Complete! IAS Novice/Urban Observing List for January 2014

There were plenty of popular goodies on the January observing list - a good incentive to go outside on the coldest nights. This month we had near record low temperatures down to the negative teens! Nevertheless, I was able to easily check some of these objects off my list.

The Cheshire Cat was particularly fun, and I checked 4 objects off the list in Auriga. I did observe M42 during January, but I didn't get a very good photo of it, so I included my photo from December 30, 2013 to represent it on this post. M37 was encouraging because it looks like my new camera will pick up globular clusters quite well.

Finally, my new method of labeling lunar objects looks very clean and I'm happy with how they turned out. I also made some technical progress this month figuring out how to best photograph the moon with my T5i.

• Mel 25, “the Hyades” (Caldwell 41), open cluster in Taurus ✔
• 1 Camelopardalis, double star in Camelopardalis
• The “Cheshire Cat”, asterism in Auriga ✔
• M38, open cluster in Auriga ✔
• M36, open cluster in Auriga ✔
• Theta 1 Orionis (the “Trapezium”) multiple star system in the Orion nebula
• M42, the “Orion Nebula” ✔ (Dec 30)
• M37, open cluster in Auriga ✔
• Mare Fecunditatis, first quarter Moon ✔
• Mare Nubium, last quarter Moon ✔
• Challenge Object #1: Beta Orionis (“Rigel”), double star in Orion
• Challenge Object #2: M79, globular cluster in Lepus