Andromeda, Triangulum, and Aries - Downloadable article
The northern sky's finest galaxies make these autumn constellations backyard favorites.
By
Tom Polakis —
Published:
March 3, 2009This downloadable article is from an Astronomy magazine 45-article series called "Celestial Portraits." The collection highlights all 88 constellations in the sky and explains how to observe each constellation's deep-sky targets. The articles feature star charts, stunning pictures, and constellation mythology. We've put together 11 digital packages. Each one contains four Celestial Portraits articles for you to purchase and download.
"Andromeda, Triangulum, and Aries" is one of four articles included in Celestial Portraits Package 6.
With the days growing shorter and temperatures dropping, there's no question about it — autumn is in the air. That's good news for backyard observers, who welcome the longer nights and the often steady atmosphere this season brings. The calm air provides crisp views of the cornucopia of bright galaxies that populates the autumn evening sky.
This month we examine three constellations that lie along the southern fringe of the northernmost section of the Milky Way. Most prominent is Andromeda the Chained Princess, which radiates in two graceful arcs to the east and north of 2nd-magnitude Alpheratz (Alpha [α] Andromedae). Alpha serves double duty in the sky, also forming the northeastern corner of the Great Square of Pegasus. In fact, it once had the peculiar distinction of belonging to both constellations. The International Astronomical Union officially gave the star solely to Andromeda in the 1930s. To read the complete article, purchase and download Celestial Portraits Package 6. |
Deep-sky objects in Andromeda, Triangulum, and Aries
NGC 205, M31 (NGC 224), M32 (NGC 221), And I, NGC 404, M33 (NGC 598), NGC 672, Gamma (γ) Arietis, NGC 752, NGC 772, Gamma (γ) Andromedae, NGC 877, NGC 891, NGC 925, NGC 972 , NGC 7640, NGC 7662 |
Package 6 contains the following Celestial Portraits articles
|