Q2 Observations #5

Date: January 7, 2014

Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm

Location: Backyard (North Sarasota, FL)

Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy. Moon: waxing crescent.

Instruments Used: naked eye observations, no binoculars/telescopes

Planets: Jupiter, found in Gemini

Bright Stars noted: Deneb, Alberio, Gamma Andromeda, Betelgeuse, Rigel

, 

Constellations noted: Gemini, Taurus, Andromeda, Cygnus, Orion, Monoceros

Binary Star: Alberio: one star bright blue, the other (lower to right) yellow. Theta Taurus easily seen, and Beta Orionis (Rigel), two blue-white stars.

Deep Sky Objects: 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"

"The Cone Nebula", dark cone cluster, located in Orion