{"id":3171,"date":"2024-03-21T08:54:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T12:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/?p=3171"},"modified":"2024-03-23T15:49:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-23T19:49:29","slug":"aprmayjun2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/2024\/03\/21\/aprmayjun2024\/","title":{"rendered":"AprMayJun2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Observing Reports<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Don Filer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took a trip to Florida during the first week of January and was fortunate to catch four clear nights for some excellent observing, three from a beach near Key West and one at Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve, which is a designated dark sky park and has a separate camping area just for astronomers. Both Bortle 3 although there were some passing clouds and fog the night at Kissimmee Prairie. Otherwise excellent seeing. Being a little farther south, I spent most of my time observing galaxies and clusters toward the southern horizon but did spend time on some other objects. I had my 12\u201d Dob as well as my evScope.  Two photos are below \u2013 a piece of the California Nebula in Perseus and the barred spiral NGC 1300 in Eridanus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Michael Amato<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday night, February 2, while the sun was setting, I noticed a small section of the western sky looked red. I aimed my phone camera on it, but the section of the sky was so small I had to magnify it by about four power. The result was these clouds looked different than most clouds I’ve seen. It seemed that this portion of the sky had a lot of turbulence in it while the rest of the sky was calm and serene. It was quite a sight.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On the morning of February 26, I observed the huge sunspot group AR 3590 with my Sun spotter solar telescope. I do believe this is the largest sunspot group I have ever seen. I had no trouble seeing it naked eye with my eclipse glasses. This huge sunspot complex did not send a CME at us or we would have had a very large aurora. Maybe next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 3, after enjoying looking at the Orion constellation, I decided to go to Lepus to try to find Hind’s Crimson Star with my 5.1″ Newtonian rich-field short-tube telescope. Because I was using a rich-field scope, I was able to land on R Leporis, the actual name of the star. This star was plenty red that night and I stared at it some minutes. I love looking at these Mira type stars. It was another enjoyable evening of astronomy for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My brother Anthony and I came out on two consecutive nights to watch the crescent Moon visit the Pleiades and the Hyades with only my 10X50 and Anthony’s 8X40 binoculars. On Thursday night, March 14, we were able to see the crescent Moon, with some earthshine, just below right of the Pleiades. We weren’t able to put both objects in the same binocular view but going back and forth to both these objects still made for a nice view. On Friday night, March 15, we stepped out again to observe the Moon and the Hyades. This time, they were almost side by side, but still not close enough to fit in one binocular field. However, by going back and forth, we were still able to enjoy the scene in our binoculars. It was another amazing two nights of viewing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supernova candidates in Orion<\/strong>
Everybody, rightly so, is talking about Betelgeuse’s upcoming supernova event in Orion. However, there are three other bright stars in Orion that are fairly close to going supernova themselves. First of all, I think Betelgeuse’s great dimming event a few years back really showed how close Betelgeuse came to blowing itself to pieces. When it dimmed as a result of that big puff of dust being ejected, I think Betelgeuse ran out of most of its helium and somehow saved itself in the nick of time by finding another small pool of helium to convert to energy. When it uses this last bit of helium soon, we will see a spectacular supernova. I do believe it will be very soon but I admit this is only my opinion. Rigel is a super blue giant that is also not too far away from its grand finish. It is already using up its helium at a high rate although I suspect this supernova event will be farther into the future. Alnilam, one of Orion’s belt stars, is a very interesting case. It looks like it’s going to soon turn into a Wolf Rayet star before it goes supernova. It is so blue colored, it must be using its helium reserves at an extremely high rate! If we are lucky, we will watch it disappear from naked eye visibility. Finally, we have another belt star called Alnitak that is also using up its helium reserves at a high rate. When this star goes up, it will also take out its companion stars also. For both Alnilam and Alnitak, both of these supernovas will also be further down the road. The last blue belt star in Orion, Mintaka, may or may not be massive enough to go supernova. This one is too close to call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Progress in Astrophotography<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Randy Pitts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s note: I have been corresponding with Randy since he started doing astrophotography a few years ago. His experiences offer a good example of how one’s skills can progress over time in this challenging and rewarding hobby.