January 2022
You may not have heard of the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn), and to be honest it is pretty unimpressive to the naked eye. This is not surprising when its neighbour is the very famous blingy Orion! Try not to succumb to this and identify the fainter stars and shape of the Unicorn. With a pair of binoculars (or better still a telescope), it is a treasure trove of magical objects.
Looking South-East at 10pm on 2nd January (or 9pm on 16th January)
There are many other treasures to be discovered in this region.
At the top of the constellation there is the amazing (upside-down) Christmas Tree.
NGC 2264 is its designation number and is made up of two objects. The Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster.
Photo- Dylan O’Donnell 2018
(Tree correct way up!)
Moving down the constellation is a Nebula that Edwin Hubble noticed varies in brightness over very short time periods, aptly called Hubble’s Variable Nebula.
Photo- Rick J of Cloudy Nights
Below that is the incredible Rosette Nebula, quite faint but a true winter showpiece. Its size is inconceivable at approximately 764,200,000,000,000 miles across!
Photo- Dylan O’Donnell 2019
Lower down in the sky is an ordinary- looking star to the naked eye. However, with a bit of magnification it resolves in to a beautiful triple star.
Photo- Marco Spiller
Finally, there is NGC 2346, a very faint and illusive butterfly-shaped nebula. The formation has been created when a star ejected its material near the end of its life.
Photo- Astronomy.com
There are some special events for this year, some of which I will cover in these articles nearer the time. In October there will be a partial solar eclipse of the Sun over Embsay similar to the one last year with about a quarter of the sun being blotted out by the black disc of the moon.
Much later in the year, during December 2022, Mars is going to be a real treat (no pun intended!). It has an orbit further out from the sun than us and therefore takes longer to go around the sun. We don’t get a close look every year but in December 2022 it will be on the same side of the sun travelling alongside and we will be able to get a close look.
Planets
At the beginning of the month we will be treated to another line-up of planets in the South West. Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury with the waxing crescent Moon in the late afternoon.
New Moon 2nd January
Full Moon 17th January
Clear Skies
Milan Davidovic
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