Horizon Winter Solstice 2006.Pdf

Winter Solstice, 2006/2007 Beginner's Corner: Star Hopping - Navigating Your Way through the Celestial Wilderness

BY DINOSAUR DAVE GILL, THE OLD STAR HOPPER for stones that look sturdy and are close enough together for you to hop between them with sin- When Editor Phil wanted to have an article gle steps. Similarly, in star hopping, you choose dealing with the art of star hopping, he wisely landmarks you want to use as stepping-stones yielded the keyboard to someone who still thinks based on how big a field of view you are using that GOTO is two words. As the proud owner of and how recognizable these fields will be. two Dobs, I've had to become reasonably profi- cient at finding things in the sky without benefit SKILLS and TOOLS of setting circles or computer-driven scopes. There are several things that are required for Now, don't get me wrong - I am not denigrating star hopping: the GOTO technology… it is a great break- Pattern recognition: It helps if you have a through that allows us to spend more time look- good eye for pattern. The stars don't come ing AT things rather than looking FOR them. labeled in the sky like they are on the charts. But, star hopping is still a skill that it is helpful to (Even with really high "Wal-Mart powered" tele- have in your toolbox along with the extra Telrad scopes you can't see those little Greek letters next batteries and your Geek Light. to the stars…) Rather you need to recognize pat- Star hopping is the process of getting from terns - chains of stars, skinny triangles, close something you know in the sky - like a visible pairs, etc. that you will see both on your charts star - to someplace else that you don't know. We and in the sky. do it in discrete steps - like crossing a stream by Orientation flexibility: Things are not stepping on stones that are sticking out. You look always oriented the same way in the sky that they are in the charts. You may need to do mental rotations or flips of the charts to match the sky. Inside Horizon Sometimes you can just flip the chart. Sometimes it is easier to stand on your head - Dark Times ...... page.7 unless there is two feet of snow on the ground. Good charts: Good star charts are essential. Orion the Hunted ...... page.9 And you need to learn to pick the right chart for the right job. This will depend on what you are And More! looking for and what you are looking with. The key variables are scale - how many inches of HORIZON 2 chart represent a degree of arc in the sky, and magnitude - how faint does the chart go. The HORIZON is the quarterly newsletter of two are closely related. A chart with relative The Wilderness Center Astronomy Club. broad scale - showing entire constellations - Editor: ...... Phil Hoyle becomes quite cluttered when too many faint stars are plotted. Commercial charts like Contributors: ...... Phill Creed, Dave Gill Norton's Star Atlas, SkyAtlas 2000.0 or the Layout ...... John Waechter Millennium Star Atlas are carefully designed with this in mind. WCAC Officers: One of the revolutions of modern amateur President: ...... Bill Castro astronomy is the ability to plot your own custom Vice President: ...... Matt Hawrysko charts. Programs such as The Sky, Starry Night, Secretary: ...... John Waechter Guide, MegaStar, and Cartes du Ceil enable you Treasurer: ...... Brian Gray to make your own custom finder charts. You do Planetarium Coordinator: . . . . Dave Ross need to be cognizant of the magnitude-clutter Observatory Coordinator: . . . .Brian Gray rule mentioned above. But you now have it in Inreach: ...... Dave Gill your power to make custom charts for nearly Education Outreach: . . . . John Waechter anything, and not fear marking it up to your WebMaster: ...... Bill Castro heart's content. WCAC Address: Familiar Field Sizes - When you are plot- ting that path across the stream it is important to P.O. Box 202 know how big your steps are. Similarly, if you Wilmot, Ohio 44689-0202 are star hopping you need to know how big your Web Site: http://www.twcac.org eyepiece fields are. In some cases, like binoculars, the fields are written on the instrument, like takes for a star to drift across the field, divide by "4.5 degrees" or "3.5 degrees" or whatever. You 4 and you get the number of degrees in your can also calculate the field knowing the eyepiece field. Getting a full diameter is probably the specs and design. But the most accurate means hardest part. I'd suggest doing it several times is to measure it directly using the instrument and and averaging your results - statistics are your the sky. friends. CALCULATING FIELD SIZE I would suggest doing this for your finder and This exercise is useful, and it is an excuse to several of your favorite eyepieces - the ones you get the scope out on a moony night instead of like to use for finding things. Note that the same watching Desperate Housewives. The principle eyepieces will give different results with different is to use the Earth's rotation as your guide. You telescopes! Alternatively, for the finder, you can pick a star relatively near the celestial equator eyeball patterns in the sky - like the bowl of the and time it as it drifts across the diameter of your dipper or other patterns to find a pair of stars that eyepiece field. You know that the Earth rotates span the diameter of the field. This will be quick- once in 23 hours 56 minutes with respect to the er, since a 4-degree finder will take more than 15 stars. 