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many people, I started in astronomy by purchasing a telescope during the pandemic. I have always had a fascination with astronomy and my daughter had recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Astrophysics, so I thought buying a telescope would be something that would get me outside instead of being isolated, and also give me and my daughter something to talk about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first purchase was a Celestron NexStar 8SE Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. At the time, this seemed to be about the best combination of affordability, light gathering capability and ease of use. To insure I got out and used the telescope, I joined the NorthEast Florida Astronomical Society (NEFAS.org). I have enjoyed this telescope immensely, but almost from the start I was wondering if there was a way to attach a camera to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celestron manufactures the pieces needed to attach a DSLR to the back of the telescope, so I bought the adapters to fit my camera and thought to myself \u201cI\u2019m ready to go shoot the night sky.” I quickly learned how wrong that assumption was. While I did manage to take some photos that, at the time, I thought were amazing, I learned by muddling through many failed attempts that I simply didn\u2019t have the proper set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several issues made me re-assess my equipment with regards to imaging. The first issue was my backyard was not a place I could ever image from, which meant I had to travel to either of the two places the astronomy group uses for dark sky sessions. That meant portability had to be a priority. The second issue was the mount. I needed an equatorial style mount that was lightweight and I could attach my camera to easily. Finally, I couldn\u2019t spend a ton of money. I wasn\u2019t even sure this would be something I would continue to do, so if I decided it wasn\u2019t for me, I didn\u2019t want thousands of dollars of equipment sitting around doing nothing and trying to figure out how to sell it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched a ton of videos on YouTube concerning astrophotography and lightweight setups for beginners and decided that a star tracker was the way to go. I bought the iOptron Skyguider Pro because it was lightweight, and I liked that the battery was in the unit and rechargeable instead of having to rely on separate AA batteries. The biggest bonus was the entire set up with camera and telephoto lens attached weighed about 15 pounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think my first image with this setup was the Orion Nebula. The obvious reason being it was easy to find. I continued to use this configuration of star tracker, camera and telephoto lens over the next few months. This rig taught me a lot, like how to polar align and most importantly, forcing me to learn the night sky because there was no \u201cgo-to\u201d function. Because it is difficult to find targets manually, my focus early on were easier targets like the Pleiades (M45), the North American Nebula (NGC 7000), and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first upgrade was moving from the DSLR telephoto kit lens to a small wide field refractor, I then added a guide scope and guide camera and began auto guiding using PHD2 on a laptop to run the set up. Several months later I added a dedicated astronomy camera and the ASI Air plus to run everything from my iPad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used this setup for almost a year and have recently added the AM 5 mount to replace the star tracker. This mount is quite good and it\u2019s such a time saver being able to slew to targets at a touch of a button, and having the meridian flip done automatically. I also like that the auto guiding is much more precise meaning I\u2019m not limited to 2 minutes tops like I was with the star tracker. The huge time savings comes from the mount’s go-to capability and everything is automated. Even with the ASI Air plate solving function, aligning on, and framing the target took time when using the star tracker, sometimes as long as 30 minutes to get the target composed the way I wanted. Then having to manually re-frame after the meridian flip often meant another 30 minutes. That\u2019s almost an hour of potential data collection wasted. The AM 5 has eliminated those wasteful manual steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IC 1805 The Heart Nebula. 5.6 hours of data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Orion Nebula (M42 and M43). 7.17 hours of data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Randy Pitts astrophotography, continued:<\/p>\n\n\n

