WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs. FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory. BLOG scobbers.blogspot.

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1 BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com JUPITE FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 16 th Jan Procyon Pollu Castor Betelgeuse Sirius Canis Major Aldebaran Auriga igel Canopus Pleiades 8 th Jan Achernar

2 1 st Jan New Moon (Not Visible) January 2014 Moon ates 8 th Jan 16 th Jan 24 th Jan Full Moon (Low in the East) Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible only from 1am onwards. Jupiter Visible throughout early evening, beside between Procyon, Castor and Pollu. Saturn Visible early morning 3:30am-6:30am, in the Eastern part of the sky. Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter s four biggest moons, Io,, and in the following positions: Fri 3 rd Jan Fri 10 th Jan Fri 17 th Jan Fri 24 th Jan Fri 31 st Jan Io Io Io Io Last Quarter (1am-8am) Io shadow transit 9pm 10pm 31 st Jan New Moon (Not Visible) Stars of the month (January) Taurus, Orion & Sirius High in the sky are the constellations Taurus the Bull and Orion the Hunter. Taurus best objects include the bright orange star Aldebaran (the Follower) and the star clusters Pleiades and Hyades. Orion is one of the most distinctive groups of stars in the sky. Its brightest stars include red supergiant Betelgeuse (shoulder) and blue-white supergiant igel (foot). Orion is well known for having three stars in a straight line, Orion s belt Located towards the South East of Orion s belt is the brightest star in the sky, Sirius (scorching), belonging to the constellation Canis Major. Its brightness causes it to twinkle more than other stars as its light passes through our atmosphere. Sirius 1. M45 The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members using only your eyes. Use binoculars to eperience its full glory! 2. The Hyades A loose grouping of stars net to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters to the Sun (150 light-years away). equires binoculars. 3. M42 The Orion Nebula A large, diffused nebula (hydrogen gas cloud) and one of the best objects in the sky! Our eyes can see it as a hazy speck, a short distance from Orion s belt. Binoculars can show more of the nebula. A telescope reveals the small cluster of stars (the Trapezium) at its heart. These hot, young stars are responsible for illuminating of the gas cloud that surrounds them.

3 BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Aldebaran Auriga FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs egulus 15 th Feb Castor Pollu Procyon Betelgeuse Canis Major Canopus Capella igel Achernar

4 Bright Planets February Moon ates 7 th Feb 15 th Feb Full Moon Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Visible in the East 6am-7:30am. Mars Visible in the East from 12am midnight. Jupiter Visible throughout early evening from 7pm-3am, beside the stars of Gemini. Saturn Visible in the East early in the morning from 2am. Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter s four biggest moons, Io,, and in the following positions: Fri 7 st Feb Fri 14 th Feb Fri 21 st Feb Fri 28 th Feb Io Io Io Io 23 rd Feb Last Quarter (1am-8am) Stars of the month (Feb) Orion & Orion Nebula Betelgeuse arm/shoulder In February s night sky, Orion the Hunter, is located directly overhead. Orion s seven brightest stars can easily be seen in Singapore s light-polluted sky. Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis) is a massive red supergiant that varies in brightness. Bellatri (gamma Orionis) is blue giant star. Its name means female warrior, indicating that Orion may not have always been seen as a male hunter. Bellatri is the closest of Orion s stars (243 light-years away). igel (beta Orionis) is a large bluish-white supergiant star, which becomes the brightest star in Orion when Betelgeuse occasionally fades. On Orion s Belt, Alnilam (epsilon Orionis) is the closest and brightest of the three. Orion contains many stars and deep sky objects, which are visible through binoculars or a telescope. The Orion Nebula (M42) is a large cloud of gas (mainly hydrogen) that contains a cluster of young stars. It appears as a tiny bright speck to the naked eye. The diagram on the right illustrates the view of the Orion Nebula through a telescope. The tight group of four stars is known as the Trapezium (theta Orionis). Surrounding the Trapezium is part of the hydrogen gas cloud, which is being illuminated by the energy from the Trapezium stars. A number of other stars within and in front of the nebula are also visible. Saiph sword Mintaka Alnilam Alnitak Magnified view of Orion Nebula (M42) Bellatri female warrior 0 Orion s Belt igel foot Orion Nebula (M42)

5 BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Sirius Aldebaran Capella FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 17 th Mar egulus Castor Pollu Procyon Betelgeuse Canopus 8 th Mar igel Achernar

