Observing Calendars

October Viewing Calendar   Good viewing weather continues in the south for the month of October. Fall and winter constellations begin their march across our sky starting much earlier than previous months as a result of the natural progression of the celestial season and earlier darkness. The Great Square of Pegasus, the Winged Horse, appears due east just above the horizon, forming a square standing on end... the four brightest stars in this configuration. Start with Algenib, the lowest to the horizon and dimmest star of the four. Now, looking north and up from the horizon, find Alpheratz, the lefthand corner of the square. Follow the row of three brightest stars down and to the left (north), starting with Alpheratz. You may see another, dimmer star counting from Alpheratz. Ignore it in your count. The middle bright star is your marker for the Great Andromeda Galaxy M31 in the Andromeda Constellation. Now scan slowly up, looking for a row of dim stars trailing off to the left. Count two stars up, just above and to the right, notice a dim "smudge." You are witnessing Andromeda Galaxy's light which began its journey to us about 2.2 million years ago when woolly mammoths roamed the earth! The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galactic neighbor to us in space and is representative of our own Milky Way. It is about 150,000 light-years wide and contains approximately 200 to 300 billion stars. It appears in literature as far back as 905 A.D. when Al Sufi, a Persian astronomer, mentioned it. Current measurements of its proper motion suggest that it is on a collision course with the Milky Way, but it will be several billion years before we need worry about it. Another worthy galaxy is M33, the great Pinwheel Galaxy. Scan south past the Triangulum constellation and a smaller smudge will come into view. Looking for that special Christmas gift for that special child, a grandson or granddaughter (or maybe Dad)? Thought about a telecope, but don't know where to begin the search? Check out the FAQ's section for some helpful hints.