The Sky This Month – September 2010
September 2, 2010
Here are a few things to look for in the September sky…
What’s That Bright Star in the East?
No, that’s not the Christmas star come early. It’s Jupiter rising big, bright, and lovely just south of the great square of Pegasus. The planet is much higher for northern observers than it has been for several years, and it lies close to the celestial equator so it’s well placed for observers all over the world. The planet reaches opposition on September 21 and presents a stunning disk that spans some 49 arc-seconds. Which means in a telescope at 40x, Jupiter has an apparent diameter as large as the full Moon appears to the unaided eye (if I did the math right…)
Three Sadly-Neglected Star Clusters in Ophiuchus
August 30, 2010
Last week, we examined the odd little asterism called Taurus Poniatowski, an obsolete constellation that’s now part of Ophiuchus. Though this asterism is not in a star-rich region of the Milky Way, it does host a few lovely star clusters. The best among them is called IC4665, a splendid but little-known open cluster that looks stunning in binoculars or a small telescope. Here’s how to see it…
The “Mad Bull” of the August Sky
August 27, 2010
Even a casual look at the night sky south of Hercules reveals a small group of stars that looks like a mad little bull charging east towards the Milky Way. This horned beast is a striking sight, and, frankly, a little unsettling. But it points the way to some lovely star fields that make a lovely sight in binoculars or a small scope.
A Look at the Planet… Earth!
August 20, 2010
As backyard stargazers, we spend our time looking up and out towards towards other planets and celestial sights. But today, we have something different… a peek at our own planet from deep space, taken by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. As the saying goes, “You are in this picture”!
The Northern Coalsack
August 16, 2010
We recently toured the Coalsack in the Southern Cross, the most famous of the so-called “dark nebulae”. But northern observers have a “coalsack” of their own. Nestled in the wings of Cygnus, the Swan, the “Northern Coalsack” is easily visible with binoculars or the unaided eye in dark skies. Here’s how to find it…
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