Tag: Mirach's Ghost

Admiring Andromeda, Spots on Max Jupiter, and the Full Oak Moonlight Minimizes the Geminids!

In this long exposure composite during the Geminids Meteor Shower by Yin HaoC, the bright “twin” stars of Castor and Pollux are framed by the meteors, which appear to radiate from that point in space. (NASA APOD for December 15, 2017) Hello, Early-December Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of December 8th,…
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Moonless Nights Provide Plenty of Planets, Meagre Meteors, a Comet, a Pulsing Eye, and Some Tricky Treats!

NGC 457, better known as the Owl Cluster, ET Cluster, and Dragonfly Cluster, was imaged by “Astrodoc” Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario. The bright stars are the eyes. The body and feet extend down to the right. Squint to see the upswept, curving chains of stars for the wings.This image covers a finger’s width of…
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Night Falls Earlier, the Crescent Moon in Morning Kisses Venus, Taurus Spits Stars, a Comet, and Andromeda Reclines on High!

Mirach’s Ghost aka NGC404 is the elliptical / lenticular galaxy sitting to the upper left of the bright star Mirach in Andromeda. Other smaller galaxies are scattered around the region. This terrific image by Kent Wood of Utah was the NASA APOD for Oct 27, 2017. Kent’s original image with details of his equipment is…
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A Morning Moon Lets Us Admire Leftover Meteors and Andromeda’s Jewels, and Peruse Evening Planets!

This image by Kent Wood was NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 27, 2017. It shows the bright star Mirach aka Beta Andromedae and the distant background elliptical galaxy NGC 404 positioned just to its north-northwest (upper left of centre). The galaxy, which is nick-named Mirach’s Ghost, can be seen in 6″ or…
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