6 8 th Mar Bright Planets March Moon ates 17 th Mar 24 th Mar Full Moon (9pm-7am) Last Quarter (3am-8am) 31 st Mar New Moon (not visible) Mercury Visible very low in the east before sunrise from 6pm. Venus Visible before sunrise from 5pm in the east. Mars ises in the east after 10pm, near the star Spica (Virgo). Jupiter Visible until early morning between Castor (Gemini) and Betelgeuse (Orion). Saturn Visible from 12am-7am, in constellation Libra. Stars of the month (March) Gemini, Leo, Cancer, Canis Major The March sky contains many of the brightest stars in the sky, most notably Sirius, the brightest of all stars. Between Sirius and the 1 st magnitude stars of Betelgeuse, Castor, Pollu, Procyon and egulus lie many hidden star clusters and asterisms (star patterns) such as The Sickle in Leo and the head of Hydra the snake. 1) Castor a multiple star, made up of 6 tightly grouped stars. Most telescope can see two white stars and a smaller red dwarf star. 2) M35 a large open cluster of over 200 stars arranged in curved chains, 2800 light-years away. Best viewed through binoculars or telescopes using low magnification. 3) M44 The Beehive Cluster (Praesepe) A swarm of about 50 stars in the heart of the constellation Cancer, over 500 light-years away. Best viewed through binoculars. 4) M67 A more distant, fainter open cluster in Cancer, containing 200 stars. 5) M48 large, triangular-shaped open cluster of 80 stars, located on the edge of the constellation Hydra. Visible through binoculars, 2000 light-years away. 6) M41 large, bright open cluster of 80 stars, 2100 light-years away. Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter s four biggest moons, Io,, and in the following positions: Fri 7 th Mar Fri 14 th Mar Io Io The Sickle egulus King/Prince 4 3 Pollu 1 second twin Procyon before the dog Castor first twin 2 Betelgeuse shoulder Fri 21 st Mar Fri 28 th Mar Io Io Vernal Equino 20 th Mar 00:57 SGT The day in which the Sun is directly above the Equator. In Singapore, this results in the highest position of the Sun in the sky at noon at 1:12pm. Sunrise is at 7:09am 5 6 Sirius scorching

7 BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Sirius Procyon Aldebaran Pollu Castor Capella FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs SATUN Arcturus 15 th Apr Spica MAS egulus Betelgeuse Canopus igel igil Kentaurus (a Centauri)

8 7 th Apr Bright Planets April Moon ates Full Moon 22 nd Apr Mercury Not visible, hidden in Sun s glare. Venus Visible in the east before sunrise from 5am. Mars Visible throughout the night, near the star Spica. Jupiter Low in the west at sunset, visible until 10pm. Saturn ising from the east in constellation Libra. 29 th Apr New Moon (Not visible) Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn s biggest moons, tan (), hea (), ione (), thys (), celadus () in the following positions: Fri 4 th April Fri 11 th April Fri 18 th April Fri 25 th April 15 th Apr Last Quarter (3am-6am) Stars of the month (April) The Argo Navis (Carina, Vela, Puppis) The constellations Puppis, Vela and Carina form the ancient star pattern of the Argo Navis, representing the sailing ship from an Ancient Greek legend. Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky, known in China as Old Man of the South for its southern location and sometimes red appearance in hazy or cloudy conditions. The asterism (star pattern) False Cross is sometimes confused for the Southern Cross (Cru), located near to the east. Lying close to a dense part of our Galay, The Milky Way, several star clusters can be found when scanning the area with binoculars ) & 2) M46 & M47 Two faint open clusters, east of bright Sirius scorching star Sirius. M47 is the closer and brighter of the two. Small telescope maybe required. 3) M93 Faint wedge-shaped star cluster over 3000 lightyears away but visible through binoculars. 4) IC2391 Large open cluster of 50 stars surrounding the star Omicron Velorum. Best viewed using binoculars. 5), 6) & 7) IC2581, NGC3293 & NGC3114 Three fainter open star clusters located in front of the rich spiral arm of the Milky Way. Binoculars and small telescopes required Canopus (old man of the South) 8) Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) a gas cloud surrounding the eplosive variable star Eta Carinae. Several more stars are visible through binoculars and telescopes. 9) NGC3532 A large, bright open cluster containing more than 100 stars forming an elliptical shape, 1300 light-years away. 10) IC2602 (The Southern Pleiades) Large open cluster of around 60 stars surrounding star Theta Carinae. Easy to spot with binoculars. 3

