A set of 7  Reference Line Maps, star charts and DSS photos of M50.  These maps works well with red dot finders and green laser pointers.  The Reference Line Method method adapts well to both binoculars and telescopes.

Notes:

1. If you have dark enough skies to see all of the stars in Monoceros you won’t have any difficulty locating M50.
2. Jones:  “Although the area, like much of the Milky Way, is rich in groups of faint stars, M50 stands out well as a separate cluster by virtue of having a ring of slightly darker sky surrounding it.”

How to Use Reference Line Maps to locate deep sky objects.

Credits, Links & Resources:

1. The images of  galactic position of eemission nebulae, star clusters and planetary nebulae relative to our own Sun  are provided courtesy of thinkastronomy.com.
2. Sky and Telescope’’s  This Week’s Sky At A Glance is worth checking before every stargazing session.
3. Danko’s  Clear Sky Chart provides a 48 hour forecast of observing conditions for every  location  in North America.
4. Reference Line Maps are produced by Project DeepSkyMap, a collaborative venture of observers who enjoy  knowing the heavens and  locating objects for themselves.