Tag Archives: open star cluster

Mars Gets Eyed by the Bull

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   Monday evening April 15th the ‘Red Planet’ Mars will be near the open star cluster the Hyades – a v-shaped pattern of stars making up the face of Taurus the Bull. Mars will also be about 5o from the ‘eye’ of the Bull, the reddish star Aldebaran. Both the Hyades and Mars will easily fit within the field of view of 7×50 binoculars, and should prove to be an interesting sight. Compare the 1.50 apparent magnitude of Mars with the brighter 0.90 apparent magnitude for Aldebaran.

   
   
   

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Mars and Two Open Clusters

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   Monday evening April 1st the planet Mars was within about 3o from the open star cluster the Pleiades and about 8-9o from the open star cluster the Hyades. These two open star clusters are part of the constellation Taurus the Bull with the v-shaped Hyades and its reddish star Aldebaran making up the Bull’s face, and the ‘small dipper-shaped’ Pleiades are located along the Bull’s shoulder.

   From mythology it has been told that Orion and Taurus are engaged in a battle. Orion with a shield held up against the charging bull, and the anger of the bull indicated by its red eye, the star Aldebaran.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Mars – Pleiades Conjunction

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click on graphic to see it larger   Sunday March 31st the planet Mars will be 3-4o from the open star cluster the Pleiades allowing both to fit within the field of view of binoculars. For the next several days Mars will pass the Pleiades as Mars moves eastward against the apparent daily westward motion of the stars in the background resulting from the Earth’s revolution around the Sun.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Moon – Aldebaran Conjunction

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   Tuesday evening March 12th the 6-day old waxing crescent Moon will be about 4o from the reddish star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is also the brightest in the open star cluster the Hyades, a v-shaped appearing group of stars making the face of Taurus. Both the Moon and the v-shape of the Hyades should fit nicely within the field of view of 7×50 binoculars.

    Aldebaran, from mythology, represents the ‘angry eye’ of the bull as it charges toward Orion.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Taurus Takes it on the Nose!

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    Friday evening October 26th the 18-day old waning gibbous Moon will be 5-6o from the reddish star Aldebaran. This star, at the point of the v-shaped open star cluster the Hyades, represents an angry eye of Taurus the Bull.

   
   
   

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Moon in a Face-Off with Taurus

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   Sunday September 30th the 20-day old waning gibbous Moon will be within 1-2o from the reddish star Aldebaran in the open star cluster the Hyades. The Hyades are a v-shaped group of stars making up the face of Taurus the Bull.
Aldebaran is at the tip of one of the
lines making up the v-shape and, with its reddish color, represents the ‘angry eye’ of the Bull.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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ISS, Taurus and Orion

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   This morning (17 September) was another morning with clear skies and another chance at catching the ISS as it orbited overhead. This time the ISS came out of the northwest and reached around 70o above the horizon as it headed southeastward. It passed by the open star clusters the Pleiades and the Hyades and then passed below and parallel to the belt of Orion toward Sirius where the ISS disappeared behind some trees.
   This picture is made from 22 stacked pictures.

   
   
   

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