Space Walk Among the Stars: Choose your Space Walk audio guide

These audio guides are designed for use in northern temperate latitudes, but can be used elsewhere if the objects are visible where you are. Objects are listed in the season where they are generally best viewable in the evening, but may sometimes be seen earlier in the year if you stay up into the wee hours of the morning!

Winter Walks:

The Orion Nebula (M42) and surrounding objects

The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros and surrounding objects

Star Clusters M46 and M47 in Puppis

Binocular Space Walk - Winter

Virtual Space Walk for the Blind - Winter

Binocular Space Walk - From Sirius

Late Winter/Early Spring Walks:

M81 and M82 Galaxy Group in Ursa Major

Owl Nebula and Galaxy M108 in Ursa Major

Spring Walks:

Whale, Hockey Stick, and Mice Galaxies in Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices

Summer Walks:

Binocular Space Walk - Summer Southern Milky Way

Fall Walks:

Andromeda Galaxy and surrounding objects

Binocular Space Walk - Cruising for Clusters in Cassiopeia and Perseus

Quick diagrams for determining directions in the telescope. 

In all telescopes, stars and other objects will always drift to the WEST if the scope does not have a tracking motor operating. Know your telescope and directions in the eyepiece. 

The diagrams below show an example of how position angle (PA) is used to indicate the direction from a primary star to its secondary companion (PA 225 in this example) in reflectors and refractors/Cassegrains (with diagonal). You can also give any directions in the sky using PA or compass direction (270 or west, for example), as in many of these Space Walks. This view would be facing south.

This is for a NEWTONIAN REFLECTOR, such as a Dobsonian, and also for a straight-through finderscope. These show the image rotated 180 degrees from what you would see just looking up or in binoculars. North is COUNTER-CLOCKWISE from West:

Tip: In Sky Safari Pro, tap the field of view measurement in the upper right and select "Flip: Both" so the chart will match your view in the eyepiece. Note that it might still be rotated somewhat because of your eye's orientation to the eyepiece.

REFRACTORS and CASSEGRAIN telescopes, typically used WITH A MIRROR DIAGONAL, will show the image correct side up but mirror reversed from what you would see just looking up or in binoculars. North is CLOCKWISE from West:

Tip: In Sky Safari Pro, tap the field of view measurement in the upper right and select "Flip: Horz" so the chart will match your view in the eyepiece.