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My current set up consists of the WO RedCat 51, the ZWO ASI 183 MC Pro cooled OSC astronomy camera, the ZWO 32mm mini guide scope, and ZWO ASI 120 MC-S camera as a guide camera, the AM 5 mount and tripod, dew heater straps for the guide scope and telescope, and the ASI Air Plus to run it all, plus a Jackery portable rechargeable battery to power it all. The total weight of the rig tops out at about 30 pounds which is really important!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the thing I enjoy the most is the processing of my images. I\u2019m somewhat obsessed with processing and I\u2019m always trying to figure out how to get the most out of my data. I\u2019ve had experience with Photoshop with my years in graphic design, but I think I\u2019ve taught myself more about the program over the last two years than I ever knew previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stacking program I currently use is Siril 1.2.0. The fact that it\u2019s a free program is pretty amazing as it has quite a lot of features. I guess at some point I\u2019ll switch over to Pixinsight, but it\u2019s hard when Siril does most of the same things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never forget my calibration frames. I always use the darks, flats, and bias frames to counteract noise. My camera is known for an issue called \u201cAmp Glow\u201d, a by-product of the camera sensor. I have never had an issue with my calibration frames not completely eliminating the glow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My typical work flow is stacking through Siril using the OSC Pre-processing script. Once stacked, I usually will use Siril for cropping the image, Background Extraction for eliminating gradients, Photometric Color Calibration for color, Green Noise reduction, and finally using the Starnet ++ function through the Star Processing menu to create Starless and Star Mask layers. I then open the Starless layer in Siril and typically do a mild initial Asinh Stretch and then use the Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch Transformation menu to further stretch the starless layer dynamic range. Once I am satisfied with it, I save as a TIF file and open in Photoshop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several plug-ins available for Photoshop specific to astrophotography that I use consistently in my processing. The Astronomy Tools Actions set has several key functions I find invaluable. I don\u2019t use them all, but the ones I do use I couldn\u2019t do without. The noise reduction tools are handy as is the contrast action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also use Star Xterminator, and Noise Xterminator through Photoshop. Starnet++ does a great job in Siril most of the time, but not always. Having Star Xterminator gives me another option should Starnet++ leave too many star artifacts on the starless layer. Usually if one option doesn\u2019t work, the other will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Photoshop workflow is typically using levels and curves to improve the dynamic range, Noise Xterminator for noise, and making color adjustments. Photoshop\u2019s ability to create masks to selectively adjust color or levels is incredible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will then bring whatever I\u2019ve done in Photoshop to the Starless image back into Siril and save it as a 32-bit \u201c.fits\u201d file and then use the Star Recomposition function to recombine the Starmask and Starless images. I like this function because you can control how big or how small you want your stars when combining the two files. I again save this combined image as a .Tif file and then save to the desired size in Photoshop as TIF or JPEG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several great videos on YouTube regarding Siril and Photoshop that have helped me understand how to use the software I have to get the most out of my processing. I still have a long way to go, but I am really enjoying the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Andromeda Galaxy (M 31). 7.46 hours of data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tadpole and Flaming Star Nebula (IC 410 and IC 405). Processed as Ha and OIII in Siril to mimic the \u201cHubble\u201d palette. 10.4 hours of data.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Meteorites in Newtown, CT <\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Al Washburn

On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the ASNH meteorite collection was presented to a group of approximately 15 seventh grade Astronomy Club students at Newtown Intermediate School, in Newtown, CT. We started our session with my Meteorites Powerpoint and then proceeded to a hands-on examination of our 13 samples. The session began after school, at about 2:30 pm and ended at about 4 pm. Students went home with a handout about the 3 major types of meteorites. They were attentive, polite and had a number of questions at the end of the session.
