Astronomy

ECLIPTIC^

M51

Mizar

Alde-baran

M42

NGC 2237-9

Betelgeuse

Procyon

Sirius

Regulus

Pollux

Castor

M35

M44

Mira

M33

Pleiades

Rigel

Denebola

NGC 869

NGC 884

Capella

Polaris

M31

M37

PUPPIS

CANCER

CANIS

MAJOR

GEMINI

URSA

MINOR

MAJORURSA

BERENICESCOMA

COLUMBA

LEPUS

ERIDANUS

TAURUS

ORION

PISCES

CETUS

ARIES

CASSIOPEIA

PEGASUS

DRACO CEPHEUS

ANDROMEDA

HYDRA

PERSEUS

AURIGA

LEO

ECLIPTIC^

Arcturus

Denebola

Regulus

Spica

Procyon

M44

M35

Pollux

Castor

Betelgeuse

M13

M5

M51

Mizar

Polaris

Capella

Vega

M82

M81

HYDRA

CORVUS

CENTAURUS

CANISMINOR

LEO

CANCER

TAURUS

GEMINI

ORION

AURIGA

BOREALISCORONA

CAPUTSERPENS

BERENICESCOMA

URSA

MINOR

CEPHEUS

HERCULES

LY R A DRACO

CRATER

VIRGO

URSA

MAJOR

VELA

BOÖTES

S

E

N

W

S

E

N

W

WINTER

The sky
Winter boasts the brightest stars of any
season. Orion the Hunter dominates the
evening sky this time of year. Its seven
brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass
pattern. The bright blue star marking Orion’s
left foot is Rigel, and the ruddy gem at his
right shoulder is Betelgeuse. The three stars
of the Hunter’s belt point down to Sirius,
the brightest star in the night sky, and up
to Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull. To
Orion’s upper left lies the constellation Gemini.

Deep-sky highlights
The Pleiades (M45) is the brightest star
cluster in the sky. It looks like a small
dipper, but it is not the Little Dipper.
The Orion Nebula (M42), a region of active
star formation, is a showpiece through
telescopes of all sizes.
The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237–9/46),
located 10° east of Betelgeuse, presents an
impressive cluster of stars and a nebula.
M35 in Gemini the Twins is a beautiful open
cluster best viewed with a telescope.
Castor (Alpha [α] Geminorum) is easy to split
into two components with a small telescope,
but the system actually consists of six stars.

SPRING

The sky
The Big Dipper, the most conspicuous part
of the constellation Ursa Major the Great
Bear, now rides high in the sky. Poke a hole
in the bottom of the Dipper’s bowl, and the
water would fall on the back of Leo the Lion.
The two stars at the end of the bowl, called
the Pointer Stars, lead you directly to Polaris,
the North Star: From the bowl’s top, simply go
five times the distance between the Pointers.
Spring is the best time of year to observe
a multitude of galaxies. Many of these far-
flung island universes, containing hundreds
of billions of stars, congregate in northern
Virgo and Coma Berenices.

Deep-sky highlights
The Beehive Cluster (M44) was used to
forecast weather in antiquity. It is a naked-
eye object under a clear, dark sky, but it
disappears under less optimal conditions.
M5, a conspicuous globular cluster, lies
between the figures of Virgo the Maiden
and Serpens Caput the Serpent’s Head.
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is a vast
spiral about 30 million light-years away.
M81 and M82 in Ursa Major form a pair
of galaxies that you can spot through a
telescope at low power.

Jan. 1

Mercury is

at greatest

western

elongation

Jan. 31

Dwarf planet

Ceres is at

opposition

Jan. 31 Total

lunar eclipse

March 15

Mercury is

at greatest

eastern

elongation

April 2 Mars

passes 1.3°

south of

Saturn

April 22

Lyrid meteor

shower peaks

May 6 Eta

Aquariid

meteor

shower peaks

May 8

Jupiter is at

opposition

June 19

Asteroid

Vesta is at

opposition

June 27

Saturn is at

opposition

July 12

Mercury is

at greatest

eastern

elongation

STAR MAPS BY ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY