My first Magazine Sky & Telescope - 02.2019 | Page 45

χ
TAURUS
5° bi no
cu
l ar
κ 1 2
κ
HD 28226
72 υ
τ
56
51
ω 2
HD 27742
HD 27639 / HD 27640
ε
Hyades
Aldebaran
α
γ
Binocular Highlight by Mathew Wedel
Between the Clusters
I
WHEN TO
USE THE MAP
Late Dec
Early Jan
Late Jan
Early Feb
Late Feb
11 p.m.
10 p.m.
9 p.m.
8 p.m.
Dusk
These are standard times.
assume that like most binocular observers, you’ve
probably looked at the Pleiades and Hyades many
times in recent months. I often zip between the two
nearby clusters to compare them. In doing so, for a
long time I passed over a rich and beautiful star fi eld
that lies between them.
About 5° north of the Hyades, a scattering of
4th- to 6th-magnitude stars is spread southwest to
northeast over about 4°. Many of the stars fall into
pairs that are coincidentally aligned southwest to
northeast as well. Collectively they make an elon-
gated dagger shape, like a swordfi sh or a vintage
rocket ship. Omega 2 (ω) Tauri forms the nose, 51
and 56 Tauri constitute the northern border, and
HD 27639 and HD 27742 form the southern edge.
From HD 27742, a nice chain of faint stars runs north
to Kappa 1 (κ) and Kappa 2 Tauri. With a separation
of about 345″, Kappa Tauri makes a fi ne binocular
double. From Kappa, look for a tall shark tail formed
by Upsilon (υ) Tauri and 72 Tauri to the north, and
HD 28226 to the south.
Most of these are main sequence and subgiant
stars that lie between 100 and 500 light-years away.
Like the members of the Hyades and Pleiades, they’re
our neighbors in the Orion Spur of the Milky Way. The
exception is HD 27639, an M-class red giant that lies
2,300 light-years away. HD 27639 forms a tight binary
with HD 27640. Their separation is only 1.9″, tighter
than either component of Epsilon (ε) Lyrae, which
makes them a challenge even for telescopes. If you
revisit this area with a scope, have a close lo ok at that
star chain between HD 27742 and Kappa Tauri, and
see if you can spot the 11th-magnitude star that sits
exactly halfway between Kappa 1 and Kappa 2 Tauri.
¢ MATT WEDEL wonders what else he’s missed in
the neighborhoods near his favorite objects.
sk yandtele scope.com • FE B RUA RY 2 019
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