Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - 43

MONOCEROS
ORION
25
M78
δ
ε
ζ
42
M43
ι
γ
Rigel
Binocular Highlight by Mathew Wedel
The Hot New Thing
A
Zenith
β
M42
η
mong my favorite observing targets are familiar
objects that deserve a second look. Top in that
category - possibly the Platonic ideal - is Orion's
Belt, the line of three stars that marks the waist of
the celestial Hunter.
From east to west, the Belt stars are 1.8-mag+20°
Venus
Moon
Jan
3
nitude Zeta (ζ) Orionis, or Alnitak; 1.7-magnitude
Epsilon (ε) Orionis, or Alnilam; and 2.4-magnitude
Delta (δ) Orionis, or Mintaka. The trio collectively
spans 2.7°, so they're well-framed in virtually any binoculars
- I prefer the expansive view in my 7×50s.
Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are all members
of Orion OB1, an association of young, hot stars.
Specifically, the portion that encompasses the Belt
is Orion OB1b. A long chain of 5th- to 8th-magnitude
stars winds like a letter S between Alnilam and
Mintaka. Two chains surround Alnitak and Alnilam:
One, fainter and more ragged, runs north between
the two stars, while a second, straight line stretches
southeast to northwest north of the stellar pair. If you
get a chance, sketch these chains of stars from a dark
site - they'll later give you a handle on your sky quality
under other conditions.
After you've had an eyeful (or two!) of Orion OB1b,
WHEN TO
USE THE MAP
Late Nov
11 p.m.
θ
3h
g Sou
Early Dec 10 p.m.
Late Dec 9 p.m.
Early Jan 8 p.m.
Late Jan 7 p.m.
These are standard times.
try to view this stellar association in context. To the
northwest, the rich field of stars around 5th-magnitude
25 Orionis comprises Orion OB1a, and to the
south the stars of the Sword make up Orion OB1c. Of
these, OB1a is the oldest, OB1b - the Belt - is intermediate,
and OB1c is the youngest. Collectively, these
subgroups are the products of sustained star formation
over the past few million years - observing them
lets us see the machinery of our galaxy in action.
¢ MATT WEDEL is humbled that we can observe
such momentous events as the births of stars with
handheld optics.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * JANUARY 2025 43
5
°
EQUULEUS
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ANDROMEDA
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PEGASUS
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TRIANGULUM
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AQUARIUS
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P I SCES
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Fac
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Algol
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Vega
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α
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21h
ing
Saturn
FORNAX
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+60°
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L i t t l e
D i p p e r
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ν
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15
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ARI ES
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SCULPTOR
DELPHINUS
CASS IOPE IA
M52
CEPHEUS
LACERTA
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61
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CYGNUS
N o r t h e r n
C r o s s
Deneb
α
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Albireo
M31
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Double
Cluster
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γ
β
α
β
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α
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Moon
Jan 6

http://skyandtelescope.org

Sky & Telescope - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - January 2025

Contents
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - 1
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - 3
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Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - Cover4
Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - SGA1
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