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This chart shows the eastern sky at 8:00 PM on December 21, 2003, the night
of our star party. We welcome our old friend Orion back to our early
evening sky. Orion is the favorite constellation of a great many
people, perhaps because it is easily recognized, or because it is the home
of M42, the Orion Nebula. The nebula, an active region of star formation
about 1,200 light years away, is readily visible in a small scope, or even
binoculars. The nebula can be a beautiful sight in the clear skies
of fall and winter.
Saturn is about 15 deg above our east-northeastern horizon, shining at mag -0.5. Saturn is now about 745 million miles from Earth, making its closest approach since 1975. The rings will be tilted 27 deg with regard to our line of sight, their maximum angle of tilt, and their best position for viewing. Saturn is also higher above the horizon, which also makes for better viewing. Weather permitting, we should have the best view of Saturn that anyone has seen for many years in the past, or will see for years in the future. M1, the Crab Nebula, is located to the upper right of Saturn. A supernova remnant, M1 was the first object catalogued in 1758 by comet-hunter Charles Messier, so that he would not mistake this fuzzy object for one of his sought-after comets. Four planets ore located roughly on the other side of the sky from the above area: Mars, Uranus, Neptune, and Venus. We can have a look at these and a great many other things. Come be with us! |
You can print a copy of this star chart so you can take it outside.
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