Last week, when viewing conditions where still great and just before I got a bad cold, I was perusing the skies with my big (10-inch Dob) telescope. It had been a while since I was outside with the heavy equipment just browsing for new stuff above. So after taking a good look at all things Orion and the Pleiades, I used my Sky Map app to see if any DSOs might be worth viewing.
Since they were around Zenith (and still are) at my best night viewing time, I decided to look for three open clusters, Messier objects M36, M37, and M38. They are in the constellation Auriga, above Orion and Taurus. All three clusters are nice, but I found M37 in particular to be amazing. Even from my light-polluted suburban skies I could see dozens of concentrated stars, if not more. It had been a while since I had an awe-inspiring find, and this was finally it. I am hoping, if weather conditions improve this coming weekend, to try sketching M37.
We are in the middle of Winter and looking towards Spring. Are there any deep sky objects you enjoy viewing at this time of year?
