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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2017)
18 Wednesday, February 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon SAGEpGROUSE:p Volunteers help biologist collect data StarspoverpSisters By Ron Thorkildson Correspondent Ask someone to name a prominent constellation of winter and the response you’ll probably get is Orion. This will often be the case even if the person doesn’t know and is totally guess- ing. It works because, after the Big Dipper, the mighty celestial hunter’s name is so well known. Orion is, of course, the right answer. This stunning stellar grouping rides high in the southern sky during the eve- ning hours of this last full month of winter, and can’t be missed by anyone who glances up into a clear sky. The focus of this article, however, isn’t about the con- stellation itself, but instead features a very special object that resides within its borders. Orion’s belt is marked by three evenly spaced, rela- tively bright stars lying in a nearly straight line. Beneath the Hunter’s belt are three vertically oriented, dimmer stars spaced closer together. They denote his sword. Upon closer naked-eye inspection, the middle “star” looks kind of fuzzy, and is, in fact, not a star at all. The Orion Great Nebula, commonly referred to as M42, is the brightest and closest diffuse nebula in the entire sky. A diffuse nebula is an interstellar cloud of gas and dust where new stars are believed to form based on strong observational evidence. Astronomers estimate that M42 lies at a distance of 1,344 light-years, is 24 light-years across, and con- tains enough material to form about 2,000 sun-size stars. It is one of the most scru- tinized and photographed objects in the night sky, and this intense examination has revealed much about the pro- cess of how star and plan- etary systems are brought into existence from collaps- ing clouds of gas and dust. In fact, protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, and the photo- ionizing effects of massive nearby stars have been mea- sured within this object. As a favorite target of star-gazers worldwide, no praise is too high for the Great Orion Nebula. Upon seeing it for first time through a telescope, observ- ers often use superlatives like “gorgeous,” “incred- ible,” “magnificent,” and “spectacular,” to describe what they see. Almost any backyard telescope will pro- duce an impressive image of this glowing cloud of gas and dust. Use low power to get the widest possible field of view. For those who have never before seen an asteroid of our solar system, that oppor- tunity presents itself early in February. Although Vesta is only about half the size of the largest member of the aster- oid belt, dwarf planet Ceres, it is four times brighter, owing to its high reflectiv- ity. From February 3 through February 5 is an ideal time to attempt the search because Vesta will be the brightest Ayurvedic & Body Treatments • Massage Skin Care • Nails • Waxing Give a gift of love on Valentine’s Day... A Gift Certifi cate for Wellness at... SPA AT F I V E P I N E ShibuiSpa.com | 720 Buckaroo Trail, Sisters | 541-549-6164 You didnʼt count on this... ...but you can count on Fullhart Insurance! Continued from page 16 PHOTO COURTESY NASA/ESA’S HST The Great Orion Nebula is the brightest and nearest region of active star formation. “star” between two brighter stars in the constellation of Gemini. Kappa Geminorum, at 3.6 magnitude, lies about five degrees south of Pollux, Gemini’s brightest star. Two degrees north of Kappa is the 5.3 magnitude star 76 Geminorum. Dimmer Vesta will pass between these stars, making it relatively easy to identify through a pair of binoculars. The best planetary display this month is still in the west- ern sky, when on February 1 Venus, Mars and a waxing crescent moon will line up, putting on a grand spectacle. Venus will attain its great- est brilliance on February 16/17. Rising half an hour before midnight on February 1, Jupiter is now officially an evening planet. Year-round Eyebrows looking rough? Call Theresa today! FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com Winter Blues? Low Energy? Cold Hands? There are simple things you can do that are very helpful. Competitive pricing & great service for over 20 years. MEANINGFUL MEDICINE INSURANCE OF SISTERS AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS On the morning stage, early in the month, Saturn comes up in the southeast just before 4 a.m., while Mercury pops into view a mere five degrees above the eastern horizon half an hour before sunrise. Optical aid may be necessary to coax it out of the brightening dawn. For the remainder of the month the swift planet quickly falls back toward the sun. The surface of the moon gradually becomes more illuminated during the first 10 days of February, becom- ing the Full Snow Moon on February 10. Thereafter, the moon is on the wane, finally going dark at new moon on February 26. and learn how to survey for new leks. To reach their leks the volunteers drive primitive ranch and high desert roads through sagebrush habitat with GPS units, maps, spot- ting scopes, and binocu- lars. And something to think about: With the snow load this year, there is the distinct possibility access to the leks will be difficult at best, and requiring four-wheel drive. The volunteers are assigned leks that agency personnel would not be able to count during the short breeding season. A great result of this project is that professional wildlife biolo- gists find the accuracy of the data gathered by the volun- teers matches the accuracy gathered by agency staff. Therefore the count informa- tion will be used to help esti- mate the breeding population and add it to the sage grouse database used by federal and state biologists, data sorely needed for management decisions. To sign up for the Adopt- a-Lek program, contact your local ODFW office, or con- tact Lee Foster, ODFW coor- dinator of the Adopt-a-Lek project by phone: 541-573- 6582, or email: lee.j.foster@ state.or.us. Kim Hapke, Naturopath 541-549-3172 • 1-800-752-8540 • 704 W. Hood Ave. 971-409-0908 A member of Fullhart Insurance Agency, Inc. Sisters Art Works Building 152 E. Main Ave. / 541-549-8771 The Hair Caché Jeff, Theresa, Ann, Jamie, Shiela, Terri, Shanntyl, Brittany