The clear March evening has opened wide for mysterious nature's casket — a star night. All southern part of sky is covered by bright winter stars. In their round dance the naked eye easily finds well-known figures: Gemini (the Twins), Auriga, Canis Minor (the Lesser Dog), Taurus(the Bull)... But at the centre of attention, certainly, Orion...
This constellation occupies the specific status in a mind of observers but not only it rather beautiful or personifies winter. A variety and beauty that disappears in star depths of Orion is comparable to its splendour and glory only. What the intense program of seeing had not been planned for night it's skarcely to find thought one amateur, who would be kept from a fluent sight into a telescope to the Great Nebula in Orion — M42.
The Great Nebula in Orion (М42) — one of the main pearls of amateur astronomy. Probably there is no book on astronomy, where would not appear its photo. This glory was quite deserved: М42 — the brightest dim nebula of the winter sky, and even in the most modest telescope it represents impressing object. The nebula is appreciable even by a unaided eye, is especial by lateral sight, as strange light environmental an average asterisk “Orion's Sword”. In the binoculars here already it is possible to consider large, about 1° in a diameter, slightly oval luminous area environmental beautiful double star q (Theta) Orionis.
Guide there telescope, let even small, and you will see a remarkable picture: each of a component of this double system, in turn has broken up — q1 (Theta1) on two, and q2 (Theta2) — on whole four! These last, grouping closely at the centre of nebula, formed tiny a trapeze. And itself nebula? Now, two light “wings” departing in the different parties from its bright central area, distinctly are visible, which already attracts attention with the outlines: its two edges seem cut off on to a ruler and converge precisely under a direct corner. It is difficult to believe, that only game of a case, fancifully twirled a huge cloud of a dust and gas. With increase of a diameter of a telescope the eye notices ever more and more thin details in structure the nebula. Black “failure” between “wings” not so seems completely dark, on a background of the bright centre now distinguishing tens dark spots and strips, and like the simple task — to sketch the nebula — seems impracticable. When the diameter of a telescope reaches 20–30 см, the central area of the nebula reminds a piece of old wood, damaged by insects, so intricate and distinct the dark fibres on its background seem. “Wings” break up to separate jets, and nebula М 43, the small fragment of a complex separated dusty (dark) strip from М42, now under the form reminds a point. It is difficult to excess impression, arising at a sight on М42 in 35-см (or greater) telescope, words. In such tool nebula it not so seems by sulfur, as well as the majority of heavenly objects, and gets the distinctly expressed greenish colour.
In the same constellation, near М42 one more object certainly familiar to everyone is located who is interested in astronomy — dark nebula “Horsehead”. Its portrait also decorates almost all popular astronomical books, but in contrast the Great Nebula in Orion, it is very difficult for supervision, and few can brag, that saw it. Two difficulties trap those who has decided nevertheless to find a famous cloud of an interstar dust. First — a little who imagines, as it should look actually. The one who expected to see the large beautiful black failure precisely allocated on a bright background, the disappointment waits. First of all, nebula is rather small, only about 5', and as the light background, so obvious in photos, appears at all not bright, and faster, absolutely weak, slightly brighter than environmental sky, “Horsehead” the observer almost for certain at once will not notice. Only after adaptation of an eye it is possible to notice, on neat expression of one American astronomer, “a small slice of darkness, even more black, than gloom, environmental it”. The form of the nebula, if nevertheless it managed to be noticed, is guessed almost at once. The second difficulty follows from first: do not try to begin searches, if the sky though is slightly lighted. In end it is necessary to note, that the diameter of a telescope for successful “hunts behind heads” should not be less than 150 mm.
