Australian Sky & Telescope — January 01, 2018

http://www.skyandtelescope.com.au 65

NGC 2169: MARTIN GERMANO; M35 & NGC 2158: JIM BLUM

because it’s way out there, 11,000 light-years distant, on the

far edge of the Perseus Arm, and it takes us back to the end

of the last Ice Age. It’s a heady view — in the span of a single

degree, light from the two clusters encompasses a huge swath

of human history, from the twilight of cave bears and woolly

rhinos to the rise of Athens and Sparta.

This isn’t really the end. We’ve covered 45° of sky, an

eighthoftheMilkyWay,butwe’veonlypickedoutahandful

of the brightest baubles, a few shells glittering on the cosmic

beach.Andjustlikeanearthlybeach,Ifindnewtreasuresto

marvel over on every visit. Good hunting!

„MATT WEDELis lost in the Milky Way. We should probably

send someone to check on him.

(^9) M35 and NGC 2158 form an odd couple. If your skies are dark enough, you may be able to see M35 without optical aid; even small binoculars
will pick this out one for you. NGC 2158 is more of a challenge. It lies 8,400 light-years beyond M35 and consequently appears smaller and dimmer.
(^8) The ‘37’ asterism embedded in NGC 2169 is too tight to read
through binoculars, so you may want to re-visit this cluster with a
telescope. In the meantime, look for the chain of six stars (the
downward stroke of the ‘7’) to the west of the main body of the cluster.
NGC 2169
M35 & NGC 2158
NGC 2158
M35