Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 34

Winter Milky Way
HOLIDAY ROAD
β
Sirius

M41
M47

CANIS MAJOR

M46
Cr 121

6

29 Tau

δ
ε

NGC 2362
M93
11

ξ

k

Cr 132

η

ρ

Cr 140

NGC 2527
π

PUPPIS
NGC 2571

ALAN DYER

ζ

POSS-II / STSCI / CALTECH / PALOMAR OBSERVATORY

Cr 121

34

December 2015 sky & telescope

"corona" asterism like an arrow out of a bow. About 5°°
to the southeast you'll encounter Eta (η) Canis Majoris, also known as Aludra, a wide unequal double (Stop
6). If your southern horizon will allow excursions past
-30°, venture south of Eta to pick up two more Collinder
clusters: big, diff use Cr 132 to the southwest and the
more compact Cr 140 due south. If you park Aludra on
the north edge of your field you should be able to pick up
both clusters in the same view, even in the limited field
of 15×70 binos.
Roughly 4° northeast of Aludra is the double star k
Puppis (Stop 7). At only 9.9 arcseconds (″) apart, the two
components would be a tough split for instruments with
a magnification lower than 30×. Rather than trying for a
probably-impossible split, relax and take in the very rich
field surrounding k Puppis, which rivals some of the
better Collinder clusters. Another three degrees along
the same line from Aludra to k Puppis will bring you to
Xi (ξ) Puppis (Stop 8). With its wide, bright companion,
Xi is a fine binocular double. The primary looks softly
yellow to me, and the companion blue-white. Now follow
a chain of faint stars northwest about 1.5° to find a tight
group of faint stars, M93. If M93 seems dim, it's because
it is so far away: at 3,600 light-years it's one of the more
distant open clusters in the Messier catalog.
For a charming view closer to home, sweep three
degrees east of Xi to find Rho (ρ) Puppis. About 2° north
of the line between Xi and Rho, you'll find 11 Puppis,
which makes a wide triangle with the two other stars.
Much like the field around k Pup, the vicinity of 11 Pup
is packed with blue-white gems. And by a quirk of cosmic architecture, the fields around k and 11 mirror each
other on opposite sides of Xi - double rich fields around
a double star.
Drop down 4° south from Rho to find the open cluster
NGC 2527 (Stop 9). Another 3° to the east-southeast
lies another open cluster, NGC 2571. The two clusters

3 The loose
open cluster
Collinder 121 is
an easy target
for binocular
observers. Look
for Omicron1
Canis Majoris, an
orange supergiant (spectral type
K2.5Iab) that
fronts the open
cluster. Advanced
astroimaging will
reveal the WolfRayet ring nebula
Sh2-308 nearby.

ORIGINAL ART: © BIGSTOCKPHOTOS.COM / STUDIOSTOKS;
IMAGE MODIFICATION: PATRICIA GILLIS-COPPOLA



http://www.BIGSTOCKPHOTOS.COM

Sky and Telescope - December 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - December 2015

Contents
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - Cover1
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - Cover2
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 1
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - Contents
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 3
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - A
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - B
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 4
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 5
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 6
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 7
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 8
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 9
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 10
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 11
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 12
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 13
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 17
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 18
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 19
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 20
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 25
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 27
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 29
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 34
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 35
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 37
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 40
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Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - 76
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - Cover3
Sky and Telescope - December 2015 - Cover4
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