24 hours is accurate enough for this exer- minutes for a drift measurement. cise. That is 15 degrees in an hour, or one degree In transferring this newfound information to in 4 minutes. So, measure the time in minutes it your star atlas, you will have to have a degree HORIZON 3 scale for your atlas. Use the DECLINATION Similarly, when we were looking for 5391 scale. Declination is like latitude on earth - the Emmons (a 16th magnitude asteroid), we had to circles of declination are all of the same length make a set of custom charts and star hop through from pole to pole. the eyepiece. This was made more complicated MAKING A TEMPLATE because we looked for it through several instruments - my 14" Newtonian, the Keller 16" Cass Once you know your field sizes, you are with a right angle viewer, and using Dick ready to make a tool for hopping among the Emmons's image intensifying eyepiece which stars. A common tool that is shown in many electronically erected the image. These all pres- books is a loop of wire with the loop diameter at ent the image oriented differently. The mental the size you have determined for your field. My gymnastics there were challenging. But the basic personal favorite has been circles drawn on star hopping skills are the same: gauge the field transparencies. If you have multiple instruments, size, recognize the patterns, jump, recognize the eyepieces and atlases, the combinations get over- next pattern, jump…. and so forth. It just whelming for wires. With PCs and printers, you requires more Excedrin. can use a graphic program or a CAD program to Even if you use a GOTO telescope to get you draw the circles and label them for the telescope, close, when you are looking for something faint, atlas and eyepiece you are using. you still will need a good chart to assure you that Another option that is open to you is to make you have found what you are looking for - espe- your own charts with chart software. Most pack- cially if it is not an extended object. Again, vari- ages allow you to define a circle size for the field able stars, asteroids, and Pluto are good exam- of your eyepiece. This is really a flexible way to ples of such objects. Use your GOTO to get you go. In fact, a few years ago, I made finder charts into the general field, then star hop to your goal. for the Messier Marathon - custom charts for all If you use your GOTO regularly, you will know the objects with star hopping fields defined for how accurate your pointing is. Maybe it gets you each based on where I wanted to start and which dead on - in which case you still need to ID the eyepiece I wanted to use. object. The pattern recognition skill still applies. FINDING STUFF Even if you don't make circular templates for For most of the brighter objects, you will find your eyepieces, it is extremely helpful to know the finder field will get you close enough, espe- your eyepiece field size for judging fields in pub- cially if you use a wide field eyepiece first. But lished maps. For example, both Sky and in looking for fainter objects, you will probably Telescope and The Observers Handbook publish need some combination of finder and eyepiece finder charts for Pluto each year. If you want to fields. For instance, in looking for faint variable find it, you will need to know how to translate stars, you typically use a progression of higher between the map scale and your telescope. In and higher resolution charts from AAVSO, des- this case, it boils down to knowing your field ignated a, b, c, d and e, which have generally sizes as part of knowing your equipment. standard field sizes. You get close with the b Learning to find objects by star hopping is a chart then use the d or e chart for nearby com- good practice activity for a moonlit or light pol- parison stars. To do this, you will need to star luted night so that when you get a really dark hop through the eyepiece rather than with the night at a dark site, you can spend your time finder. looking AT things rather than looking FOR them. HORIZON 4

Binocular and eyepiece finder fields for M1 (the Crab Nebula) from Zeta Tauri HORIZON 5 HORIZON 6

Sequence for Stephan's Quintet 1. Find Eta Pegasi. 2. Finder field steps to NGC 7331 - a bright spiral galaxy. 3. Eyepiece fields (0.5 deg) from NGC 7331 to Stephan's Quintet.

