These gigantic and turbulent dust and gas clouds, glowing in the constellation of Orion, are located about 1,400 light-years from our solar system. Incredibly, they can be glimpsed from a dark site without any optical aid on clear December evenings. Add binoculars or a small telescope and the view becomes spectacular. Courtesy NASA, ESA, HST Orion Treasury Project Team

Amateur astronomers are very familiar with the “Straight Wall” feature on the moon. Depending on the angle of sunlight striking the lunar surface, this 68 mile long fault line can be very easy or quite difficult to detect in small telescopes. Courtesy NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State Univ.

Below is the famous Pleiades Star Cluster consists of about 3,000 stars. It is located about 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus and is easily located without any optical aid during the winter months. Courtesy NASA, ESA, AURA, Caltech, Palomar Obs

At left, easily located in large binoculars and small telescopes, the Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76) appears in the constellation Perseus on clear December evenings. However, large telescopes are needed to reveal the two lobes and the faint halo of nebulosity that surrounds the object. Courtesy Adam Block, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, Univ. Arizona