Date with Orion

It was finally clear and cold last night. I spent almost two hours on the deck with my telescope. It was the first very clear night this winter. Orion was high in the South, Gemini to the East, and Perseus to the West. It took me awhile to reorient myself to the positions of the winter constellations. Castor, in Gemini was easy to split. I saw a few meteors streak out of the Gemini area - the beginnings of the Geminid Shower? Mars was a prominent sight in Gemini. It is growing bigger each evening as Earth's and Mars's orbits become closer. Near the end of the month, Mars will be the biggest of the year. I was not able to discern any surface features on Mars - It was very bright and I think I need a filter. I spotted several wonderful clusters, including the Beehive (M44), and two in Auriga (M36, M37). Orion presented the Orion Nebula and several multiple star systems. After a fair amount of time, and very cold fingers, I noticed that stars were getting tougher to discern. It began to get hazy and overcast, and it was finally time to head inside. I was hoping to watch the Shuttle launch this morning, but it has been postponed until January 2nd because of sensor problems.


The Orion Nebula - I was able to make out the main structures, not in spectacular color though.