You can use this same technique whether The other little piece of complication thrown your target is a Messier object or a 16th magni- into all of this was that when we looked for this tude asteroid like 5391 Emmons. To find this asteroid, Dick wanted us to use his image-inten- asteroid, I used GUIDE from Project Pluto. I sifying eyepiece. This is an electronic eyepiece plotted its position (several actually) and used that automatically inverts the image. So with tra- GUIDE's ability to download data from the ditional eyepieces and this special eyepiece, we Tycho and USNO catalogs. I had stars down to had fields that changed. Excedrin headache # 18th magnitude on these charts; this also helped 5391. (We loved you dearly, Dick…. But that in estimating the brightness of the asteroid was a pain!) although the catalog data was not of photometric quality. In this case, since I was not sure which telescope I was going to be using (I ended up finding it in both my 14" and the Keller 16") I didn't put a template with these charts; I just fol- lowed the patterns in the eyepiece. But I did make charts for both the finder and eyepiece. HORIZON 7 7 Events at 7:30 PM, but may be visible from Dec 28 to Jan 6.) at 7:30 PM, but may ) Should be visible through telescope in daylight. th 0 0 ilight ends, 1h33m, +30°39', alt. 80° 2 y r a u at 5 AM, 12h40m -11°37 n a J , 11:01 PM , 8:57 AM s e New Moon Moon Passes 0.5º south of Antares in morning twilight. Full Moon Full m i Fr Fr M33 just past meridian as evening tw Fr Fr First Quarter Moon, 6:01 PM Tu Tu Th peaks (Actual peak is Quadrantid Meteor shower Tu Th Last Quarter Moon, 7:45 AM Tu Th M45, Pleiades, transits at 8:20 PM, 3h47m, +24º7’, alt. 37º Tu Th Tu Th Sa Moon passes 1.6º north of Regulus Sa Sa Moon passes 0.8º south of Venus (noon on 20 Sa M104 near meridian AM We We We We M46 and M47, close open cluster pair, transits at 11:45 PM, 7h41m -14°49’; 7h36m -14°29', alt 35° We T Day Dark Times January 2007

6 9 2 3 4 5 1 7 Su 8 Mo 17 18 19 20 21 Su 23 24 25 26 27 28 Su 29 Mo 11 10 30 31 12 13 14 Su 15 Mo 16 k AM Date r a 611 611 611 610 610 Mo 609 22 609 608 608 607 607 606 605 613 613 603 613 613 Begins Twilight D

612 613 613 613 604

AM S 23 R 38 613 Moon S 138 S 253 S 406 S 513 R 139 612 R 242 612 R 348 612 R 454 612 R 558 612

PM Moon S 724 S 840 S 955 R 728 R 834 R 937 613 S 1109 R 1038 R 1038 R 1138 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 659 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 648 649 650 651 709 710 712 713 714 715 605 716 717 Ends Twilight PM Date PM Day Monday 1 Tuesday 2 3 Wednesday 4 Thursday Friday 5 Saturday 6 Sunday 7 Monday 8 Tuesday 9 10 Wednesday 11 Thursday Friday 12 Saturday 13 Sunday 14 Monday 15 Tuesday 16 17 Wednesday 18 Thursday Friday 19 Saturday 20 Sunday 21 Monday 22 Tuesday 23 24 Wednesday 25 Thursday Friday 26 Saturday 27 Sunday 28 Monday 29 Tuesday 30 31 Wednesday

