Haggart Astronomical Observatory
Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, OR

503-657-6958 x5665 ("LOOK")

http://depts.clackamas.edu/haggart

lookup@clackamas.edu

What's Up?

... the Autumn Sky

(Sep-Nov 2003)


Planets:
Mercury   stays very close to the sun and can occasionally by seen right at sunset or sunrise.
Venus   invisible in the daytime sky in September, becomes an "evening star" in Virgo in October, moves into Libra in November.
Mars   remains brilliant red in Aquarius.
Jupiter   in Leo, is invisible in the daytime sky.
Saturn   in Gemini, returns to the night sky in October.
Distant
Planets		   Uranus is in Aquarius, Neptune in Capricorn, and Pluto in Ophiuchus.
Meteor
Showers 		  October 21: Orionids (parent comet: Halley?)
November 18: Leonids (parent comet: Tempel-Tuttle, passed in 1998)       

Constellations
  Bright & Easy: Challenging:
Circumpolar "Big Dipper" / Ursa Major (the Great Bear)
Cassiopeia (the Queen)		 "Little Dipper"/Ursa Minor (the Little Bear)
Cepheus (the King)
Draco (the Dragon)
On the Ecliptic

Scorpio (the Scorpion)
Sagittarius (the Archer - or "teapot")
Taurus (the Bull)
Gemini (the Twins)

Capricorn (the Sea-Goat)
Aquarius (the Water-Carrier)
Pisces (the Fish)
Aries (the Ram)
Cancer (the Crab)
North of Ecliptic

Aquila (the Eagle)
Auriga (The Charioteer)
Corona Borealis (Northern Crown)
Cygnus (the Swan)
Hercules
Lyra

Andromeda
Bootes (The Herdsman)
Delphinus (the Dolphin)
Lynx
Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Holder)
Pegasus (the Winged Horse)
Perseus (the Hero)
Sagitta (the Arrow)
Scutum (the Shield)
South of Ecliptic Orion (the Hunter) Cetus (the Whale)
Eridanus (the River)
Lepus (the Hare)
Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish)

 

Notable Stars:

Bright Stars
(Mag. 0 or 1)

 
Summer Triangle:
Altair (Aquila):
Deneb (Cygnus):
Vega (Lyra): white, A-class; 25 ly away; about 3 solar masses
Others:
Antares (Scorpio): red giant;
Arcturus (Bootes): orange supergiant, K-class; 40 ly away; about 2 solar masses
Betelgeuse (Orion): red supergiant; 650 ly away; 15 solar masses
Capella (Auriga): white, G-class; 41 ly away; 2.5 solar masses
Fomalhaut (S. Fish): white, A-class; 22 ly away
Pollux (Gemini): yellow-white, K-class; 40 ly away; 3(?) solar masses
Rigel (Orion): blue supergiant; 815 ly away; 20 solar masses
Doubles
& Multiples:
 
 
  • Mizar / Alcor ("horse and rider" - the middle star in the Big Dipper's handle)
  • Albireo: Head of Cygnus, with excellent color contrast
  • Epsilon Lyrae - "Double-Double"

 

Deep-Sky Objects

OPEN CLUSTERS
groups of young stars (10-100) travelling together:

  • Pleiades (M45) in Taurus
  • Hyades in Taurus
  • M11 (Scutum) - "Wild Duck"
  • M39 (Cygnus)
  • Double Cluster (Perseus - Cassiopeia)

GALAXIES

  • M31: Andromeda (spiral, our closest at 2.2 mly away) & its satellite M32 (elliptical)
  • M 81 & 82 (Ursa Major)

GLOBULAR CLUSTERS
Spherical clusters of up to about a million ancient stars. About 150 globular clusters are known, forming a "halo" around our galactic core.

  • M13: "Great Cluster" (Hercules)
  • M15 in Pegasus
  • M22 in Sagittarius

NEBULAE
Clouds of gas and dust.

  • Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra - atmosphere "blown out" by a star at the end of its life
  • Lagoon Nebula (M8) in Sagittarius - a reflection nebula, where stars are forming
  • Dumbbell Nebula (M27) betw. Cygnus & Sagitta
  • Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus - remnant of a supernova that was visible from Earth in 1054 AD.

klh 8/21/03