9 Sirius BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Procyon Pollu Castor FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 15 th May (after 9pm) SATUN Arcturus Spica Big ipper MAS egulus 7 th May igil Kentaurus (a Centauri) Canopus

10 7 th May May Moon ates 15 th May Full Moon (8pm-6am) 21 st May Last Quarter (4am-8am) Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in Sun s glare. Venus Visible in the east before sunrise from 5am. Mars Along an arm of Virgo, near the star Spica. Jupiter Low in the west at sunset, visible until 10pm. Saturn ising from the east in constellation Libra. 29 th May New Moon (not visible) Saturn Opposition 11 th May Brightest and biggest view of Saturn for 2014 (Magnitude +0.27) Every year, Earth (which is closer to the Sun) begins to move in front of Saturn, resulting in an alignment of Earth and Saturn with the Sun. This known as an opposition as Saturn and the Sun become directly opposite each other, as seen from Earth. SUN v v EATH SATUN (IN OPPOSITION) ISTANCE: ~1,277 million km Stars of the month (May) The Big ipper (Ursa Major) Merak flank ubhe bear Towards North Star (Polaris) Phad thigh Megrez tail base Alioth horse/tail Mizar groin/girdle Alcor horse Alkaid leader of mourners The Big ipper is one of the most famous asterisms (star patterns) throughout history. In some places of the Northern Hemisphere, its seven brightest stars can be seen all year round. Further South near the equator, it is only visible for a few months. Merak and ubhe are known as The Pointers, pointing directly to the North Star Polaris (not visible from Singapore). The ipper is part of a much larger star pattern the constellation Ursa Major (Greater Bear), although it had a variety of meanings in many cultures. Most common is that of a bear or a ladle/dipper used for scooping water. Other representations include a plough, an o or horse pulling a plough and three mourners standing beside a funeral pyre. The names of the stars come from Arabic phrases indicating the different meanings. The stars Merak, Phad, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alcor are approimately the same distance from Earth (80 light-years) moving together as a large star cluster (The Ursa Major Moving Cluster). ubhe and Alkaid are more distant and are not part of this cluster. Objects of Interest: Mizar & Alcor two very close stars. A good test of eyesight. Easily viewed through binoculars. Alcor is the further of the two. Mizar is actually multiple stars containing several more stars. A telescope shows three, including Alcor.

11 BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com egulus Leo Coma Berenices FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 13 th June Antares Arcturus SATUN MAS Spica 6 th June igil Kentaurus (a Centauri)

12 6 th June June Moon ates 13 th June 20 th June 27 th June Stars of the month (June) Centaurus and Cru Bright Planets Full Moon Last Quarter (2am-7am) New Moon (Not visible) Mercury Not visible, hidden in Sun s glare. Venus Low in the east before sunrise, from 5am. Mars ight above our heads near to the star Spica (Virgo) throughout the night. Jupiter Low in the west, visible only until 8.30pm in constellation Gemini. Saturn Visible throughout the night near to constellation Libra. Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn s biggest moons, tan (), hea (), ione (), thys (), celadus () in the following positions: Fri 6 th June Northern (Summer) Solstice 21 st June 18:51 SGT The day in which the Sun reaches it northernmost point in the sky. In Singapore, this results in the lowest position of the Sun towards the north at noon 1:06pm. Sunrise is at 7am. Alpha Centauri (igil Kentaurus) Centaur s foot 1 5 Hadar ground The constellations of Centaurus and Cru are easy to identify on a clear night. These are great for observing with binoculars as they lie directly in front of one of the richest parts of our Galay (The Milky Way). 1) Alpha Centauri closest star to our Sun (4.25 light-years away). A triple star system. A telescope reveals two bright yellow stars similar to The Sun. The third star (proima centauri), a faint red dwarf, is difficult to find although it is the closest of the three Fri 13 th June Fri 20 th June Fri 27 th June T 2) The Jewel Bo (NGC4755) a bright open cluster of 50 stars including star Kappa Crucis. Visible through binoculars, best seen through a telescope using low magnification. Some stars appear red, orange and blue in colour. 3) Alpha Crucis (Acru) the brightest star in Cru. A double star (bluish-white) when viewed through a telescope. 4) NGC 3766 a sparkling star cluster containing about 100 stars. Can be seen with binoculars. 5) NGC a large open cluster of 40 stars visible through binoculars or small telescopes. 6) Omega Centauri (NGC5139) The largest Globular Cluster, a dense ball of 100,000 stars or more. Appears as a hazy patch through binoculars. lescopes at low magnification may resolve individual stars. 17,000 light-years away.

