(Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night)Īlgol, also designated Beta Persei, is among the most easily observed variable stars for skywatchers. 9: Crescent moon visits Venus (before sunrise)Īlgol, also designated Beta Persei, is among the most easily observed variable stars for skywatchers. Its stars are approximately 600 light years from the sun and are moving as a group - Mirfak along with them. The cluster can be seen with unaided eyes, but it's especially dazzling in binoculars (orange circle). Melotte 20, also known as the Alpha Persei Moving Group and the Perseus OB3 Association, is a collection of 100 or so young, massive, hot B- and A-class stars sprinkled over several finger widths (or 3 degrees) of the sky around Mirfak. That elderly yellow supergiant star has evolved out of its blue phase and is now fusing helium into carbon and oxygen in its core. The largest of those surrounds his brightest star, Mirfak, or Alpha Persei. The outer rim of our Milky Way galaxy runs through Perseus' stars, filling its territory with rich star clusters. Just for 2023, bright Jupiter will also be gleaming to Perseus' right. On mid-December evenings the constellation of Perseus is climbing the northeastern sky. (Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night) 7: Stellar halo around Mirfak (all night) Or, search less than a binoculars' field width to the right (or celestial west) of the box formed by the four medium-bright stars 27, 29, 30, and 33 Piscium. Place, Lambda and Kappa Piscium, the lowest two stars of the circlet of Pisces, just outside the top of your binoculars' field of view (orange circle) and look for blue Neptune near the bottom of the field. On moonless evenings in December the magnitude 7.9 planet can be observed in good binoculars and backyard telescopes in the sky between Jupiter and Saturn. After ceasing its motion tonight, Neptune will ramp up to its regular eastward motion over the coming days. 6, the distant, blue planet Neptune will complete a retrograde loop that has been carrying it slowly westward through the stars on the border between Aquarius and Pisces since July 1. 4: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (after sunset) Once the sun rises, the stars will disappear, leaving the pale moon to haunt the morning daytime sky like an echo of the night. You can watch the moon and the two stars cross the night sky from east to west starting late on Thursday evening. If you have difficulty seeing the stars, position the bright moon beyond the left edge of your binoculars' field of view. Pollux' "twin", the double star Castor, will be shining off to their right, forming a bent line with them. (Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night)Įarly risers on Friday morning, December 1 can enjoy the sight of the bright star Pollux sparkling several finger-widths to the lower right (or 4 degrees to the celestial northwest) of the waning gibbous moon in the western sky. Early risers on Friday morning, December 1 can enjoy the sight of the bright star Pollux sparkling several finger-widths to the lower right (or 4 degrees to the celestial northwest) of the waning gibbous moon in the western sky.
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