CONSTELLATIONS OF THE MONTH
                                   by Rick Raasch

                                  Taurus and Auriga


     The constellations of Taurus and Auriga lie along the winter Milky Way, and
     therefore contain many objects (primarily open clusters) of interest to the
     amateur astronomer. Some are large enough to be seen easily with the naked
     eye, while others need moderate telescopic apertures to appreciate. There's
     something for everybody!

                                       Taurus

     The Hyades     This distinctive star cluster marks the head of Taurus the
     Bull. It is one of the closest open clusters, and therefore is large,
     bright, and easily seen. Binoculars or a rich field telescopes show many
     bright stars, including the brightest star in Taurus (Aldebaran), which not
     a true cluster member, but rather a foreground star.

     The Pleiades   This is another classic open cluster. Easily  visible to the
     naked eye, it yields a beautiful sight in binoculars. It is dipper-shaped,
     and about 5-7 stars can be seen with the naked eye. The slightest
     magnification shows about 100 stars in a compact area. Larger instruments
     show the fine nebulosity surrounding the brighter stars which is often seen
     in photographs.


     M-1            The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and shows a flame-
     shaped nebulosity which is about 5'by 3' in extent. It is brighter in the
     center, an has ragged or fuzzy edges which suggest its name. This is the
     object which started Charles Messier logging non-cometary objects.

     NGC 1514       A large, almost 2' in diameter, planetary nebula with a
     rather bright central star. This object exhibits the "blinking" effect
     rather well. That is, direct vision shows only the star well, but averted
     vision causes the fainter nebulosity to pop into view. Switching between
     the two causes the star to "blink" on and off.

     NGC 1807/1817  These two open clusters fit in the same field of view in a
     low power eyepiece, offering a very pleasing deep sky double. 1807 is about
     8' in diameter with about 20 stars in a box or X-shape. 1817 is slightly
     larger, about 10' in diameter, and composed of about 75 relatively faint
     stars in a compact grouping reminiscent of NGC 7789 in Cassiopeia. This is
     a fine sight.

     52 (Phi) Tau   A very pretty double star which shows a yellow-white primary
     and a fainter blue companion.

     65,67 Tau      These two stars are seen as a wide double star in the
     viewfinder, but the telescopic view holds a surprise. The two wide stars
     have two fainter stars directly between them! A very nice view.

                                       Auriga

     M-36           A very nice open cluster, 20-25' in diameter, composed of
     relatively bright stars. In excess of 100 stars are seen, in this rather
     concentrated cluster. Easily seen in the viewfinder, and very pretty.
     M-37           This is probably the most populous of the Messier objects in
     this constellation. I estimate there to be over 150 stars in this
     impressive, tightly concentrated star cluster. It is about 20-25' in
     diameter, and is dominated by a bright orange tinted star at its center.

     M-38           Easily seen in the finder, this cluster is about 25' in
     diameter, composed of over 100 stars of moderate brightness. Easily fitting
     in the field of view of a low power eyepiece is a companion cluster just
     South of M-38. This is NGC 1907, which is seen as 10-12 stars against a
     hazy background.

     ADS 4000       A nice double star, presenting a pretty yellow-white primary
     and a fainter blue secondary.

     ADS 5188       This is a beautiful triple star composed of a yellowish star
     with two blue companions forming an equilateral triangle with it. Very
     impressive!