13 MAS BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com SATUN Spica Arcturus egulus FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs Altair 12 nd July Antares 8 th July 5 th July 2 nd July igil Kentaurus (a Centauri) Hadar

14 5 th July (6pm-12am) July Moon ates 12 nd July Full Moon (8pm-6am) 19 th July Last Quarter (1am-8am) 27 th July New Moon (not visible) Bright Planets Mercury Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30am-7am. Venus Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30am-7am. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside star Spica, until 1am. Jupiter Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Saturn Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 2am. Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn s biggest moons, tan (), hea (), ione (), thys (), celadus () in the following positions: Fri 4 th July Fri 11 th July Fri 18 th July Fri 25 th July T e 2 1 Shaula tail Stars of the month (July) Scorpius Antares Anti-Mars Graffias Claws Scorpius is one of the easiest constellations to identify with its distinctive curved chain of stars representing the tail and sting of a scorpion. The bright star Antares is the 6 th brightest star in the night sky and one of the largest stars known to eist. Being a red supergiant it is similar in appearance to the planet Mars, therefore one meaning of its name is as a rival of Mars. Scorpius is full of deep sky objects and bright stars as it lies in front of the heart of our Galay (The Milky Way). It is well worth viewing through binoculars. Objects of interest: 1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a butterfly. Visible through binoculars, best through a telescope using low magnification. 2) M7 large, triangular open cluster of about 70 stars. Close to M6 and other star clusters. 3) Zeta Scorpii ouble star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other). More visible through telescope. 4) NGC6231 a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may reveal more star clusters in the surrounding area. 5) Omega Scorpii unrelated double star. Easy to spot using binoculars. 6) Nu Scorpii a quadruple star (double-double), four stars in one. Binoculars only show two stars. Large telescope and high magnification would be needed to see all four. 7) Graffias (Beta Scorpii) bright unrelated double star, best seen with a telescope. Both are bluishwhite in colour.

15 MAS Spica BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com SATUN Arcturus FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 11 st Aug Altair 8 th Aug Antares 4 th Aug 30 th Aug 1 st Aug igil Kentaurus (a Centauri)

16 4 th Aug (6pm-12am) August Moon ates 11 st Aug 17 th Aug Full Moon (8pm-6am) Fri 8 th August Fri 15 th August Fri 22 nd August Fri 29 th August Last Quarter (1am-8am) 25 th Aug New Moon (not visible) Bright Planets Mercury Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 12am. Jupiter Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am. Saturn Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 12am. Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn s biggest moons, tan (), hea (), ione (), thys (), celadus () in the following positions: Fri 1 st August Neptune opposition 29 th Aug (mag 7.64) Earth moves into alignment with Neptune. Around this time Neptune appears at its brightest, however it is still too dim to be seen with the naked eye. It is best viewed after 11pm. Stars of the month (Aug) Scorpius & Sagittarius Located directly in front of the centre of our Galay, The Milky Way, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius contain many star clusters and nebulae (gas clouds) Antares Anti-Mars Objects of interest: 1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a butterfly. Visible through binoculars, best viewed through a telescope using low magnification. 2) M7 large, triangular open cluster of about 70 stars. Close to M6 and other star clusters. 3) Zeta Scorpii ouble star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other). More visible through telescope. 4) NGC6231 a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may reveal more star clusters in the surrounding area. 5) M25 a bright open cluster of about 30 stars, visible through binoculars and small telescopes. 6) M20 & M21 - The Trifid Nebula a faint gas cloud located close to star cluster M21 containing about 70 stars. Both are visible in low magnification telescopes although M21 is more obvious. 7) M8 Lagoon Nebula a bright gas cloud surrounding star cluster NGC6530. Visible through binoculars and telescopes. Has a dark patch through the centre. 8) M22 a large, bright globular cluster. A compact ball of thousands of stars. Bright, hazy appearance in binoculars. Low magnification telescopes reveal its elliptical shape. 1 Shaula tail 4 3 Graffias Claws

17 MAS SATUN Spica Mercury BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Arcturus FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 9 th Sept Altair 5 th Sept Antares 2 nd Sept igil Kentaurus (a Centauri)

