Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) is a comet from the Oort Cloud currently making its first and only visit to the inner solar system. The comet was first discovered on October 31, 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey using a 27-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. At the time of discovery, it had an apparent magnitude of 19. Since September 2015, it has been around magnitude 6.
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The Quadrantids are an annual meteor shower occurring in the first week of January. Quadrantid meteors can be seen from January 1 to 6 and… Read More »Quadrantids
The Fox Fur Nebula is an H II region located in Monoceros constellation. It lies at an approximate distance of 2,700 light years from Earth. The nebula is part of the NGC 2264 region, which also includes the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. It was named the Fox Fur because of its appearance. The texture and colour of the nebula resemble the head of a red fox stole.
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The Snowflake Cluster is a young open cluster located in the constellation Monoceros. It is one of the objects found within the designation NGC 2264, along with the Cone Nebula, the Christmas Tree Cluster, and the Fox Fur Nebula, but not officially included. The cluster lies at an approximate distance of 2,400 light years from Earth.
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Darth Vader’s Galaxy, also known as NGC 936, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus, the Whale. It lies at an approximate distance of 50 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.2.
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Here are some of the things to see in December:
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VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) is an exceptionally large, luminous red hypergiant star located in the constellation Canis Major.
With a radius about 1,420 times that of the Sun, corresponding to a diameter of 13.2 astronomical units, VY Canis Majoris is one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way. The star lies at an approximate distance of 3,840 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude that varies from 6.5 to 9.6. It is classified as a semiregular variable star and has an estimated period of 2,000 days.
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