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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW (No heading) ... Our View: Charging ahead on supporting electric vehicles ... Rogue River man allegedly copped to fatal knifing, affidavit says ... (No heading) ... Our View: Charging ahead on supporting electric vehicles ... Rogue River man allegedly copped to fatal knifing, affidavit says ... Looking Up: Comet passes by the Pleiades Comment By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 8:02 AM By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 8:02 AM » Social News One of the gems of the winter night is the Pleiades star cluster. Glittering fairly bright, the principal stars are compacted close together and unmistakable to the unaided eyes. As if that weren't enough, over the next few nights, a nice comet visible in binoculars is passing just west of the star cluster. From mid-northern latitudes, the Pleiades will appear quite high in the sky as darkness falls. Look up to the right of the famed Orion constellation. You can likely find the Pleiades even on a moonlit night or if there is moderate light pollution. New moon is on Tuesday, Jan. 20, so for the next week we will have dark night skies. The Pleiades are often called the "Seven Sisters" from Greek mythology. Most people, however, can discern only five Pleiades stars without using binoculars or a telescope; some will be able to see six. There are numerous fainter stars in the cluster; with binoculars you can decide which one should be the seventh and then check how good your eyesight is. The Pleiades travel together, bound by mutual gravitation. The cluster is about 444 light years away. The cluster's light you see tonight left the stars in 1671. The cluster is shaped like a small dipper, but don't confuse it with the Little Dipper. The latter star pattern is much larger and is in the north sky, the North Star marking the tip of the handle. If you have binoculars, try to find Comet Lovejoy. Scan about eight degrees (probably just over the width of the binoculars' field of view) to the west, or right of the Pleiades. On Saturday, January 17th, look to the right and a bit down. The comet is slowly moving to the upper right. By the night of Jan. 19-20, the comet will be due west (right) of the star cluster. Comet Lovejoy will appear as a +4th magnitude "fuzzy spot" with binoculars, without any evidence of a tail. If your sky is reasonably dark and you let your eyes adjust to the darkness, you may be able to barely see the comet with unaided eyes. Brightness of stars, planets and other sky objects are measured by magnitude. A +6th magnitude star is usually the dimmest you will see with unaided eyes on a dark, clear night. While +4th magnitude is brighter than that, in the case of the comet the light is spread out on its fuzzy disc making not quite as easy to pick out as if it were a point-like star. Send your reports to [email protected]. Keep looking up! By Peter Becker More Content Now MailTribune.com By Peter Becker More Content Now Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 8:02 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501