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ASNH Collection at the Country School, Madison<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, February 15, 2024 Laurie Averill and Al Washburn assembled the ASNH meteorite collection for viewing, in the gymnasium, at the Country School STEAM Expo annual event. Up to 95 children were registered to attend. The evening’s activities commenced at 6 pm and continued until 8 pm with a constant stream of children and parents stopping at our table to hold, test and inquire about the meteorites. A pleasant experience was had by all.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Meteorites Visit Wallingford Library<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, Laurie Averill and Al Washburn appeared at the Wallingford Public Library for a dual astronomical presentation, in front of a filled meeting room audience. Laurie started off with a 1\/2 hour informative talk, with NASA videos and handouts, about the solar eclipse coming up on April 8th. Following that, Al gave a short talk about the main meteorite types which was followed with an all out, hands on, assault on the clubs collection! This lasted about 1\/2 hour too. Both sessions were followed by many good questions from an attentive group of people. The whole event went from 7 to 8:20 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

ASNH Solstice Picnic on June 22<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The Solstice Picnic will be held on Saturday June 22, 2024 at the Sleeping Giant State Park Pavilion. An email from Cheryl Barker to sign up for what to bring will be mailed in May to members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Observing Events<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Members with telescopes are needed for these public outreach events. If the weather looks questionable for an observing event, check the ASNH website<\/a> after 4:00 pm. There will be a scrolling message on the home page if an event has been cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, March 30, 8:00pm<\/strong>
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Meig\u2019s Point Nature Center, 1288 Boston Post Rd, Madison CT (map<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, May 11, 8:00pm<\/strong>
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Meig\u2019s Point Nature Center, 1288 Boston Post Rd, Madison CT (map<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, May 24, 7:00pm<\/strong>
Silver Sands State Park
Milford CT (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, May 25, 7:00pm<\/strong>
Young\u2019s Park
60 Blackstone Ave, Branford CT (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, June 1, 7:00pm<\/strong>
Colchester Land Trust
Cold Spring Farm, 46 Town Road, Colchester (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, June 7, 7:00pm<\/strong>
Silver Sands State Park
Milford CT (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday, June 8, 7:00pm<\/strong>
Young\u2019s Park
60 Blackstone Ave, Branford CT (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Monthly Meetings on Zoom<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday, April 30, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 pm

We will continue to use this format for monthly meetings for now. A week or two before each meeting, members will receive an email announcement with a link that will allow them to connect to the online meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just click the link or copy and paste in your browser and that will connect you to the meeting. You can do this on any device that has an internet connection and a browser.  You can do this on a smart phone. You can display yourself if you like with your selfie camera on your device. If you don’t that’s okay, don’t feel you have to.

You can also dial in to the meeting. The number and password will be given in the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Astronomy Links<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

From Ray Kaville<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Dark Sky
https:\/\/www.cleardarksky.com\/ec\/2024-04-08\/NwHvnCT.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to view solar eclipse 2024 with items from around the home
https:\/\/www.space.com\/view-total-solar-eclipse-2024-items-around-the-home<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

View the ‘devil comet’ during the eclipse
https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/03\/17\/1239056873\/devil-comet-solar-eclipse-12p-pons-brooks?fbclid=IwAR1_Gi_ahu8Pkd3U9fUurv_ErItlRLGBnO8xFzxqU2RAJjuZdrOiKg2j5lM<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eclipses in 21st century
https:\/\/www.timeanddate.com\/eclipse\/list.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Total and Annular eclipses thru 2030 with images
https:\/\/www.greatamericaneclipse.com\/future<\/a>
https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/53c358b6e4b01b8adb4d5870\/c2dab970-7c81-4945-b310-121bb754623e\/DecadalEclipseMaps_2021-2030.jpg?format=2500w<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EarthSky Eclipses over North America
https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/whens-the-next-total-solar-eclipse-in-the-us\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2018\/07\/21stCenturyNorthAmericanEclipses.png<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Total Eclipse timing for New Haven
https:\/\/www.timeanddate.com\/eclipse\/in\/usa\/new-haven?iso=20240408<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AAS
https:\/\/eclipse.aas.org\/eye-safety\/viewers-filters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABC News8
