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March 30: Vega rising
As the familiar wintertime constellations begin setting earlier each evening, it’s our last chance to catch some of the deep-sky treasures they contain.
The constellation Monoceros lies east of better-known Orion the Hunter in the sky, now sinking in the southwest after dark. You can find it to the upper left of Orion’s Belt around 9 P.M. local daylight time. Shining at 6th magnitude, NGC 2301 is an open cluster of young stars located just less than 16° southeast of Betelgeuse in Orion, and about 5.1° northwest of 4th-magnitude Delta (δ) Monocerotis in central Monoceros.
Spanning about 12’, NGC 2301 is also known as the Great Bird Cluster (or, more fully, the Great Bird of the Galaxy Cluster). It was given this nickname by Astronomy contributor Phil Harrington, who imagines the cluster as a bird in flight. Visible in binoculars or any small scope, NGC 2301 contains about 80 members of varying brightness.
Sunrise: 6:45 A.M.
Sunset: 7:24 P.M.
Moonrise: 6:16 P.M.
Moonset: 5:59 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (99%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
