![]() ![]() ![]() You should be able to spot it with binoculars or a small scope. The asteroid is brightest early in the month, fading to around magnitude 10 by the end of December. Tonight, Bamberga - glowing at magnitude 9.4 - lies just 1° southeast of Algol. Every 2 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes, Algol drops from magnitude 2.1 to 3.4 when such an eclipse occurs. Already some 50° high in the east an hour after sunset, 2nd-magnitude Algol is an eclipsing binary star that grows dimmer as its unseen companion passes in front of it and brighter as its circling orbit moves it away once more. local time from the same location.Īsteroid 324 Bamberga steals the spotlight this month with a path that takes it near Algol, the Demon Star. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. *Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. But with a waxing Moon in the sky, you might want to go for the biggest aperture you can to make the task a bit easier. ![]() This long, thin appearance, including the bulge of stars visible in the middle, is what garnered it the name of “Spindle.” With a large scope, you may even spot the dark dust lane running through its center, further enhancing its resemblance to the earthly object.īackyard observers can easily spot M102 using averted vision through a small scope. The galaxy, which appears edge-on from our point of view on Earth, stretches about 5′ by 2′, meaning it’s just over twice as long as it is wide. Located in the southwestern portion of Draco, you’ll find M102 just 4° southwest of 3rd-magnitude Iota (ι) Draconis. Tonight, let’s visit the eighth-largest constellation to view magnitude 10 M102, also called the Spindle Galaxy. The great dragon Draco curls around the small figure of Ursa Minor in the north. ![]()
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