Mars Crosses the Beehive cluster 1-3 June, 2023

Night sky on Thursday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sundown (click on to embiggen). Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster (M44). The inset is the binocular view of Mars and the cluster. Comparable views will likely be seen from the remainder of Australia on the equal native time (90 minutes after sundown).	Mars and M44 on 2 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 diploma subject of view. Simulated in Stellarium.	Mars and M44 on 3 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 diploma subject of view. Simulated in Stellarium.

From Thursday 1 June to Saturday 3 June, Mars crosses the Beehive cluster (M44). Below darkish skies this pleasant open cluster appears to be like like a faint nebulous patch, however binoculars or a telescope will reveal it is fantastic starry mass. 

Whereas in precept seeing Mars within the coronary heart of the beehive is feasible with the unaided eye, This is much better seen with binoculars or a small telescope, On the first Mars on on the outskirts of the cluster, and on the 2nd and third it’s within the coronary heart of the cluster. The cluster matches neatly into medium energy telescope eyepiece fields. On the times main as much as the crossing and a few days after, Mars and the cluster are in the identical binocular subject.

The sight is greatest at Astronomical twilight, and hour and a half after sundown, a lot later than this and the beehive will get too near the horizon to be seen clearly. Mars will not be so vivid that it’ll drown out the clusters dimmer begins, so this will likely be a pleasant alternative for some astrophotography.

Labels: Beehive cluster, binocular, Mars, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:11 pm