18 2 nd Sept September Moon ates 9 th Sept 16 th Sept 24 th Sept Stars of the month (Sept) Summer Triangle (6pm-12am) Full Moon 中秋節 (8am-6am) Last Quarter (1am-8am) New Moon (not visible) Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Scorpius, until 11pm. Jupiter Low in the east at sunrise, visible 5:30am-7am. Saturn Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 11pm. Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn s biggest moons, tan (), hea (), ione (), thys (), celadus () in the following positions: Fri 5 th September Fri 12 nd September Fri 19 th September Fri 26 th September Autumnal Equino 23 rd Sept 10:29 SGT The day in which the Sun is directly above the Equator. In Singapore, this results in the highest position of the Sun in the sky at noon at 12:57pm. Sunrise is at 6:54am Vega swooping/landing 织女 Altair eagle 牛郎 1 eneb tail eneb, Altair and Vega are three bright, 1st magnitude stars that form the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is first seen rising in the East during summer in the northern hemisphere each year. It remains in the night sky until late November. The three stars belong to three separate constellations: Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra. The names of the stars come from Arabic phrases referring to birds such as eagles and swans. In Chinese culture Vega is Zhi nu 织女 (weaver girl/fairy)and Altair is Niu lang 牛郎 (cow herder). They represent a young married couple who become separated when 织女 is taken back to heaven. eneb represents the magpie bridge across which the couple may meet once a year on the 7 th day of the 7th Lunar month, Qi Xi 七夕 (Chinese Valentine s ay), which in this year occurred on 2 nd August. Objects of Interest: 1) elphinus a small constellation (star pattern) representing a olphin. Visible to the naked eye and binoculars. 2) Coathanger Asterism (Brocchi s Cluster) A small group of 10 stars in the shape of a coat hanger. equires binoculars or small telescopes. Located in the faint constellation of Vulpecula. 3) umbbell Nebula (M27) a Planetary Nebula, gas cloud formed from the other layers of a dying star. Appears as a faint misty ellipse when using low magnification. 4) Albireo (Beta Cygni) a colourful double star, yellow and blue in colour. equires telescope.

19 Antares MAS BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Altair FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs 8 th Oct Fomalhaut eneb Achernar

20 2 nd Oct October Moon ates 8 th Oct 16 th Oct 24 th Oct 31 st Oct Stars of the month (Oct) Cap. Aqu. Fomal. Arch. Sadalmelik luck of king 1 (6pm-12am) Full Moon (8pm-6am) Last Quarter (1am-8am) New Moon eepavali (not visible) (6pm-12am) Sadalsuud luck of lucks 2 Algedi goat/kid Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Scorpius, until 10pm. Jupiter Low in the east at sunrise, visible 3:30am-7:30am. Saturn Very low in West at sunset, visible 7:00pm-7:30pm. Total Lunar Eclipse 8 th October Eclipses occur during an alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon, resulting in the Sun s light being blocked and a shadow being cast on either the Earth or the Moon. The location of an eclipse depends on the Earth s position and tilt, the time, duration and precision of the alignment. Lunar Eclipse happens when the Full Moon moves directly behind the Earth. The Moon becomes covered by Earth s shadow. It always occurs at night. 4:15pm 9:33pm SGT Mid-eclipse 5:14pm-8:34pm We can observe the eclipse during moonrise (6:52pm) SUN EATH MOON Fomalhaut fish s mouth Achernar river s end Uranus opposition 8 th Oct (mag 6.05) Earth moves into alignment with Uranus. Around this time Uranus appears at its brightest, however it is still too dim to be seen with the naked eye. It is best viewed after 11pm. Many of October s stars are associated with water and the coming of the rainy season. The constellation Aquarius represents the pouring of water from a jar. The names of its two brightest stars (Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud) come from the Ancient Middle East and refer to the luck and favour of the rains, bringing life after a hot and dry summer. Likewise, Capricornus represents a mythical halfgoat/half-fish creature (Mergoat). The bright star Fomalhaut is the mouth of the southern fish, while Achernar signifies the end of a faint constellation known as Eridanus the river. Finally, the stars of Grus were named after a Crane, the long-necked water bird. Sadly, most of these stars are faint and difficult to see in Singapore s brightly lit sky. Objects of interest: 1) The Water Jar an asterism (star pattern) made up of four stars representing the water jar of Aquarius. Best viewed through binoculars. 2) Algedi (Alpha Capricorni) a multiple star consisting of two pairs of stars all visible in small telescopes.

