2019 Week 5: (January 27-February 2)

We are now in the fifth week of 2019 and heading straight into February.  For the first time in 2 years there is nothing exciting happening in the sky!  There are no rocket launches scheduled and no public events planned either.  This defeats the whole purpose of this blog!

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New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt continues to get exciting as the latest image of 2014 MU 69 (Ultima Thule) was beamed back to Earth for all to see.

2014 MU69 (Ultima Thule) (Image Credit: NASA)

An article on this news from Astronomy is provided below.

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/01/new-horizons-latest-images-from-ultima-thule-reveal-new-details

The Moon will be moving from its Full phase to Last Quarter this week.  The Lunar Eclipse last Sunday was incredible as the haze started dissipating shortly after totality.

Total Lunar Eclipse, January 20, 2019

Let's talk about what we can see in the sky around 10pm in the evening under clear skies!

Week 5 Sky (10pm)

The constellation Orion is in a perfect location directly south.  You will recognize the three bright stars of his belt crossing from east to west.  The star representing the upper eastern shoulder is a red supergiant called Betelgeuse.  The lower western knee is a blue supergiant called Rigel.  These two stars offer a great contrast in colour that can be seen with the naked eye.

If you trace the belt towards the southeast you should spy the brightest star in the night sky -- Sirius.  Telescope or binocular users may be able to see the open cluster, Messier 41, sitting just below this bright star of Canis Major.

Tracing a line from Rigel through the easternmost belt star, Alnitak, will take you straight to the twin stars of Castor and Pollux.  These are the brightest stars in Gemini.  Moving a telescope just above Castor will allow you to see the open cluster Messier 35.

Another trace of the belt towards the northwest will bring you to Taurus' bright red star Aldebaran.  Progressing a short distance further will take you to the Pleiades, Messier 45.

M45, Pleaides

On a cloud free night see if you can find all the stars in the Winter Hexagon.  The map below should help you in your quest.

Winter Hexagon

Take some time this week to observe the night sky.  Trace the stars from Orion to find some of these familiar constellations and stars.  Don't forget to see the Orion Nebula which sits just below the belt stars.  It appears as a faint blurry patch to the naked eye and can be resolved with a simple pair of binoculars.