Star Cluster: Hyades (in Taurus)
Could not Find: M47 / NGC 2422
Location: Home
Date: 2018-11-13
Time: 12:45 AM - 1:15 AM AST
Equipment: Binoculars, 10x42 IS
Transparency: Poor (1)
Seeing: Poor (1)
Temperature: -1º C
SQM: 19.25
Seeing and visibility were very poor with high cloud/haze obliterating many stars. The Moonset was around 10:15 PM the previous evening so was not a factor.
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Hyades / Melotte 25 / Caldwell 42 / Collinder 50 A very hazy sky. Only the brightest stars were seen naked eye, and with binoculars I could barely make out the Hyades star field. I found Aldebaran using Orion's Belt stars as the pointer. With the binoculars, I easily found σ1 and σ2 plus θ1 and θ2. I sketched the star field as seen in my binoculars. The shaded area signifies the open cluster Hyades. θ1 was at 1 o'clock to θ2 at this hour of the morning. I noted the magnitudes of the identified stars once back in the house, especially since many of them were variables or variable doubles. |
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M47 / NGC 2422 In between the observation of Taurus θ1 and θ2, I attempted to look for M47. According to SkySafariPro, it should have formed a triangle with Procyon and Sirius. However, the haze meant M47 was nowhere to be found nor were any stars in the constellation Puppis. I will have to wait for better seeing and transparency - and use a telescope! My 6" Dob or 10" Meade SCT should do the trick. |