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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
Lepus the Hare. Lepus lies just below the feet of Orion, the
Hunter. Perhaps if he stays motionless he'll avoid being dinner? Perhaps
his speed will allow for an escape? Perhaps... perhaps not :)
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Deep
Sky Report
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The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of
Lepus . Lepus can be found low and to the south shortly after
dark. It sits just below or to the south of Orion which we visited a couple of
weeks ago. Gamma Leporis is a very nice double
star to start things off. It has a nice color contrast and wide separation. At
mags 3.6 & 6.1, this is an easy target for even the smallest telescopes. I
found numerous descriptions of the star colors... from yellow and garnet to
yellow and orange. Since I've never described anything as being colored
garnet... I'd say they appeared as yellow and orange. |
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 Ok, let's start things off with
the only Messier object in the list, Globular Star Cluster M79(mag8). This
object can be found in smaller telescopes and binoculars. At higher
powers, you'll begin to see some structure. In order to resolve the
individual stars, you'll need to increase the aperture. An 8-10"
telescope should be able to resolve stars along the fringe, while 16+" is
required to resolve the core. Check it out. I guarantee that you'll enjoy
this one. Globulars are one of my favorite observing targets... right up
there with galaxies and nebulae :)
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 Next we'll hit Barred
Spiral Galaxy NGC1888(mag12). This
is the northern most object in this weeks report. This should greatly
simplify your attempts to find it. Start at Rigel and move about 5°
to the southeast. This object won't knock you off your feet, but it should
be easily found in instruments in the 8" range. With anything
smaller, merely finding it should be satisfaction enough. Once you find
it, pushing the
magnification will reveal a bit of mottling through the galaxy core.
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 Moving on we come to Spiral Galaxy
NGC1832(mag11.4). This
galaxy is just a fraction of a degree north of 3rd magnitude Mu Lepus. You
should have no trouble finding this object in a 4-6" telescope.
Moving to the 8-10" range under dark skies will begin to show the
galaxies spiral arms. Once you've found this object pump up the magnification.
This galaxy is only 2.8'x1.9'.
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Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah
Skies Challenge Object, Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC1784(mag11.75). To
find this galaxy, follow the line down from the western star in Orion's
belt down through Betelgeuse and continue on for several degrees. The
galaxy is just about equidistant between Mu Lepus and Betelgeuse. This
galaxy is a bit larger than the previous at 4.2'x2.8'. This spreads
out the light a bit and lowers the surface brightness. Again, you should
be able to find it in a 4-6" telescope. However, you'll need at least
10" to begin to resolve the spiral arms. It'll take a larger scope
and dark skies to truly appreciate this beauty.
Good Luck!
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