Winter is here again, bringing those cold nights so clear, the stars seem to pop out of the sky. The familiar constellations of Winter have returned to the sky, dominated by the mighty hunter, Orion. Easily identified by the close grouping of three bright stars that make up the belt, Orion is one of
the most widely-known constellations in the sky. Another of the most recognizable star formations isn't actually a constellation by itself, but is part of a larger constellation as a whole- the Big Dipper, formally part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The Big Dipper is what's referred to as an asterism; a star formation that has a commonly known name, usually which has nothing to do with the classical constellation figure it's a part of. Other examples of asterisms are the Northern Cross; part of Cygnus the Swan and the Sickle, which is part of the constellation Leo.
As January begins, Jupiter will be visible in the southwest, following the setting sun. Towards the end of February, Venus will be taking its place; a brilliant white dot in the sky, just above the horizon. Mars will also be making its way through the sky this winter, rising in the Northeast as Jupiter is setting in the Southwest. Over the next few months, the red planet will be making a trek through the constellations of Leo and Cancer, reaching opposition on January 29th. If you're going to go out to look at the stars once this winter, I urge you to mark your calendars for this night, as Mars will be just under 7 degrees from the full moon in the constellation Cancer, and it should be a good show! Opposition simply means that Mars will be on the exact opposite side of Earth as the Sun, and therefore will be as close to Earth as it will get for the next two years. That makes this winter an excellent time to observe the red planet. With a pair of 10 power binoculars, it should be visible as an orb, and with a telescope with 50 magnification you may be able to make out the bright white polar ice caps and some dark surface features.
If you do take some time to observe Mars this winter, just remember that we still have two active rovers on the surface of the planet. Named "Spirit" and "Opportunity", these twin rovers landed on Mars in January of 2004, for a mission planned to last only 90 days. Now 5 years later, both rovers are still operational and have returned a large amount of scientific data to Earth.
~ Jeremy Doyle
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Perhaps you need a new set of high-powered binoculars to spot a great blue
heron while you're paddling your kayak
through a coastal inlet. For more information
on binoculars
for paddling click on underlined words.
Or maybe a new telescope to see what the
celestial heavens are made of. Whatever
you're looking for, you'll be sure to
find it at North Cove Outfitters' Optics Department. |
