2001~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ March ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are now two reddish objects in Scorpius one is Antares the heart of the Scorpion the other is a wanderer the planet Mars. It can be seen nearer the pincers around midnight. Space station MIR is visible at 3:15 am. from the 3rd possibly only a few more times before fiery reentry sometime early this month. * M I R Watch * 2001~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January - February ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Southern Cross is again visible at a more reasonable time. The two pointers,{the two bright stars in Centaurus which point to the Cross} Alpha and Beta Centauri, of which the Alpha Centauri system with it's two stars orbiting each other is our closest neighbour at a distance of 4.3 light years from our solar system * Zodiac Constellations Star positions * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2000 ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December ~ For the past months if you wanted to see the two giant planets you had to get out of your nice warm bed and go look in the wee small hours.. But now they are back - Jupiter and Saturn in the evening in all their splendour.- - -Moving through the constellation of Taurus nearby is the cluster called Pleiades or seven sisters or Subaru in Japan.. *Of interest in January ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - MOON Full moon Jan 9th 20:24 New moon Jan 24th 13:07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Slowly the night sky reveals its beauty, rising in the eastern sky mid-evening are the most interesting constellations of Taurus, with the star clusters of Pleiades and Hyades. * * * * * * * * * * Jupiter and Saturn can be found close by with Orion * * * * * * * * * * To the north this month Pegasus is well displayed, nearby in the constellation Andromeda is Andromeda Galaxy which is 2.4 million light years away: it is the most distant object visible to the naked eye. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOW IN THE EAESTERN SKY 11PM TILL BEFORE SUNRISE
Observatory telescope will be open to the public for viewing at 7.00pm.on :)
* OTHER INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS THIS MONTH *
