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Monoceros is a constellation that is easy to locate, sandwiched between Orion’s dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor, but it is not easy to see. From urban areas its dim stars are as elusive as the unicorn they depict. It was one of eight new constellations created on a globe by the Dutch cartographer Petrus Plancius around 1612. Of those eight, only Monoceros and Camelopardalis are recognized as official constellations today. Monoceros is situated within the winter Milky Way, which is apparent in rural skies.
Despite being a dim constellation, Monoceros is home to some favourite targets of astrophotographers, in particular the beautiful Rosette Nebula. Another is the combination of the Cone Nebula, Christmas Tree Cluster and the Fox Fur Nebula. Check the Internet for their stunning images. Monoceros has one Messier object within its boundary, the large open cluster M50, otherwise known as the Heart-Shaped Cluster. It can be seen in binoculars about 40% of the distance from Sirius to Procyon. Three other open clusters on the Messier list are found near Monoceros but they lie officially within other constellations. They are the close pair of M46 and M47 in Puppis, and M48 in Hydra.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:56 and sunset will occur at 5:02, giving 9 hours, 6 minutes of daylight (7:58 and 5:10 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:50 and set at 5:12, giving 9 hours, 22 minutes of daylight (7:52 and 5:20 in Saint John).
The Moon is new on Sunday and it passes above Saturn next Friday. Saturn is fairly high in the southwest in early evening, setting around 10 pm. Jupiter is at its highest by 11:30. On Wednesday telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Io lead its shadow across the planet between 7:50 and 10:20, at which time the Red Spot will be midway across the planet. Venus, Mars and Mercury are out of sight, with Mercury at superior conjunction on Wednesday.
Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at [email protected].
There is one river seen from New Brunswick that is completely ice-free all winter, but we can only see it on clear nights. Eridanus the River, the fifth largest constellation in area of the sky, has its head just off the foot of Orion near Rigel. Even when it is at its highest in our sky, the river’s meandering path takes it more than ten degrees below the horizon to where it terminates at Achernar, the ninth brightest star.
In mythology the river was associated with Phaethon, a mortal son of Apollo. Apollo drove the Sun, a golden chariot powered by mighty steeds, across the sky by day. Phaethon was allowed to drive it one day but he couldn’t control the steeds. They ran amok, scorching the sky (the Milky Way) and the Earth (Sahara), until Zeus blasted Phaethon with a thunderbolt and he fell to his death in the river. The twisty constellation Eridanus was also considered to be the path of souls.
Although we can’t see Achernar without travelling to Florida, there is a notable star in Eridanus that we can see from outside a city. Omicron-2 Eridani, also called 40 Eridani or Keid (circled on the map), has a famous fictional and fascinating planet: Vulcan, the home of Spock. Did you know there was once believed to be a planet closer to the Sun than Mercury? It was named Vulcan after the Roman god of fire, metalworking and the forge. Anomalies in Mercury’s orbit were thought to be due to an interior planet, and some astronomers even claimed to have seen it crossing the Sun. The anomalies of Mercury’s orbit were finally explained by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity. Coincidentally, regarding the god Vulcan, the constellation Fornax the Furnace barely crests our horizon near Eridanus.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:59 and sunset will occur at 4:54, giving 8 hours, 55 minutes of daylight (8:02 and 5:01 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:56 and set at 5:02, giving 9 hours, 6 minutes of daylight (7:58 and 5:10 in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter this Saturday and near Antares on Wednesday morning. Saturn still gives good views of its edge-on rings in early evening, while Jupiter is now in the eastern sky at sunset. On Wednesday telescope users might see Jupiter’s moon Io lead its shadow across the planet between 6:06 and 8:30, at which time the Red Spot will be approaching the middle. Venus, Mars and Mercury are out of sight for most of this month.
Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay. Nature lovers might be interested in a presentation on astronomical birds in the night sky. The Fredericton Astronomy Club meets in the UNB Forestry-Earth Sciences building on Tuesday at 7 pm.Questions? Contact Curt Nason at [email protected].
