SkyNews – September 2019

CHARTS BY GLENN LEDREW

TIME: ALL NIGHT VIEW: BINOCULARS, TELESCOPE

EXPLORING THE NIGHT SKY

DATE:MONDAY, OCTOBER 28 TYPE: OPPOSITION tune. And though Uranus is within range of

binoculars, it’s not easy to locate. There are no

bright stars in southwestern Aries to guide

you to the target. Instead, begin your hunt

in neighbouring Cetus, where fourth-magni-

tude stars Xi^1 (ξ^1 ) and Xi^2 (ξ^2 ) Ceti form a five-

degree-wide triangle with Uranus. With binoc-

ulars, sweep the area indicated in our chart

below, and you should be able to locate the

planet. In a telescope, Uranus is identifiable

because it presents a small, pale green disc

spanning 3.7 arc seconds. ✦

URANUS UP ALL NIGHT

Since 2006, we’ve been describing how to

locate Uranus in our September/October

issue. Over that 13-year span, the planet has

drifted from Aquarius, through Pisces and on

into Aries, where it’s presently located. How-

ever, our September/October string is about

to come to an end. This year, Uranus reaches

opposition on October 28, and in 2020, it

will do so on October 31. After that, we’ll

begin reporting Uranus oppositions in our

November/December issue.

At magnitude 5.7, Uranus is seven times

brighter than its more distant cousin, Nep-

24 SKYNEWS •SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

A CRESCENT MOON MEETS M44

There’s a bonus awaiting meteor watchers on the night of October 21/22. As the

Moon rises, it’ll be exiting M44, the Beehive star cluster. The pairing will be a fine

sight in binoculars or a small telescope used at low power. From eastern Canada,

the Moon will appear closer to the Beehive than it will from the western half of the

country. (The illustration at right shows the view from southern Ontario at roughly

1:30 a.m., EDT.) By the time the cluster rises on the West Coast, the Moon’s eastward

motion will have carried it more than one degree east of the cluster—still close enough to

fit in the field of view of binoculars or a low-power scope.

DATE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

TIME: PREDAWN

Uranus

5° binocular

field of view

Eclip

tic

CANCER

5° binocular

field of view

PISCES

CETUS

M44

ο

ξ^1

ξ^2

E

TYPE: CONJUNCTION

VIEW:BINOCULARS