21 MAS BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Altair eneb Vega FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs Aldebaran Pleiades 7 th Nov Aries 3 rd Nov Fomalhaut 25 th Nov Achernar

22 November Moon ates Stars of the month (November) Pegasus and Andromeda 7 th Nov 14 th Nov 22 nd Nov 29 th Nov Look northwards to find the bright stars of Pegasus and Andromeda, two constellations that were named after an ancient legend involving a flying horse (Pegasus) and a princess (Andromeda). Full Moon (8pm-6am) Last Quarter (1am-8am) New Moon (not visible) (6pm-12am) Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Sagittarius, until 10pm. Jupiter Visible early morning 2am-7am, near to star egulus (Leo). Saturn Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Leonids Meteor Shower 17 th & 18 th November Every year on specific dates, the Earth travels through several areas of debris left over from a comet or passing asteroid. This debris consists of rock or ice particles similar to grains of sand. As Earth collides with these particles, they streak through the atmosphere and burn up, resulting in bright flashes. These bright flashes are commonly known as shooting stars or more accurately, meteors. The highest rate of meteors usually occurs between 2am-5am. Brightly lit, urban environments like Singapore will see significantly less meteors. uring Leonids meteor shower, the estimated rate of meteors is about 40 per hour. The meteors appear to start from Leo, visible at the east direction. Sadly, our bright Singapore sky prevents us from seeing the full etent of these northern constellations. The most obvious part are the 4 stars forming a giant square shape (The Square of Pegasus). One of these 4 stars also forms the start of Andromeda. From this star (Alpheratz), trace an imaginary curved line towards the east and find the other bright stars forming the backbone of the Princess. Here are some hidden treasures within Pegasus and Andromeda, which you might like to find with a pair of binoculars or a telescope and hopefully a clear sky: 1. M31 The Andromeda Galay. azzling under the darkest conditions, you might see its fuzzy looking core through binoculars or a telescope at low power in a clear, moonless Singapore night sky. 2. Gamma Andromedae (Almach) A beautiful double star. One star is golden yellow and the other blue. equires a telescope to be seen. 3. Triangulum A small constellation of 3 faint stars in a distinctive triangle shape. Can be seen with the naked eye or binoculars. 1 3

23 MAS BLOG scobbers.blogspot.com Altair FACEBOOK - SCOB Science Centre OBservatory WEBSITE - or bit.ly/scob_scs Sirius Betelgeuse Orion 6 th ec igel Aldebaran Pleiades 13 th ec Achernar Cetus 29 th ec Fomalhaut 25 th ec Canopus

24 3rd ec ecember Moon ates 9 th ec 17 th ec* 25 th ec Stars of the month (ecember) Taurus, Perseus & Auriga New Moon (not visible) (6pm-12am) Full Moon (8pm-6am) Last Quarter (1am-8am) Looking Eastward, the most obvious objects will be the bright orange star of Aldebaran (the follower) in Taurus and the brilliant white star Capella (female goat) in Auriga. Bright Planets Mercury Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Venus Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Mars Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Capricornus, until 10pm. Jupiter Visible early morning 12am-7am, near to star egulus (Leo). Saturn Not visible, hidden in the Sun s glare. Facts about Mars Southern (Winter) Solstice 22 nd ec 07:03 SGT The day in which the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky. In Singapore, this results in the lowest position of the Sun towards the south at noon 1:03pm. Sunrise is at 7:01am. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our Solar System, and the second smallest planet. It was named after the oman god of war. The Greek counterpart is Ares. Its reddish appearance is due to the presence of iron oide compound in its soil. It is much smaller than the Earth in fact, its size is around 15 per cent of the Earth in terms of volume! Currently it hosts five spacecrafts: three orbiting ones Mars Odyssey, Mars Epress and Mars econnaissance Orbiter. Two land rovers are Opportunity and Curiosity. Taurus, Auriga and nearby Perseus, contain a wealth of beautiful star clusters, well worth searching for in clear, moonless skies (see below for more details). 1. M45 The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members using only your eyes. Use binoculars to eperience its full glory! 2. The Hyades A loose group of stars net to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters to the Sun (150 light years away). equires binoculars. 3. Perseus ouble Cluster (NGC 869 & NGC 884) Two large clusters lying close together in our Galay. Must use binoculars but can be tricky to find in our urban sky. 4. Alpha Persei/Melotte 20 Cluster This large, loose cluster surrounds and includes the supergiant star of Alpha Persei (Mirfak), the brightest star in Perseus. Find it with binoculars or telescopes at low power.