What's up in Space?
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What’s up in Space? November 2017—A Glimpse of our Galactic Neighbour The chart is orientated for Oct 15 at midnight NZDT Nov 1 at 11pm NZDT Nov 15 at 10pm NZDT Mercury (Whiro) joins Saturn (Rongo) in our western evening A tall mast rises up to Achernar and the Large and Small skies, setting before twilight ends. At the start of the month Magellanic Clouds mark the waka’s sails. orange Antares/Rehua, the brightest star in Scorpius/Te In the north, Pegasus, the winged horse, appears to leap Matau a Māui, sits between the two. The stars and Saturn across the horizon and is easy to spot by the “Great Square” slowly sink closer to the horizon from night to night, whilst of stars that makes up his body. The star at the bottom right Mercury climbs higher, sitting level with Antares on the 14th of the square is actually Alpha Andromodae, or Alpheratz, the and with Saturn on the 24th. brightest star in the constellation of Andromeda. As Scorpius/Te Matau a Māui sets in the west, Orion, rises Alpheratz is the starting point to star hop to the Great Galaxy in the east. Stretching from Scorpius to Orion along the in Andromeda, or M31. M31 is the nearest large spiral galaxy southern horizon is the Te Waka o Tamareriti, the canoe of to our own, and makes a rare appearance in our southern Tamareriti. Scorpius/Te Matau a Māui marks the front of the hemisphere skies at this time of year, as long as you have a canoe with the Scorpions sting representing the beautifully good, clear view of the northern horizon. carved wood that adorns the prow. From Alpheratz hop eastwards along the uppermost, and The Southern Cross is the anchor, Te Punga, and the pointers, brightest, of two chains of stars past Delta Andromedae to Alpha and Beta Centauri are the anchor line, Te Taura. Orion Mirach (Beta Andromedae), turn sharp right and head down marks the stern of the canoe, with the elaborately carved to Mu Andromedae before jumping on the same distance stern post climbing from red Betelgeuse to bluish Rigel. again to find the galaxy..