Utah Skies
"Bringing the Joys of Astronomy to the Public Through Awareness, Advocacy, and Education."

Check out our Spaceweather Section

HMO

TCO

SLC

Constellation Report

Our Constellation report is an easy way for people to become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated with the various constellations as well as describing the numerous deep sky objects residing in the area. No equipment is required to view the constellations, though a star chart can be quite helpful. This ease of observing makes constellations a natural place to begin your journey to the stars. 

The Deep Sky Wonders of AriesThis weekend we move on to the constellation Aries the Ram. .

 

 

 

Deep Sky Report

Ok, let's start things off with a beautiful double star, Gamma Arietis. This binary star has two components: a mag4.75 and a mag4.83. Separated by about 8", this should be an easy target for most telescopes and large astronomical binoculars. Located along the western edge of Aries (almost into Pisces), this binary has a combined magnitude of 3.9, making it an easy target. From most locations (at least on my mailing list), this should be naked eye visible. Check it out. Double star observing is a fascinating area in observational astronomy. It doesn't take a huge telescope, just a desire to explore.
Next we'll hit another double star, Aries 30(mag6.57). The two stars which make up this binary system are mag6.5 and mag7.4. They are fairly widely spaced, and easily resolved. Both stars have a yellowish color. 

Spiral Galaxy NGC972Moving on, we come to Spiral Galaxy NGC972(mag11.3) This galaxy would be the challenge object in almost any other constellation. In Aries, this is the brightest object we've got for you. Anyway...you should be able to find this easily in about an 8". Move to higher powers once you've found it. Spiral structure will be illusive at best. Averted vision or averted imagination as I've heard it called can help you tease out details. Obviously this is an object which requires darks skies and lots of aperture.

Irregular Galaxy NGC1156 Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, Irregular Galaxy NGC1156(mag11.7) This weird shaped galaxy will definitely provide you with a challenge. It's fairly small and fairly dim... more so that NGC972 above. In a smaller telescope of say <8", simply spotting this will be interesting. To truly appreciate this object, you'll need to move up in aperture (way up :)... and find dark skies. Once you've done this, things get a bit more interesting. You'll begin to notice the odd, almost boxy shape of this galaxy. Definitely an "irregular" :) Push the magnification once you've found it

Good Luck!

Events

> -

Did you ever consider...

"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." - Isaac Newton

News

Space Station Crew Talks With Students At Florida Science Center
NASA Selects Investigations for First Mission to Encounter the Sun
NASA Invites Media To Experience Future Of Human Space Exploration
NASA, Newseum Invite Media To Discover And Encounter Comets
New NASA HD App for iPad With Expanded Content Available Free
2011A call for proposals announced
2011A PIT released
GN Observing Database offline for maintenance
Mac support for 2011A PIT with Java 6
White Papers Solicited for High-Resolution Optical Spectroscopy
The Superwind Galaxy NGC 4666
Richest Planetary System Discovered
How Much Mass Makes a Black Hole?
Ambitious Survey Spots Stellar Nurseries
Seeing a Stellar Explosion in 3D
Spitzer Finds a Flavorful Mix of Asteroids
Students Travel to California to Learn About Astronomy
Pulverized Planet Dust May Lie Around Double Stars
Galaxies' Glory Days Revealed
Best Jobs In Science: NASA Concept Illustrators Turn Raw Data Into Art
BP says failed blowout preventer off Gulf well
Wind Turbine or Airplane? New Radar Could Cut Through the Signal Clutter
Quake of 7.4 hits New Zealand near Christchurch
Behavior Influenced More In Denser Networks
Wee ants protect African savanna trees from elephants