveals even greater detail. From locations away from the light pollution of cities and towns the nebula is breathtaking. Also, the larger the telescope the more detail is seen. I have seen scalloped clouds that seem almost three dimensional having a drapery or wave like appearance. A more complete list of Messier objects can be found in an article entitled "The Marathon Sky-Tour" in the March/April issue of Night Sky magazine. You can obtain a complimentary copy of the magazine courtesy of the Westminster Astronomical Society. Catch up with them on Saturdays at the Eldersburg Library where they set up telescopes between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. These opportunities coincide with the library's "Aha! Science" programs. For a complete schedule go to the Carroll County Public Library web page (library.carr.org) and click on the link for "library events" and see events at Eldersburg.