Saturday, January 4, 2014

Q2 Observations #4

Date: December 17, 2013
Time: 8:30 - 10 pm
Location: Backyard (North Sarasota, FL)
Sky Conditions: Mostly clear, with some faint & wispy clouds. Moon: full.

Instruments Used: naked eye observations, no binoculars/telescopes

Planets: Venus

Bright Stars noted: Deneb, Alberio, Gamma Andromeda, Betelgeuse, Rigel
Constellations noted: Taurus, Andromeda, Cygnus, Orion, Fornax

Binary Star: Alberio: one star bright blue, the other (lower to right) yellow. Gamma Andromeda: color difference - blue and golden. Theta Taurus easily seen, still cannot notice color difference, if any. Beta Orionis (Rigel), two blue-white stars.

Deep Sky Objects: M45, The Pleiades: open, located in Taurus; seven brightest stars go under the name "The Seven Sisters"

M31, "The Andromeda Galaxy", located in Andromeda: most identifiable spiral 
galaxy

"The Hyades": open, located in Taurus: "V" shaped, nine main stars

M42, "The Orion Nebula", celestial nursery, located in Orion: four star system known as "The Trapezium"


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