https:\/\/www.wtnh.com\/eclipse-2024\/connecticut-eclipse-map-which-cities-will-have-the-best-view\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dramatic view of the Pleiades and surroundings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven Sisters rolling in the deep \u2014 AAPOD2.COM<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anniversary of Galileo’s discovery:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

410 Years Ago: Galileo Discovers Jupiter\u2019s Moons – NASA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

100th Anniversary of Edwin Hubble’s discovery:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2009\/12\/1230hubble-first-galaxy-outside-milky-way\/#:~:text=1924%3A%20Astronomer%20Edwin%20Hubble%20announces,was%20the%20center%20of%20creation.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ambitious attempt to build a fusion rocket:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/space\/fusion-rocket?fbclid=IwAR3XtMm4vGAcUQWaJx1rU48TTPBShZSOM2CA-0UNets-bFTuM4F2mkl-W_4<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good basic information on star types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/lco.global\/spacebook\/stars\/types-stars\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cecila Payne-Gaposchkin and the chemical composition of stars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.aps.org\/publications\/apsnews\/201501\/physicshistory.cfm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eratosthenes’s measuring the circumference of Earth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2008\/06\/dayintech-0619\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Greg Barker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good informative website about weather, atmosphere, tides, weather satellites, etc:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/scijinks.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Features<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

If you have not looked at the newsletter before, check out some of the regular features. There are four useful links in the menu at the top of this page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calendar<\/strong> This is a monthly calendar that includes all the scheduled events of ASNH, other regional events of interest, plus the dates and times of noteworthy events in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SkyMap<\/strong> This page has a chart of the sky as it appears over the New Haven area at the present date and time. It is constantly updated, so you can go to this page on any clear night to see what is overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space Place<\/strong> Read the monthly article from Space Place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directions <\/strong>This page gives directions to all the locations where regular activities of ASNH take place, including the monthly meeting, public observing sessions, and the annual Connecticut Star Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other regular features can be found within these pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Public Events <\/strong>Many ASNH events are free and open to the public. These include the monthly meetings and public observing sessions at Young’s Pond Park in Branford and Silver Sands State Park in Milford. This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Night Sky Highlights <\/strong>This section lists some objects to observe in the sky during the next few months, whether you are using just your eyes, a pair of binoculars, or a telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallery<\/strong> This section features photographs of celestial targets taken by ASNH members and others. If you have a picture you want to share with us, please submit it to newsletter@asnh.org<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Night Sky Highlights for April-June 2024<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Jim Mazur<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Solar Eclipse on April 8<\/strong>
This is the big astronomical event of the spring, and it has been getting publicity for years. Some of us will be traveling to a spot in the path of totality and hoping for clear skies. Here in Connecticut, the Sun will be about 90% covered at maximum eclipse. The exact times vary depending on your location, but for New Haven they are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2:12 pm: Partial eclipse begins
3:27 pm: Maximum eclipse
4:37 pm: Partial eclipse ends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conjunction of Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, and Comet Pons-Brooks<\/strong>
April 10 after sunset<\/strong>
This will be a unique conjunction of four objects, but it will take place right after sunset in the western twilight sky, and it is hard to say how many of these objects will be visible with or without a telescope. Jupiter and the 2.5-day-old Moon should be easy to see. At magnitude 6, Uranus should be visible through a small telescope once the sky gets dark enough. Comet Pons-Brooks may be about magnitude 4.5, but comets are notoriously hard to predict, and it could be challenging to see in the glow of twilight. All of these objects will be within a circle of less than 7 degrees, and they are certainly worth taking a look. Sunset is at 7:26pm. About 50 minutes later (about 8:16pm), Comet Pons-Brooks (the lowest of the four objects) will still be 12 degrees above the western horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercury<\/strong>
Mercury will be low in the western sky after sunset at the end of June, getting higher in the sky through the first week of July. Otherwise it will be too close to the Sun to be seen this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venus<\/strong>
