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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.
 This weekend we move on to the constellation
Aries the Ram. .
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Deep
Sky Report
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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. |
 Moving 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. |
 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! |
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"The hardest thing to understand is why we can understand anything at all." - Albert Einstein |
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