HORIZON 8

) th. 7 Events 0 8h40m +19°40', alt. 69° 0 2 y r a u r b e , 11:14 AM , 12:45 AM F s e Saturn is at opposition, 2 PM M44, Beehive Cluster, transits at 11:20 PM, Moon passes 2° north of Venus 11:20 AM Full Moon Full New Moon m i Fr Fr 5h35m -05°23', alt. 44° M42, Great Orion Nebula, transits at 9 PM, Fr Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, transits at 9 PM, 6h30m +05°03', alt. 54° Fr Tu Tu Th Tu Th Tu Th Tu Th Sa Moon rises during evening twilight in conjunction Saturn. with Sa Last Quarter Moon, 4:51 AM Sa Sa Moon passes 1° north of Pleiades 6 PM AM We Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, 18°. (Noon on 7 We We We Day T Dark Times February 2007

1 4 Su 5 Mo 6 9 7 8 2 3 15 16 17 18 Su 19 Mo 20 21 23 24 25 Su 26 Mo 27 28 10 11 Su 12 Mo 13 14 AM Date k r a 549 548 547 545 544 543 542 540 22 539 537 536 535 533 558 557 Begins Twilight D

602 601 AM S 42 R 28 556 Moon S 158 S 307 S 407 S 456 R 132 555 R 237 554 R 342 553 R 442 551 R 535 550

PM Moon S 851 R 724 R 826 R 926 600 600 559 S 1008 S 1125 R 1026 R 1026 R 1126 720 721 722 723 724 725 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 718 719 737 739 741 742 743 744 745 746 532 747 530 Ends Twilight PM Date PM Day Thursday 1 Thursday Friday 2 Saturday 3 Sunday 4 Monday 5 Tuesday 6 7 Wednesday 8 Thursday Friday 9 Saturday 10 Sunday 11 Monday 12 Tuesday 13 14 Wednesday 15 Thursday Friday 16 Saturday 17 Sunday 18 Monday 19 Tuesday 20 21 Wednesday 740 22 Thursday Friday 23 Saturday 24 Sunday 25 Monday 26 Tuesday 27 28 Wednesday

HORIZON 9 Orion the Hunted WCAC Binocular Astronomy Part 2

BY PHILLIP J. CREED

(PHOTOS BY PHIL HOYLE)

Figure 1. Orion rises in the east in this north-is-up view. Photo taken October 22, 2006 in the early AM hours.

Perhaps no constellation is more associated with a season than Orion. Like the sparkling diamond reflections of a fresh snowfall, The Mighty Hunter exhibits an unusual amount of bright stars. No other constellation can boast of seven stars of 2nd magnitude or brighter. It is also one of the few constellations that actually looks like what it ostensibly depicts. Naturally, it becomes the center of attention for the wintertime stargazer and draws the binocular observers for similar reasons. Orion itself is a treasure trove of deep-sky objects, and its "suburbs" have plenty of dazzling open clusters worth seeking out on a cold winter's night. Most of the following objects lie within Orion's borders, while the remainder are in nearby constellations. Orion depicts a great hunter. But for the deep-sky aficionado, it is something to be hunted--with double-barreled optics. Without further adieu, here is a list of items for your stereoscopic enjoyment: HORIZON 10

The Ice Palace A strong Arctic high pressure system is typically required to have clear skies in Northeast Ohio in wintertime. The following objects really strut their stuff when the mercury's at its lowest.

1. M42 (Figure 3) Funny how this article would coincidentally start off with M42. Nebulae generally fall into two categories: (1) the Orion Nebula, and (2) Everything Else. Larger binoculars under dark skies offer a stereoscopic view that is simply beyond description, but this isn't just for the big boys. A set of 10x50 binoculars can easily detect the ghostly "wings" of the Orion Nebula from any sky where all stars in the Little Dipper are visible. In fact, M42 is a good test object for "binocular limbo"; see how low you can go and still detect various features of this deep-sky gem. The region around the Trapezium is the brightest portion of the nebula. Concentrate on this section and see if you detect the dark nebula (a.k.a. The Fish's Mouth) that juts towards the Trapezium. Regardless of site or instrument, the Orion Nebula has something for everyone--including a few chal- lenges, which we'll get to later.

