CONSTELLATIONS
                                    OF THE MONTH

                                   by Rick Raasch

                               CANIS MAJOR and PUPPIS

     Containing the brightest star visible on earth, the constellation of Canis
     Major is one of the few constellations in the heavens which resembles what
     it is supposed to be: a large dog. Puppis, on the other hand, boasts no
     bright stars, and is difficult at best for even seasoned observers to
     identify. Stellar beacons notwithstanding, both of these constellations are
     rich in open clusters, as they lie along the winter Milky Way. Several
     interesting planetary nebulae and double stars are also found in this
     region. Soon galaxies will be overwhelming the skies, so if you want to
     find objects a bit closer and brighter, it's time to come out of the warm
     and do some cold weather astronomy!

                                     CANIS MAJOR

     M-41      Large and splashy, this fine open cluster is easily seen as a
     hazy patch to the naked eye, and is fully half a degree in diameter in the
     telescope. About 60-70 stars can be seen at low power, in many curving
     chains. The cluster is dominated by a bright orange star near its center. A
     great open cluster.

     NGC 2354  Relatively large, this open cluster is about 15-20' in diameter,
     round, and composed of relatively bright stars and a sprinkling of fainter
     stars. The center seems empty, with very few stars.

     NGC 2359  The Duck Head Nebula. This is a large and faint diffuse nebula
     which is best seen at low powers. It is about 10' in extent, and is
     composed of an arching segment intersected at almost right angles by a
     straighter component, resembling a duck's head and bill. I found it best
     seen with an Orion Ultrablock filter, while the Lumicon UHC filter did not
     do as well. This is a good object for you light bucket owners.

     NGC 2362  A small but very pretty open cluster surrounding the star Tau
     CMa. It is about 6' in diameter, compact, and well concentrated. I counted
     about 40 stars with most of them being moderate in brightness. This is one
     of my personal favorites.

     NGC 2360  This is a large open cluster, 12-15' in diameter, with about 75
     stars well concentrated to the center. It is visible in the viewfinder and
     impressive through the telescope.

     ADS 5951  One of my favorite double stars, this is a fine pair composed of
     yellow-orange and blue stars. It reminds me of a fainter version of the
     more famous Albireo. It's easily split, so check it out!

                                       PUPPIS

     M-46      This is a bright open cluster almost a half of a degree in
     diameter, containing about 100 moderately concentrated stars. As a special
     treat, the planetary nebula NGC 2438 lies seemingly imbedded in its
     northeastern edge. The planetary is about 40" in diameter, grayish, and is
     distinctly ring-shaped. This is a great deep sky double!









     M-47      About the same size as M-46, this is another fine telescopic
     sight. This open cluster contains about 50 relatively bright stars
     moderately concentrated to the center.

     M-93      Another fine open cluster. It is about 20' in diameter with a
     distinct triangular or wedge shape. Composed of about 50 stars, it is
     fairly well concentrated, with a moderate range in magnitudes of the stars.

     NGC 2440  This planetary nebula appears as an out of focus star, about 20"
     in diameter, with a bright center fading to the edges. No central star was
     seen in this blue-green nebula.