Where Stars Are Born, Part 1

Stellar nurseries are nothing like the calm and quiet nurseries where we Earthlings keep our babies. See for yourself on today's episode of Astro Minute!

What is Astro Minute?

Welcome to the Astro Minute! I'm Lauren Smyth, and with the help of astronomer and teacher Kelli Smyth, I'll be your tour guide as we explore the secrets of the night sky sixty seconds at a time.

Welcome to the Astro minute, where we’re exploring the universe sixty seconds at a time. I’m Lauren Smyth, and today we’re hunting for nebulae in the Teapot.

Stars form in clouds of gas and dust call nebulae. Though they appear peaceful from a distance, these stellar nurseries are violent, dynamic places, where new stars’ powerful radiation and stellar winds create spectacular colors and structure.

Only two nebulae can be seen with unaided eyes from the northern hemisphere, appearing as gray fuzzy patches. One of these is in the Teapot, low in the south on summer and autumn evenings. Just above its spout is the Lagoon Nebula. After you find the Lagoon Nebula, grab your binoculars for a better view, then scan with the binoculars just above it for another patch of light, a stellar nursery called the Trifid Nebula. As for the second naked-eye nebula…keep listening!

That’s your astro minute!