Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

Wednesday, 15 February 2023 17:00

Monday 20th to Sunday 26th February 2023

There are several good early evening observing opportunities which are great if you don't fancy those late nights!

Firstly, around 8pm on Monday 20th the open cluster of stars known as the "Shoe-Buckle" cluster or Messier 35 reaches its highest position in the sky, when atmospheric disturbance will be the least. The magnitude +5.0 cluster will be just visible with the naked eye from a very dark location; binoculars or a telescope will provide a stunning view. M35 will be located towards the south, above the constellation of Orion, slightly below and to the left of planet Mars.

If you are using a telescope, just down and to the right of M35 is another open cluster NGC2158. The two clusters are un-related......M35 is only 3000 light years away, where the much fainter NGC2158 is more like 9000 light years away and 2 billion years old!

Just after dark on Wednesday 22nd a thin 8%-lit Crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Jupiter as the trio set towards the west horizon.

Venture outside at the same time a few days later, on Sunday 26th and the Moon will have become a 44%-lit crescent and it will be located towards the south, very close to the Pleiades open cluster of stars.

I had better include something for the early risers amongst our listeners as well. At 6.12am on the morning of Tuesday 22nd there is an opportunity to spot the International Space Station. It will appear in the south west and spend around six minutes passing overhead before disappearing towards the east.

M35 Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2023
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