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 LepusThis 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 :)

 

 

 

 

Deep Sky Report

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.


Globular Star Cluster M79Ok, 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 :)


Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC1888Next 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.

Spiral Galaxy NGC1832Moving 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'.

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC1784 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!

Events

> -

Did you ever consider...

"We've made great medical progress in the last generation. What used to be merely an itch is now an allergy." - Anonymous

News

NASA Awards Civil Design, Engineering and Services Contract
NASA Announces Systems Engineering Student Competition
NASA TV Provides Coverage of One Space Station Crew's Return to Earth and Another's Journey There
NASA TV Media Channel Provides Clean Feeds for News Organizations
NASA Offers 'FAST' Opportunities For Zero-G Technology Testing
2010B call for proposals announced
2010B PIT released
Updated 2010A OT available
Journey Through the Universe – 2010
e-version of December 2009 GeminiFocus Available
The Cosmic Bat
Light, Wind and Fire
No Place to Hide: Missing Primitive Stars Outside Milky Way Uncovered
Orion in a New Light
The Stars behind the Curtain
Whats Happening: Spitzer Detects the "Heartbeat" of Star Formation in the Milky Way Galaxy
Whats Happening: Jurassic Space: Telescopes Probe Ancient Galaxies Near Us
Whats Happening: Spitzer Goes to the Olympics
Press Release: Galaxy Exposes its Dusty Inner Workings in New Spitzer Image
Press Release: Centuries-Old Star Mystery Coming to a Close
Extraordinary Perception
Breaking the Climate Debate Logjam
Your Microbes Give You Away
In Teen Music Choices, Anxiety Rules
Mars Express buzzes Phobos, one of the Red Planet's two tiny moons