2. Collinder 69 (Figure 2) Oh, no! We're doomed! We're still on the "easy" list and Phil's already thrown out something that's not on Messier or NGC lists! Oh ye of little faith. Just because it doesn't have that reassuring "M" or "NGC" number preced- ing it doesn't mean it's that hard a grab. This is a cluster of nearly two dozen stars subtending over 1 degree of arc surrounding Lambda Orionis. Due to its subtle and extended nature, seven- to ten- power glasses frame this cluster of bluish-tinted sapphires best. The most prominent feature is a three- star, 10'-long chain of 7th- and 8th-magnitude suns oriented north-south.

3. Collinder 70 (Figure 3) He's done it again! Fret not. Collinder 70 is a HUGE open cluster, measuring some 3 degrees in width, and there's a good chance you've seen it. All three of Orion's belt stars are members! In all, about 100 stars comprise this cluster, most bearing a distinct bluish tint. This cluster is best appreciated with lower power glasses. This cluster contains several binocular doubles, one of which is 2.3-magnitude Mintaka. Look for its 7th-magnitude companion 52" off to the north. The glare from the primary star will make this somewhat difficult in 7x glasses, but doable with ten power.

4. M35 (Figure 4) Located just north of the "right foot" of Gemini, this is a spectacular cluster through any set of binoculars removed from city lights. When Orion is transiting, simply pan your binoculars about 17 degrees straight up from Betelgeuse, and you can't miss it. HORIZON 11 Open star clusters have either uniform or central concentration of their members. If you look carefully at M35, you'll notice that its stars largely congregate around the periphery. The brightest stars reside along the northern and western edges. Most binoculars will reveal at least a dozen members under a decent sky.

5. NGC 2264 (Figure 2) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--even if it's past the Holidays. This is one of the more striking "pattern" clusters. The cluster forms a right triangle with Betelgeuse and 1.9-magnitude Gamma Geminorum. Almost all of this cluster's constituents are visible in 7x binoculars. Like M35, there is no central concentration of the stars. Instead, they form a unique, upside-down "Christmas Tree" shape that is unmistakable. The brightest cluster member is 4.7-magnitude 15 Monocerotis, conveniently marking the "trunk". Photographs show that the cluster is encased in nebulosity, which is detectable telescopically using an O-III filter.

6. M36, M37 and M38, the Auriga Triumvirate (Figure 4) For open cluster aficionados, panning due north of Orion into Auriga offers some of the finest offerings in the heavens. Three Messier clusters: M36, M37 and M38, ride near the zenith over the course of a winter's night. Lower power binoculars can resolve some members, but for best results use tripod-mounted binoculars of 60mm or greater. The first offering in this region is M38, lying halfway between Theta and Iota Aurigae. Individual stars lift themselves out of an unresolved haze in 10x50s, while bigger glasses reveal a distinct cross, or x-formation. Lying just a half degree to the south is another cluster, NGC 1907, but its compact size and dimmer stars is best reserved for telescopes. While you're in the neighborhood, pan about 2-½ degrees southeast to M36. Though not as rich as M38, this fine cluster is nonetheless a worthy find. Large binoculars show a similar cross-pattern, but it is not as distinct as M38. Most of the excitement in Auriga takes place inside the "pentagon". The one lone exception is M37, but its eastward detachment relative to the other clusters shouldn't deter you from this gem. Glasses of 15x or higher resolve this into a stellar swarm with a central triangle flanked by arcs of stars. Think of a wintertime version of M11, and you're close. Perhaps the most striking arrangement of stars in the Charioteer isn't a cluster at all. If you center M36 in your binoculars, you just might crack a smile. And why not. Something's literally smil- ing at you. The Auriga "Smiley Face" asterism consists of two 6th and 7th-magnitude "eyes" and a corresponding arc of 6th- and 7th-magnitude stars. Look about one degree south of M36.