In general, nearby with z (Zeta) Ori very many different interesting objects (actually speaking are located to name as their different not absolutely correctly, you see all of them — only bright parts one huge complex, consists from gas and dust, which enter and М42 and “Horsehead”). One of them — bright and large, 30х30', dim nebula NGC 2024. It is well visible in 10-см reflector. Even at small increase the eye distinguishes a precise dark strip of a dust dividing the nebula in two. In conditions especially of transparent sky the nebula becomes visible even in 5-см the binoculars, that the author had an opportunity once again to to make sure the last autumn. NGC 2023, that in half-degree to the south of it, is quite accessible for «Мizar”. From NGC 2024 it is distinguished with appreciable increase of brightness to the centre, where the star 7,8m sparkles. It is more difficult to notice IС 434, on which background and visible “Horsehead”, but sharply outlined east edge of this weak transparent tape nevertheless quite we shall distinguish, is especial if to shake a telescope in a direction, perpendicular to it, that is to say, from east on west.
Dim nebula М78 in 2,5° north-east of z Ori — bright and compact and it very simply to find. It has shine about 8,5m and sizes 8' х 6'. Surprises its external similarity to a comet: a bright nucleus, gradually « descending on is not present » an elliptic environment. Spoils a kind only “extraneous” a star near to “by a nucleus”. The similarity here is deceptive: the nebula is a cloud of an interstar dust illuminated from within by a star (that is closer to the centre). Its one edge has precise border: it is as though cut off. For the first time observing М78 in Moscow with «Мizar” there are a lot of years back, I unexpectedly have found out, that in one a field of sight with it another is visible a nebula, up to strangeness reminding neighbour: same round little spot, unless by the size hardly is smaller, and the star at the centre is weaker, about 10m. The star atlas has shown, that “open” nebula carries a designation NGC 2071, and nearby two are marked — NGC 2067 and NGC 2064. To find them with «Мizar then it was not possible, and some more years have passed, until I had to the good luck to find them (with the large work) in 35-centimetric “Newton”.
In star depths of Gemini (the Twins) many remarkable objects accessible even to small amateur tools disappear. Planetary nebula NGC 2392 — one of most accessible in the sky, and is easy to distinguish it from stars even in small school refractor, «Мizar» allows confidently to observe small bright oval by the size 13" х 43" with an appreciable central star 10m. This nebula around of a bright internal part has a wider and weak external environment. In conditions of a very high transparency of an atmosphere it could be noticed in refractor АVR-1 (D = 200 mm, 1: 15) of Shtrenberg's Astronomical Institute observatory, Moscow, with increase 216x. Thus, on a background of a bright central part dark structures distinctly were visible. The nebula is beautiful and carries the name “the Eskimo” for really appreciable similarity to a physiognomy of the eskimo (or ours Chukchi), dressed in their national clothes. Nearby from NGC 2392 the rather nice absent-minded cluster NGC 2420 is located. It has shine 10,2m, the size 7' and totals about 20 stars. To find it is not very difficult.
Gemini has “own” galaxy — NGC 2339 with shine 11,5m. The seen sizes 1,9' X 1,5' and to find it it is possible even in a 10-centimetric telescope, however this case, though is interesting (galaxy is at edge of the Milky Way), but nevertheless is not unique, that will not tell about our last object.
In 7° to the north of a star Castor (a (Alpha) Gemini) there is an object completely untypical of this area of the sky. The globular star cluster, as is known, concentrate to the centre of our Galaxy, and it is possible to see that one of them, NGC 2419, in a direction almost strictly opposite to it (galactic longitude of a cluster almost 180°), fact rather conspicuous. The cluster is in constellation of a Lynx and deserves the special attention also because of its remoteness from us. Up to it 300 thousand lights years, that is to say, it is located from the Sun twice further, than the Greater Magellanic Cloud — present intergalactic wanderer! However, even being so far, the cluster shines as a star 10,3m. Its seen diameter — 1,7' (class — II). It was opened it by W. Hershel in December, 1788.
А. Оstapenko?
This material — reduced and a little bit changed variant of an article from a cycle “Star casket”, published in a magazine 
“the Earth and Universe”.