Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - 65

Star magnitudes

eight. It's a little more than ½° long, so it's best viewed at low
6h
4h
5h
power. I can even make it out in binoculars. I can also see it
Capella
α
PERSEUS
as an ampersand (&), or a musical treble clef, but I think it's
β
ε
coolest to think of it as an analemma.
1664
AURIGA
The M-Thirty-Somethings are also reliable winter specε
+40°
tacles. I'm talking about the string of four open clusters that
η
ζ
extend from the feet of Gemini into the circle of Auriga.
They start with M35 at Castor's toe and run through M37
θ
M38
and M36 to M38 in the center of Auriga. (Yes, they're out of
1907
M36
order. Talk to Charles Messier about that.) Of the four, my
ι
M37
favorite is M35 because of little NGC 2158 next to it. Both
+30°
are open clusters, but while M35 is big and showy, NGC 2158
1
is much smaller and fainter. Seeing them both in the same
2
field really provides a 3D effect, as NGC 2158 recedes
GEMINI
3
β
way into the background. M38 also has a little cluster,
TAURUS
4
M35
2158
NGC 1907, next to it.
5
6
Moving on through Auriga to the west brings you to
μ
η
NGC 1664, also known as the Kite Cluster. This open cluster
sports a loose diamond of stars that stands out well from
the background, and an equally visible long tail that makes
it look amazingly like a kite. There's even
a smaller line of stars opposite the tail
u AT THE FOOT OF THE TWINS
that looks like the kite string, and to the
N
M35 is bright and showy with a
northwest there's a straight line of stars
distinctive arc of stars in the middle,
that could be the ground if the kite is
plus it has a fainter, more delicate
flying along sideways. This is a must-see
companion, NGC 2158, to the southcluster any night it's up. I can also see
west. FOV=1°
this one as a manta ray gliding along over
q CAN YOU SPOT THE KITE?
the ocean bottom.
NGC 1664, the Kite Cluster, reFarther to the west of Auriga lies
ally does look like a kite swooping
a wonderful naked-eye spectacle: the
through the Milky Way. FOV=30′
Alpha Persei Cluster, also known as
Collinder 39 or Melotte 20. The constellation of Perseus is dominated by a wide scattering of
NGC 2158
blue-white stars, the brightest of which - Alpha (α) Persei
itself, also known as Mirfak - anchors the center of the
constellation. What's neat about this group is that it's a true
cluster of stars; it's just so close to us (600 light-years) and
it's old enough that it's scattered across several degrees of
sky. Most of the stars you see here were born together
N
50 million years ago and are still moving through
space together. This cluster is far too wide to
appreciate even in binoculars; just lean back and
admire this one by naked eye.
Moving farther north, just inside the middle
bend of Cassiopeia's W, look for NGC 457, the
Dragonfly Cluster, a gangly splotch of stars
streaming away from two bright luminaries.
This is one of those objects that always elicits
an "Oh, wow!" at star parties, and it never fails
to make me smile when I look at it myself. It's
a gorgeous dragonfly fluttering around out there
in space, with two big glowing eyes and wide-swept
wings that sparkle just like the wings of a dragonfly
in bright sunlight. This cluster also counts among its
sk yandtelescope.com * JANUARY 2 02 0

65


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Sky & Telescope - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - January 2020

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Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - 1
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - 3
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Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - Cover4
Sky & Telescope - January 2020 - SA1
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