Deeper in the Snow After tracking down some of the marquee winter wonders, upping the difficulty level a little bit will yield its own reward. Most of these objects are more subtle. A dark sky and 50+ mm binoculars are recommended for the next few items. HORIZON 12

1. NGC 2024, Flame Nebula (Figure 3) (Um, Phil, this is supposed to be a binocular list! What's the deal?) NGC 2024's chances of being on most clubs' binocular observing lists are usually around zero. Most people think of it as a telescopic "challenge" object. The reality is that the Flame Nebula is a surprisingly easy binocular object under dark skies. I never made it a point to look for it with binoculars until I happened to be looking at Alnitak with my 25x100s at Salt Fork State Park. The Flame Nebula, and especially the north-south orientation of the bisecting dust lane, were plain as day. This past October at Calhoun County Park, I was able to see it with my 10x50s. Once a decent observing site is obtained, the limiting factor isn't so much the aperture of the binoculars as much as the cleanliness of the optics. Any smears will make the overpowering glare of nearby 1.7-magnitude Alnitak that much worse.

2. NGC 2237-2239, NGC 2244 and NGC 2246, the Rosette Nebula and cluster (Figure 2) The Rosette Nebula and its corresponding cluster is another example of a telescopic "test" object that the wider fields of binoculars can snare from dark skies. This complex is easily found by panning 10 degrees to the ESE from Betelgeuse. NGC 2264 is a bright binocular cluster in its own right, though the star count is noticeably less than that of M35. The challenge lies in detecting the nebulosity. Sky conditions are critical. Under dark skies, a set of 10x50 binoculars is adequate. Unlike the Lagoon Nebula, with a cluster enshrouded in nebulosity, the Rosette Nebula surrounds its associated cluster. The larger the exit pupil your eyes can utilize, the better your odds are at detecting it.

3. NGC 2158 (Figure 4) Resolution of this cluster is strictly in the telescopic realm. Nonetheless, NGC 2158 is a good test object for 10x50s, appearing as a dim, 9th-magnitude "comet" on the southern periphery of M35. I can only imagine how many false alarms the IAU gets from this deep-sky object. The proximity to M35 is strictly by line-of-sight; NGC 2158 is simply much further away. The juxtaposition of the two is one of the more intriguing deep-sky "doubles" in the heavens.

The O'Meara List For those that never back down from a good fight, this list is for you. It will require larger glasses (15X+ and/or 70mm+) and dark skies. In most cases, a site within a 2-hour drive of Canton would suffice, such as the AEP Recreation Lands or the western portions of Coshocton County. Basically, if you look on the Clear Sky Clock Light Pollution Map, you'd be looking for a spot in the "green" areas or better. Some of these, though, involve the observer's ability of resolution, rather than mere detection. These are not for the faint of heart. Then again, neither is an observing session in the dead of winter. HORIZON 13

1. Resolution of the Trapezium (20x and greater) Kids. They grow up so fast these days. In cosmic terms, the Trapezium star cluster is extremely young. These glowing sapphires in the heart of the Orion Nebula are barely a million years old. Although there are hundreds of members in this star cluster, its four brightest members gather most of the attention, hence the name. Each lettered component of the Trapezium is comfortably bright enough for binocular detection. Component C is the brightest at magnitude 5.1, while the dimmest is Component B at magnitude 7.9. Actually seeing the Trapezium as four stars in binoculars is a formidable challenge. The A-C and C-D separations are both 13", and the A-D separation is about 20". Assuming the typical resolution of 3' (180") without optical aid, seeing these three members would require about 15x or higher. But before you start planning a Trapezium Binocular Resolution post-game bash, you must con- tend with the 9" separation between Components A and B.

2. Resolution of NGC 2169 (15x or greater) (Figure 2) This cluster forgoes the usual random or radial cluster distribution. NGC 2169's stars are con- centrated in two "lobes". The cluster is in a rich star field, and lies on the southern point of an equi- lateral triangle formed by the cluster and Nu and Xi Orionis.

The cluster has an unusual polar distribution of stars. Look carefully at the "lobes". Telescopic observers know this one as the "37 Cluster" based on its eerie numeric pattern. Try acquiring the cluster in a telescope at low power, taking note of the background stars, and see if you can detect the pattern in binoculars. It's a small cluster, but well worth the effort.

