Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 43

M50
MONOCEROS
α
CANIS MAJOR
PUPPIS
M46
2423
HD 57478
HD 60414
M47
HD 56405
e
γ
Binocular Highlight by Mathew Wedel
Picturesque Pair
and More in Puppis
O
+20°
ur targets this month are the open clusters M46
and M47 in the constellation Puppis, the Stern
of the celestial ship Argo Navis. There are several
ways to get to the clusters: scanning south from
Alpha (α) Monocerotis, or north from M93 (see chart
at left), or my favorite way, east from the Great Dog,
Canis Major. Starting at Gamma (γ) Canis Majoris at
the back of the Dog's head, look for a long, flat parallelogram
formed by it and HD 56405, HD 57478, and
HD 60414 - it'll point you to M46 and M47.
The two Messier clusters are a classic study in
β
contrasts: 6.1-magnitude M46 is a dense swarm of
faint lights that blend into a misty glow at magnifications
less than 15×, whereas 4.4-magnitude M47
presents itself as a splashy, irregular blast of brighter
stars, like a wayward firework in decent-size binoculars.
Much of that difference is distance: At roughly
5,000 light-years from the Sun, M46 is more than
three times as far as M47.
Chances are good that you've visited this neigh-20°
WHEN
TO
-40°
8h
g Sou
USE THE MAP
Late Jan
Early Feb 11 p.m.
Late Feb
Early March 9 p.m.
Late March 9 p.m.*
* Daylight-saving time
10 p.m.
Midnight
borhood before, possibly many times. But I want you
to just let your eyes roam around the field of view a
bit. If conditions are good, and ideally with 10×50
or larger binos, you may spot a third open cluster,
6.7-magnitude NGC 2423, a bit more than ½° north of
M47. And have a look about the same distance north
of M46. I spy a subtle collection of stars there mimicking
a cluster, though nothing is plotted at that location
in my atlases. Do you see it?
And when you're done taking in these Puppis clusters,
I have good news: There are interesting things in
every direction in this part of the sky. Go have fun.
¢ MATT WEDEL is hanging on to the winter Milky
Way, stubbornly refusing to admit that spring is
almost here.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * MARCH 2023 43
5
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LEPUS
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Venus
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COLUMBA
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Mars
χ2
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Feb 26
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CANI S
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M93
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23h
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gnic
β
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ERIDANUS
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ORION
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Pleiades
TAURUS
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P I SCES
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st

Sky & Telescope - March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - March 2023

Contents
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 1
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 3
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 4
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 5
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 6
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 7
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 8
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 9
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 10
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 11
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 12
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 13
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 14
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Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 19
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Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - 84
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - March 2023 - Cover4
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