7 January 2005
Eye on the Sky
by Paul Curtin
2005 is the Centennial of Einstein’s remarkable entrance on the world scientific scene. 1905 saw the publication of a string of papers, each of which broke new ground in its field. Many scientific organizations are planning events to celebrate this anniversary. This presents an excellent educational opportunity for lectures and demonstrations on the foundations of modern physics.
Comet Machholz continues to move north, passing just west of the Pleiades in early January. It then moves into Perseus, Cassiopeia and Camelopardalis, where it will probably fade beyond naked eye range. (For finder charts, see Sky and Telescope, Vol. 109, No.1, 2005.)
Mars returns for an especially well-placed northern opposition. The red planet will be in opposition in late October, but observers should sharpen their techniques well before. Indeed, for those who wish to make the most of this event, a steady program of planetary observation can begin now with studies of Jupiter and Saturn.
We begin in the north with kite-shaped Auriga, riding above the horns of Taurus. At the northwest corner is bright Capella. Scan the area within the kite for the open clusters M36, M37 and M38. Use a telescope to compare these clusters in terms of density, star color and overall brightness. Then move southwest to the tiny dipper of the Pleiades in Taurus. Go east from these to find the large V-shaped head of the Bull. This is the Hyades, also an open cluster. An overall comparison of these five objects provides an illustration of the factors of type, age and distance in the study of clusters. Note that the bright red star Aldebaran, although apparently a member of the Hyades, is in fact much closer than the cluster.
South and east of Taurus you will see Orion, whose belt stars form a line westward to Aldebaran and eastward to Sirius. Examine the “sword” that hangs to the south. Binoculars show the extent of the Orion nebula, and telescopes provide more detail. This region contains a complex of emission, reflection and dark nebulae and merits careful observation.
South of Orion we find Lepus, the Hare, a faint yet quite distinct constellation. Lepus and its southern neighbor are noteworthy primarily for the presence, in rather close proximity, of both globular clusters and galaxies. Larger telescopes may be needed to better appreciate these objects, but simply locating and identifying them is a worthy exercise.
The last stop in the south is the Large Magellanic Cloud. Using a telescope, one can observe a number of nebulae in this neighboring galaxy. Many planetary and globular clusters can be identified with large amateur telescopes.
Mercury is in the morning sky. Look for it in the dawn twilight near much brighter Venus.
Venus, still very bright, is in Scorpius. It dominates the eastern sky before sunrise.
Mars hovers northeast of his rival Antares in Scorpius.
Jupiter is in Virgo and can be observed throughout the morning hours.
Saturn is in Gemini and can be observed all night.
Robert Burnham, Jr., Burnham's Celestial Handbook, Dover (1978).
R. Gupta (ed.), Observers Handbook 2005, University of Toronto Press (2004).
G. R. Kepple and G. W. Sanner, The Night Sky Observers Guide, Richmond, Willman-Bell (1999).
W. Tirion, B. Rappaport and W. Remaklus, Uranometria Deep Sky Atlas, Richmond, Willman-Bell (2000).
T. W. Webb, Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, Dover (1962). 