3. M42's Loop The Orion Nebula is one of the few objects that is spectacular regardless of the instrument. In a dark sky, the ghostly "wings" are one of the more ethereal sights through binoculars. But the nebulosity doesn't just spread out. Almost one degree south of the Trapezium, the nebula forms a com- plete "loop". I last saw this from Calhoun County Park, West Virginia, on October 21, 2006 using 25x100 binoculars. The M42 loop was also visible from Burr Oak State Park (Southeast OH) without much difficulty with 16x80 binoculars in February 2006. Is it visible from skies closer to home with less powerful binoculars?

4. IC 434 (Figure 2) Uh, no. N-n-n-n-n-n-n-no. NO. Phil, you CAN'T see IC 434 with binoculars, right? Are you insane? (Ok, best not to ask that question) IC 434 as a binocular target sounds more like within the realm of science fiction, but it is doable with 100mm aperture under very dark skies. Often confused with the Horsehead Nebula (which is technically Barnard 33), IC 434 is the nebula that provides the background for the Horsehead. HORIZON 14

IC 434 has a remarkable difference between visual and photographic appearance. Photographs depict the Horsehead's background nebula as a large glowing cloud. Through the eyepiece, it looks more like a sliver, with only the easternmost section discernible. So how do you find it? First of all, get a really dark sky! If you just so happen to be planning a winter getaway to the Hocking Hills, you'll probably have a sky that's up to snuff. Second, you simply must have a set of tripod-mounted giant binoculars (at least 80mm, preferably 100mm). IC 434 shows up as a VERY faint ribbon of light as seen with 4" of aperture. From Alnitak, scan south 22' to a 7.5-magnitude star, HIP26756. It is parallel to a line formed by this star and Alnitak, and maybe 2' to the west of this line. The nebula is easiest to detect visually in the immediate vicinity of HIP26756. The constellation of Orion and its surrounding environs harbor some of the most fascinating treasures for the binocular observer. Those that brave the cryogenic temperatures that sometimes visit Ohio will find tracking the Mighty Hunter's celestial wonders a most worthwhile pursuit.

Figure 2. View of Orion, and portions of Monoceros and Gemini, showing the locations of Collinder 69 and NGC objects 2169, 2264, 2237 through 2239, 2244 and 2246. HORIZON 15

Figure 3. This closer view of the lower half of Orion shows the locations of Collinder 70, M42 and the more difficult NGC 2024 and IC 434. HORIZON 16

Figure 4. This view of Gemini and Auriga is approximately 60 degrees wide. It shows the positions of Messier objects M35, M36, M37 and M38.

Sources for further reading:

Sue French, Celestial Sampler. Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, MA, 2005.

Philip S. Harrington, Touring the Universe Through Binoculars. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1990.

Walter Scott Houston, Deep-Sky Wonders. Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, MA, 1999.

Stephen J. O'Meara, Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1998.

Stephen J. O'Meara, Deep Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002. HORIZON 17

The Event Horizon

December 2006 February 2007 1st: Planetarium Show & Public Viewing Night 2nd: Planetarium Show & Public Viewing Night 7:30 PM at TWC – Clear or Cloudy! 7:30 PM at TWC – Clear or Cloudy! 23rd: WCAC Meeting - 7:30 PM TWC-IB NO CLUB MEETING IN DECEMBER Program: TBD Refreshments: TBD

January 2007 March 2007 5th: Planetarium Show & Public Viewing Night 7:30 PM at TWC – Clear or Cloudy! 2nd: Planetarium Show & Public Viewing Night 7:30 PM at TWC – Clear or Cloudy! 10th: Planning Meeting – 7:00 PM at John Waechter’s house 14th: Planning Meeting – 7:00 PM at John Waechter’s house 26th: WCAC Meeting - 7:30 PM TWC-IB Program: TBD 23rd: WCAC Meeting - 7:30 PM TWC-IB Refreshments: TBD Program: TBD Refreshments: TBD