Venus will be hidden in the solar glare throughout the spring, but it will start to appear in the west after sunset at the end of June. It will get higher in the west during the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mars<\/strong>
Mars will be visible in the eastern sky before dawn throughout the spring. On April 11<\/strong> it will pass within a degree of Saturn, making a striking display of two bright planets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jupiter<\/strong>
During April, Jupiter will shine brightly in the west after sunset, gradually getting closer to the Sun as the month progresses. It will pass behind the Sun in May, then reappear in the east in the predawn sky in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturn<\/strong>
As noted above, Saturn will pass close to Mars on April 11<\/strong>, when both can be seen low in the east before dawn. It will continue to be visible in the pre-dawn sky throughout the spring. By the end of June it will be rising in the east around midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uranus<\/strong>
Like Jupiter, Uranus will be in the western sky after sunset in early April, before it passes behind the Sun in May. A finder chart can be found at: https:\/\/theskylive.com\/uranus-info<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neptune<\/strong>
Throughout 2024, Neptune will be trailing Saturn across the sky, lagging behind the ringed planet by less than an hour. At about magnitude 8, it can be found with binoculars or a small telescope. Here is a finder chart for Neptune: https:\/\/theskylive.com\/planetarium?obj=neptune<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep Sky Objects<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deep-sky observers think of spring as galaxy season because the many galaxies of the Coma-Virgo cluster pass through the southern sky on spring evenings. There is something for everyone. Some galaxies are bright enough to be seen in the smallest telescope, and others will challenge the largest backyard scopes. Of the 12 objects mentioned below, all but the last one should be visible with even a small telescope on a dark night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 51, Whirlpool Galaxy
<\/strong>Spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici
This is a face-on spiral galaxy with a nearby companion (NGC 5195). Through a small telescope, the bright nuclei of these two galaxies appear as a pair of fuzzy round patches, side by side. With a larger telescope, you can start to trace the shape of the Whirlpool’s spiral arms as the circle the nucleus.  Sta<\/a>r<\/a>-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 63, Sunflower Galaxy<\/strong>
Spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici
This galaxy gets its name from its mottled appearance in photographs. Through a small scope it can be seen as a long oval with a brighter center. It is about 27 million light years away. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 65, 66, and NGC 3628, the Leo Trio<\/strong>
Spiral galaxies in Leo
This is probably the most famous trio of galaxies in the sky. Messier 65 and 66 are a closely matched pair of bright oblong galaxies (magnitudes 9.2 and 9.0) about 0.3 degrees apart. They form an elongated triangle with the third galaxy, NGC 3628 (magnitude 9.5), which is about 0.6 degrees to their north. It is an edge-on spiral with a large dark dust lane cutting through its center. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 88 and 91<\/strong>
Spiral galaxies in Coma Berenices
Messier 88 is a large spiral galaxy that appears oblong through a telescope. Less than 1 degree to its east is Messier 91, a barred spiral. It has a small bright center that is easy to spot, but its faint spiral arms are much harder to see. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 95, 96, and 105<\/strong>
Galaxies in Leo
This is another nice trio of galaxies in Leo, though they are spread out a little more than the Leo Trio. M95 is a face-on barred spiral, and M96 is a classic spiral about 0.7 degrees to its east. Look 0.8 degrees north of M96 and you can find the elliptical galaxy M105. (To the east of M105, you might also spot two other galaxies, NGC 3371 and 3373.) Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 106<\/strong> and NGC 4248<\/strong>
Spiral galaxies in Canes Venatici
About 25 million light years away, M106 is the closest galaxy on this list. It is a large oval, magnitude 8.4, and with a large scope some structure in its spiral arms can be seen. Much more challenging is NGC 4248, a small elongated galaxy about 1\/4 degree to its west (magnitude 12.6).  Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gallery<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Below are four images taken by John Natale. All were taken with his Skywatcher Esprit 100ED scope except for the Andromeda Galaxy, which was taken with a William Optics Redcat 71. He used a ZWO asi 294 color camera for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andromeda Galaxy (M31), with M32 and M110<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Pleiades (M45)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Observing Reports By Don Filer I took a trip to Florida during the first week of January and was fortunate to catch four clear nights for some excellent observing, three from a beach near Key West and one at Kissimmee … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-22"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3171"}],"version-history":[{"count":56,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3252,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3171\/revisions\/3252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}