Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Friday, January 20th.  The sun will rise at 8:13.  It’ll be up for 9 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 5:34.   The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 6:44 tomorrow morning.

The closest star nursery to us is the Great Orion Nebula, It 1,344 light years  away give or take 20 light years.  A light year is about 6 trillion miles, if you want to pace it out. It’s located in the constellation Orion’s sword that hangs below his belt.  It shines by emission and reflection of the light of a clutch of four stars at its heart, astronomers have called the Trapezium.  These extremely hot baby stars which look like eggs in a nest are not destined to live long.  Unlike the sun’s 10 billion year life time these stars lifespan will be measured in millions of years.  Yet do not mourn for them,  Even now stars are forming in their dusty cocoons in the nebula.  The Trapezium stars death will provide the material for new stars and planets to form in their stead.

* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of  Michigan.

Addendum

The lower part of Orion with the Great Orion Nebula. Created using Stellarium.

Great Orion Nebula by Scott Anttila

Inner part of the Great Orion Nebula. Image by Scott Anttila

This short exposure by Scott Anttila shows the Trapezium.  It’s  a bit rotated and enlarged compared to the photograph above, but the red bars and the Trapezium match up.