|
Tonight This Month—January 2012 ( chris.scopenutter@gmail.com) posted 10 January, 2012.
Want to know more about Chris? Go here.
A surprise visitor inspects the Vernon Observatory Operations Centre <<More Vernon Observatory photos coming soon>>
Time Band: 7 pm to Midnight
Jupiter - King of the Planets is best viewed during January for about an hour just after sunset. You will find Jupiter high in the northern Sky. Also nearby is Neptune. Both of these planets are best viewed shortly after sunset. Also in the area at the time is the moon which is full on 16 January.
M45
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2004/20/image/b/
M43, the Running Man nebula
M43
After midnight, Mars appears low (less than 30 degrees above the horizon) in the North-Eastern sky.
Omega Centauri (NGC 5139)
|
|
What’s up with Chris |
|
Home |
|
Naked eye astronomy |
|
Fun with binoculars |
|
Cheap telescopes |
|
Too cold outside |
|
Cheap cosmology |
|
Reader contributions |
|
Cheap podcasts |
|
What's up with Chris |
|
Send an email |
|
About us |
|
Explore the universe on a shoestring |
|
Cheap Astronomy |
|
Ask us a question: cheapastro@gmail.com | Home | About us |
|
In the Tonight This Month, I hand-pick some of my favourite astronomy sights appearing in this Month's sky. These objects are spectacular to view in binoculars or using 80-150mm (3-6 inch) telescopes. In the sections below, I will also explain how to view these objects using free tools, simple techniques and low-cost gear.
When describing how to find these sky delights, I refer to degrees.. Please bear in mind 5 degrees of sky is a little larger than the size of a full moon or your three middle-fingers held at arms-length.
The "Tonight This Month" sky guide is mostly catering for southern hemisphere observers, although some of the objects will be viewable from the northern hemisphere. |
|
Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) - One of the most spectacular globular clusters in the southern hemisphere. You will find Omega Centauri in the constellation Centaur. To locate Omega Centauri, find the Southern Cross (Crux). Beta Crucis (BCrux / Mimosa) is the bottom-most star in Crux. Aproximately 23 degrees left of Beta Crucis and 3 degrees down, you will locate Omega Centauri. |
|
Jewel Box Cluster (NGC 4755) - You will locate this open cluster about Two degrees diagonally down-and-right of Beta-Crucis (BCrux / Mimosa). Quoting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Box_%28star_cluster%29 This famous group of young bright stars was named the Jewel Box from its description by Sir John Herschel as "a casket of variously coloured precious stones," which refers to its appearance in the telescope. The bright orange star Kappa Crucis contrasts strongly against its predominantly blue, hot companions. Kappa Crucis is a very large (hence very luminous) young star in its red supergiant stage, which paradoxically indicates that its life is drawing to a close. |
|
Quoting SEA and SKY Website - http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-messier-41to50.html
M42 is a site of active star formation, and the stars within this nebula cause it to shine with a magnitude of 4. This makes it one of the few nebulae that can be seen with the naked eye. The most famous of these stars is a small cluster known as the Trapezium. A pair of binoculars will show the basic structure of this nebula, while a small telescope will reveal intricate details within its dusty lanes. |
|
The Pleiades / M45
Best viewed using low power - less than 50X magnification). |