The M.A.S. Newsletter

Journal of the Mauritius Astronomical Society


January 99

A.G.M.

The Annual General Meeting, will be due on Friday 29th of January 1999 at 7hr30 pm at the St Esprit College, Quatre Bornes.

AGENDA:

Reading and approval of previous AGM minutes.
Matters araising.
President's address.
Treasurer's report.
Committee members for 1999.
A.O.B.

NOTE:

Members wishing to from part of the committee should send their letters to reach the Secretary not later than Wednesday the 27th of January.
We hope to see you for this important meeting.

MY ADDRESS:

Serge Florens
47, Rue Vengta
Solférino
MAURITIUS

Venus in the evening sky:

Venus is now visible in the constellation of Capricornus. setting at 8hr05 pm on the 9th and at 8hr13 pm at the end of January, Venus appears as a full disc through a telescope. Its magnitude is at a rather steady value of -3.9 for the month of January. On the night of the 19th, Venus will be visited by the Moon. The conjunction will be visible above the western horizon after sunset.

Mars:

Mars will be in conjunction with the Moon on the night of the 9th. Both will be seen to rise in the constellation of the Lion slightly after midnight.

Open Clusters:

Open clusters are best observed through binoculars and small telescopes at low power. These objects are the jewels of the heavens. Typically, an open cluster contains several hundreds stars, all born from the same nebulae. Open clusters therefore contain young bright stars and are abundant in the plane of the Milky Way. You may start observing open clusters by sweeping along the plane of the milky way from NNW in the constellation of Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Orion, Gemini, Monoceros, Canis Major, Puppis, Vela, Carina and finally Crux (southern cross). The nearest open cluster is the Hyades (the head of the Bull). Other interesting clusters are the Double Cluster (Perseus), pleiades or M45 (Taurus), M36 M37 M38 (Auriga), M35 (Gemini), NGC2244 in Rosette Nebula (Monoceros), M41 (Cma), M46 M47 M93 (Puppis), NGC2516 NGC3532 (Carina), Jewel box (Crux) and M44 Praesepe (in Cancer, visible later in the night).

Serge Florens, Secretary

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