Month |
Object |
Constellation |
RA |
Dec |
Notes |
February |
1a. Comet Macholz | Perseus/ Camelopardalis |
Variable | Variable | Bright naked-eye comet, fading from 3.5 to 4.5 through the month. Should move from Perseus towards Polaris. Check TheSky for exact coordinates in the northern sky each night. May get too faint by end of month - Use Pleiades, instead. |
| 1b. Pleiades | Taurus | 3hr 46m | +24° 22m | Very bright cluster, often confused by students for "little dipper". Point out naked-eye - any telescope will provide too much magnification. | |
| 2. Saturn | Gemini | Variable | Variable | Need good focus to see ring structure. May want to use 12". Point out naked-eye planet to students, too. | |
| 3. Orion Nebula | Orion | 5hr 35m | -5° 23m | Very bright HII region, but improves with aperture. Use 16", low mag, and nebular filter if available. Good reference for star birth. | |
| Constellation: Orion | Orion | 5hr 30m | +0° | Most recognizable constellation. Properties of Betelguese and Rigel provide good reference for star lifecycle and blackbody temps. | |
March |
1. M35 | Gemini | 6hr 08m | +24° 22m | Bright, rich open cluster at feet of Gemini. Roughly 150 Myrs old. Use 12". |
| 2. M79 | Lepus | 5hr 24m | +24° 31m | Globular cluster 1600 ly distant. Somewhat faint, but the only well-placed globular all season long. Use 16". | |
| 3. Iota Cancri (48 Cancri) | Cancer | 8hr 46m | +28° 45m | Binary star with significant color difference, winter equivalent of Albireo. Use HD 74739 in the paddle. | |
| Constellation: Gemini | Gemini | 7hr 00m | +25° | Castor and Pollux easily recognizable as "twins". Avoid including Saturn in constellation. | |
April |
1: M65/M66 | Leo | 11hr 18m | +13° 05m | Leo galaxy group: SBb and SBa galaxies only 15 arcminutes apart - both are visible together at low power. NGC 3628 may also be visible in north of field, though somewhat dimmer. Might be a bit faint for the location, so use 16". |
| 2: Jupiter | Virgo | Variable | Variable | May want to wait until later in the session to see it at fewer airmasses. Point it out naked eye, as well. Also, needs good focus to see cloud belts clearly - try the 12". Mention moons. | |
| 3: M41 | Canis Major | 6hr 46m | -20° 45m | Rich open cluster, roughly 200 Myrs old. | |
| Constellation: Leo | Leo | 11hr 00m | +20° | Gee, it's a lion. Roar. | |
Alternate Objects: |
M87 | Virgo | 12hr 30m | +12° 23m | Giant elliptical cD galaxy at center of Virgo cluster, Visible in late spring. Use 16". |
| NGC 3242 | Hydra | 10hr 24m | +18° 39m | "Ghost of Jupiter" - small but fairly bright planetary nebula, multiple gaseous shells. Good intro for mentioning star death. Visible mid-spring, use high power. | |
| Gamma Leonis | Leo | 10hr 19m | +19° 50m | Nice double star, but somewhat close - use the 12". Visible mid-spring. | |
| M44 | Cancer | 8hr 40m | +19° 40m | Also known as Praesepe or Beehive Cluster. Rich open cluster, somewhat older, roughly 750 Myr. Visible throughout spring. | |
| Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) |
Gemini | 7hr 29m | +20° 55m | Small but bright planetary nebula. Another good intro for mentioning star death. Visible throughout spring. | |
| M81 | Ursa Major | 9hr 55 | +69° 04m | Nice close Sb galaxy in extreme northern sky. Use 16" at low mag, as M82 may be visible in same field. Visible mid-to-late spring. | |
| Canis Major | Canis Major | 7hr 00m | -20° | Point out Sirius, brightest star, and its significance to Ancient Egyptians. Also, if visible, point out Canopus in extreme South (not part of constellation, but show second brightest star as a reference). Visible throughout spring. | |
| Virgo | Virgo | 13hr 00m | +0° | Visible late spring. Do not include Jupiter. Mention Virgo Cluster. | |