Archives for January 2017

The Allure of Carbon Stars

January 27, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The carbon star R Leporis. Credit: Damian Peach

For visual observers with small optics, the colors of the deep sky range from subtle to nonexistent. Galaxies and nebulae cast too little light to stimulate the color-sensing cone cells in our retinas, so they appear pale gray-white or, in the case of a bright planetary nebulae, gray-green. Bright stars are a little more colorful. Betelgeuse appears clearly orange, even to the unaided eye, Rigel shines blue-white, and the showpiece double star Albireo in the constellation Cygnus shows off a blue-green primary and red-orange secondary in even the smallest telescope. Otherwise, star colors are quite subtle, especially to new stargazers. But there is one exception– carbon stars. These deep ruby-red stars, which dredge up nuclear soot from their innards, give off a striking glow that’s easy to see in a small telescope. See your first carbon star and you’ll want to see many more [Read more…] about The Allure of Carbon Stars

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The Attendants of Mirfak

January 19, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The star Mirfak and its 'Attendants', the cluster known as Melotte 20, are at the bottom of this image, just right of center. Closer to the center of the image, just rightward, lies the famous Double Cluster. — The star Mirfak and its ‘Attendants’, the cluster known as Melotte 20, are at the bottom of this image, just right of center. Closer to the center of the image, just rightward, lies the famous Double Cluster.

Nearly overhead in the after-dinner hours of a northern winter night, the rich constellation Perseus offers even a modestly-equipped amateur astronomer many hours of pleasant stargazing. Named after the great hero of Greek mythology, Perseus finds itself in the starry plane of the Milky Way Galaxy where thousands of brilliant blue-white stars have coalesced in the the last few tens of millions of years. Near the star Mirfak, or α (alpha) Persei, the brightest star in Perseus, lies a particularly dazzling collection of associated blue-white stars that make up a loose cluster often called the “Attendants of Mirfak”. This little group is a beautiful sight in binoculars [Read more…] about The Attendants of Mirfak

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Three Clusters and a Cheshire Cat

January 13, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The stars along the northern Milky Way rising in the eastern sky. To the right lies the Hyades above which is the smaller Pleiades star cluster. To the right lies the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. — The stars along the northern Milky Way rising in the eastern sky. To the right lies the Hyades above which is the smaller Pleiades star cluster. To the left of center in this image lies the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer.

Visible nearly overhead in the northern hemisphere, the bright constellation Auriga makes for pleasant viewing this time of year. The constellation, which looks like a big hexagon about 15° across, sits in a fine star field along the northern Milky Way directly opposite the much richer sky near the galactic center in Sagittarius. Auriga also holds the dazzling star Capella, the most northerly first-magnitude star in the skies. The constellation is also visible above the northern horizon from most populated parts of the southern hemisphere. Whether you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, make an appointment to examine the three finest open star clusters of Auriga– M36, M37, and M38– along with a smiling asterism embedded in the stream of the Milky Way [Read more…] about Three Clusters and a Cheshire Cat

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A Guide to Observing Comet 45/P Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková

January 5, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova imaged by amateur astronomer Tim Puckett in 2011.

A little periodic comet is visiting the inner solar system over the next few months. Comet 45/P Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková, a tiny piece of ice and dust left over from the earliest days of the solar system, moves periodically around the Sun every 5.25 years. It made its closest approach to the Sun on December 31, 2016 and it’s visible now. As it passes close to Earth in February, it will brighten and appear to move quickly across the sky from day to day. You’ll need binoculars to see it, but it’s worth following this little leftover hunk of the early solar system [Read more…] about A Guide to Observing Comet 45/P Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková

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Venus and the “New Year” Crescent Moon

January 2, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

venus-moon-new-year-2017 — Venus and the crescent Moon on the evening of January 1, 2017, imaged from Bethesda, MD.

The waning of the first day of 2017 sees the slender crescent Moon, rounded out by Earthshine, and the brilliant planet Venus in the western sky after sunset. Venus puts on quite a show this month as it reaches greatest eastern elongation on January 12 and lies some 47° east of the Sun. The planet then grows in brightness to magnitude -4.7 by month’s end. That’s as bright as the planet ever gets, bright enough to cast shadows on a dark night.

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