The Bat and the Squid

Type: Nebula  Also known as Sh2-129 (bat) & Ou4 (squid)

As anyone with even the merest hint of interest in astronomy knows, our galaxy and the many others in the universe contain nebulae. A lot of them in fact. But these ones are part of a very select group, perhaps populated by no others, for they are actually two nebulae in one! No doubt you can see the nice puffy red/pink gas cloud here (called the Flying Bat Nebula) but you might also notice the smaller light blue shape inside it (known as the Squid Nebula) which is actually a separate nebula.

The Flying Bat is a fairly standard emission nebula but there is still some confusion as to what the Squid Nebula actually is. It was only discovered a few years ago and was initially thought to be a planetary nebula but is now believed to be a bipolar outflow from the bright blue star at its centre (HR 8119). One thing that seems very likely, however, is that it's actually within the Flying Bat rather than in front of it.

Observation: This unusual pairing can be found some 2,300 light years away in the constellation of Cepheus and, while large, is also rather faint. Actually, the Flying Bat isn't too hard to see - it can be made out with a mere pair of binoculars - but you'll need some pretty decent equipment to image the Squid (at least 200mm lens) which is extremely faint. Many think it worth the effort though!

M1 - Crab Nebula

Type: Nebula  Also known as: NGC 1952, Taurus A

Whilst admittedly not looking very crab-like, the first object catalogued by Messier was the Crab Nebula, and it's one of the most familiar sights from beyond our solar system. It lies 6,523 light years away and its distinctive, colourful, and extremely explodey likeness is regularly seen in many astronomy-related books and media and has even graced a few TV shows such as Star Trek where it has been seen in the background on computer displays.

One obvious reason for its striking appearance is that it's a supernova-remnant, and a fairly recent one in astronomical terms as well, corresponding to one recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054. Even with this in mind, however, it's still very bright, and the reason behind this was uncovered in the 1960's with the discovery of the Crab Pulsar which lies at its centre which would go on to prove very important to the scientific understanding of supernova remnants in general.

Observation: M1 lies in the constellation of Taurus. It can be vaguely made out with nothing more than a pair of binoculars and can be seen a little more clearly with a modest telescope, but seeing the brilliant colour and detail such as the filaments would require substantially larger and more complicated equipment.