Log Astronomy: Happy Valentine's Day from Explore Scientific!

Selasa, 14 Februari 2023

Happy Valentine's Day from Explore Scientific!

Explore a bouquet of celestial beauties in the Monoceros Constellation!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Astrophotographer Dawn Lowry captured this amazing image of the Rosette Nebula in the Monoceros constellation using an Explore Scientific ED80 FCD100 Triplet Refractor.

February is a perfect time to explore a bouquet of celestial beauties in the Monoceros constellation

Aptly known as "the unicorn," the Monoceros constellation hides in the midst of the Winter Triangle that is defined by the brilliant stars Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse. Although it is faint, features of this elusive constellation peek out under a dark sky and can pop to life with some observational aids. The brightest star in Monoceros is an orange giant named Alpha Monocerotis that has an apparent visual magnitude of 3.94. Other stellar offerings include Beta Monocerotis, which is a triple system of blue-white stars that can be resolved with a small telescope; Epsilon Monocerotis, which is a double star system consisting of a blue-white primary and a yellow companion; and Plaskett's Star, which is a massive binary system made of two blue super giant stars that are extremely close together.

Monoceros is also home to some nice deep sky targets. M50 is an open star cluster filled with a contrasting mix of blue-white, orange and yellow stars. This heart-shaped beauty is good to peruse with a small telescope. Hubble's Variable Nebula also lies in the constellation and is intriguing due to its frequent changes in brightness and dust streamers, which are revealed in a moderate telescope. Monoceros also features the Rosette Nebula - a star-forming region known for its blue stars and red glow, and NGC 2264, which contains the star-rich Christmas Tree Cluster, the 7 light year-long Cone Nebula, the Snowflake Cluster and the red Fox Fur Nebula.