The nebula spans an area of 7 by 5 degrees and is easily spotted near the Southern Cross. The night sky tonight looks different depending on the location. SOLD FEB 9, 2023. Perseus appears between Auriga and the northwestern horizon. The two dog constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor represent the dogs following Orion, the Hunter, as he chases a hare represented by the constellation Lepus. To the lower right of Norma is Circinus, The Compass, completing a trio of surveying and building instruments. The V-shaped pattern is the Face of Taurus the Bull. More about this and other astronomy highlights 2023. Earth rotates around this line, like a spinning top. This gravitationally bound cluster of several hundred stars looms some 430 light-years distant, and these sibling stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second (40 km/sec). The cluster is easily visible to the unaided eye on a clear night. Western sky in the southern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. Claims go up as high as 20 stars. From the Escambia Astronomical Society in Pensacola to the Everglades Astronomical Society based in Naples, Florida astronomical societies offer everything from sidewalk astronomy to deep-sky viewing from both planetariums and natural viewing sites. Mr. Badger is Project Coordinator at the Eastern Florida State College Planetarium in Cocoa. Perseus sits high in the southwest. The ears of the Hare lie just below Rigel and its tail below Saiph, pointing in the direction of Sirius. Its easy to imagine this misty patch of icy-blue suns as hoarfrost clinging to the dome of night. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor, is the eighth brightest star in the sky. Northern sky in the northern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. The head of Hydra can be made out between Procyon and Regulus on a clear, dark night. Eastern sky in the northern hemisphere, image: Stellarium. Canis Major and Canis Minor can be used to find the faint Monoceros (the Unicorn), which lies in the region between the dog constellations and Orion. The stars of Monoceros are invisible from heavily light-polluted areas, but the constellation is a popular target for stargazers and astrophotographers because it hosts several well-known deep-sky objects. As the spring season approaches, the asterism will rise a little earlier in the sky each day until it is fully visible around 10 pm. The constellations Centaurus and Crux, which dominate the night sky in the southern hemisphere, can be seen from tropical latitudes north of the equator, but are invisible to observers living north of latitudes 25N and 20N respectively. The Head of Draco is outlined by four relatively bright stars: Eltanin, Rastaban, Grumium, and Kuma. The stars of Aurigas Hexagon can also be used to find the bright Messier clusters M36, M37, and M38. Fairly close to the Sun. The Y of Virgo, the identifying feature of Virgo, has partly risen by 10 pm, but the bright Spica, the 16th brightest star in the sky, rises a bit later in the evening. Very close to Sun, hard or impossible to see. Aldebaran can be found using the stars of Orions Belt, one of the most recognizable asterisms in the night sky. Stargazing at space observatories in Florida offers a year-round opportunity to share the wonders of the night sky, an event rated G for Great. The two constellations will be visible in the evening sky most evenings this month. The faint Dorado and Mensa host the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a Milky way satellite located only 163,000 light-years away. The Lions tail once extended into what is now Coma Berenices. Try finding a good, unobstructed view of the horizon. "It's a beautiful evening the breeze, the waves, the stars. Lynx occupies much of the space between these two constellations and Ursa Major, but its brightest stars are fainter than magnitude 3.0 and difficult to see from urban skies. Call Email Tour. Unlike Puppis, Lepus, and the dog constellations, the celestial Dove does not date to ancient times. The V of the Hyades points towards Menkar. Named after mile marker 63 on highway I75. Lead Artists: Jason Kelly Johnson & Nataly Gattegno (Futureforms) Moreover, Burnham suggested that the lost Pleiad may have basis in fact. Its three brightest stars, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim, form a flat triangle that makes the constellation identifiable. And there is no better time to view Orion than an early evening in February, so bundleup! The dwarf galaxy is visible without binoculars and appears as a detached piece of the Milky Way in the sky. Want to enjoy the Sunshine States pristine natural beauty without all the tourists? Fully removed from the pollution that other big cities in Florida are plagued with, Kissimmee Prairie is one of the best spots in the state for stargazing. Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, is the sixth brightest star in the sky. You may need binoculars. Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. Shrouded in the Homunculus Nebula, within the larger Carina Nebula, Eta Carinae is believed to be a binary star with a combined luminosity about 4.6 million times that of the Sun. 2 Baths. Its luminary Alphard, an orange giant, shines at magnitude 2.00 and the constellations second brightest star, the yellow giant Gamma Hydrae, is a full magnitude fainter. Our vibrant spaces will help make any event shine. Get The Dog Star shines at magnitude -1.46 from a distance of only 8.60 light-years. Known as the most amateur-friendly location for astronomy lovers, Chiefland Astronomy Village are the experts on night gazing. Canis Major is home to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and one of our nearest neighbours. The constellation figure of Orion appears upside down. Columba is a small constellation appearing south of Canis Major and Lepus. The brightest stars of Corvus form an asterism known as Spicas Spanker or the Sail. The faint Lynx appears directly north, high above the horizon, but is a challenging target in light-polluted skies. Mercury is just 12 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see. There are eight open star clusters in Norma visible with binoculars. The more conspicuous Pleiades cluster marks the shoulder of Taurus while the V-shaped Hyades cluster marks the Bulls Head. See the three stars in a row in Orion? A bit past Aldebaran, youll see the Pleiades cluster, which marks the Bulls Shoulder. Comets are small celestial bodies that orbit the Sun. While it suffered significant hurricane damage, it is now open and ready for visitors. Almaaz at the Charioteers elbow is often included in the Kids asterism but was historically not part of it. The Hyades and the Pleiades are among the brightest and nearest open clusters in the sky. Visibility improves as the sunlight fades. Tucana in the southwestern sky hosts 47 Tucanae, the second brightest globular cluster in the sky, after Omega Centauri. Clearwater High School students prepare for annual civil rights tour, Person killed after shooting outside Tampa credit union, 10 Weather: Windy Friday ahead of weekend cold front, Windy conditions ahead of chance of rain this weekend, See the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter form a triangle tonight, Hubble's 30th birthday: celebrating the iconic images of space, Doctors question WHO announcement on asymptomatic COVID patients, Coast Guard offloads $408 million in drugs at Port Everglades, Florida police organization posts a job offer for fired, disciplined officers, Florida sees five straight days of 1,000+ new coronavirus cases, Florida congressman calls for military training reform after Bradenton soldier dies in South Korea. The map also shows the phases of the Moon, and all solar and lunar eclipses. Secluded from the big city lights you will find 180 degrees of stunning views made for starry nights. There is no mythology associated with Norma. The star has a mass 9 times that of the Sun and is 170,000 times more luminous. Castor and the slightly brighter Pollux represent the heads of the mythical Twins. Apus (the Bird-of-Paradise), Chamaeleon, Pavo (the Peacock), Hydrus (the Water Snake), and Tucana (the Toucan) were created at the same time. Dates and tips on how and where to see "shooting stars" from meteor showers all over the world. Virgo, the second largest constellation in the sky, has mostly risen by 10 pm. Transcript The constellation maps below show the sky as it appears at around 10 pm in the mid-northern, equatorial, and mid-southern latitudes. Beta The Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above Florida on a date of your choice. Try finding a good, unobstructed view of the horizon. The constellations that appear in the northern sky are mostly those that are circumpolar to the northern hemisphere: Ursa Minor, Cepheus, and Draco. Mercury is just 12 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see. I list the ones I hear about at the Florida Astronomy Events page. Sky map produced using Chris MarriottsSkymapPro. More about this and other astronomy highlights 2023. Its five brightest stars form a prominent hexagon with Elnath, the star that marks the northern horn of Taurus, the Bull. The cluster marks the Bulls shoulder and is one of the most recognizable features of the northern sky. 1121 Main Street | P.O. It is an evolved hot blue giant star about 66,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Tonights sky as seen from mid-northern latitudes, image: Stellarium. The same can be said for Hydra. Carina also hosts Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous stars known. High-powered telescopes and binoculars make the proverbial "close-up" a reality, resulting in chorus after chorus of heart-felt oohs and aahs. Draco, one of the largest constellations in the sky, winds around the bowl of the Little Dipper. Such Pensacola Beach stargazing events are spearheaded by Dr. Wayne Wooten, chief astronomy professor at Pensacola State College, who credits technological advances with changing the face of stargazing. THE MOON THIS MONTH. Yet this modest constellation is home to Abell 3627, one of the most massive galaxy clusters known to exist. Saturn is just 13 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see. Ptolemy ignored this region, and Lacaille was only promoting science and technology. Puppis, the southern constellation that represents the stern of the mythical ship Argo, lies near the Great Dogs tail.