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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2017)
16 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Stars over Sisters By Delsie McCrystal/Ramsey Shar Correspondents As the month of April comes around, there are new things you can see in the night sky. Two of the more prominent constellations you can see this month are Leo and Hydra. The head of Hydra is visible between January and May while Leo is best viewed during the evening hours of spring. The one we will focus on in this article is Hydra, also known as the sea serpent. It’s the largest constellation of the 88 and covers 1,303 square degrees in the sky. Of the constellations that border Hydra, the northern- most is Cancer, Centaurus to the south, Libra to the east, and Canis Minor and Monoceros to the west. Look for the celestial ser- pent around 9 p.m. during the month of April. One curious deep-sky object in Hydra is a spiral galaxy called NGC 4980. NGC 4980 has a slightly deformed shape, which usu- ally means it’s interacting with another galaxy nearby. But there seem to be no gal- axies near this spiral, which is fairly odd. Another interesting object in Hydra is a star called TW Hydrae. This star is waterlogged, meaning there is a frigid water-vapor disk forming around it. The researchers at NASA believe it could potentially form into a solar system. The star, having water vapor, sug- gests that planets covered in water like Earth could be more common in the uni- verse than astronomers first thought. The constellation Hydra, in Greek mythology, is related to Hercules and his second labor. Hydra was a giant creature with nine heads, one of which was immortal. The constellation is depicted has having only one head, supposedly the immortal one. During the battle, every time Hercules would destroy one of Hydra’s heads, two more would appear. As they were fighting, Hercules was distracted by a crab that attacked his foot. Once he killed it, Hera (wife of Zeus) put it among the stars, creating the constellation Cancer. Hercules was finally able to gain the upper hand in his struggle with Hydra by burn- ing the stump of a severed head so they couldn’t keep growing back. Eventually, he cut off the immortal head and trapped it under a rock, defeating the monster. On April 1, Mercury reached its greatest eastern elongation from the sun. You can see it in the western sky right after sunset. When April 7 comes PHOTO COURTESY ESA/NASA/JPL An artist’s impression of a waterlogged accretion disk about the star TW Hydrae, suggesting that water-rich worlds may be forming there. The star is 175 light-years away in the constellation of Hydra. around, Jupiter will be at opposition. This means that the giant planet will be seen throughout the entire night. It will also be closest to the earth on that date — an ideal time to make observations. With some simple equip- ment like binoculars, four of Jupiter’s largest moons (Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto) can be seen. On April 10, the sun and the moon will be located on opposite sides of the earth, resulting in the Full Pink Moon. Finally, mark your calen- dars for Saturday, April 29. It’s International Astronomy Day. Celebrate by star- gazing with the Sisters Astronomy Club as it holds its first Stars over Sisters starwatch of the 2017 sea- son. After a brief presenta- tion in the Sisters Park & Recreation District build- ing, local amateur astrono- mers will guide observers through the wonders of the night sky. The event will take place in the southwest parking lot at Sisters High School and will begin at 8:30 p.m. Smoked In-House Easter Ham Brined & cured in-house, too. It may be the best Easter ham you’ve ever had! Quantities are limited. Reserve yours by calling us today. Excellent meat case! Beer & wine, too! Pssst... Run Club starts Thurs., April 6. All ladies, all paces (including walkers) welcome. Meet at HOPE Aesthetics & Wellness at 5:45 pm to get moving at 6 pm. Followed by Happy Hour at The Open Door. 541-719-1186 110 S. Spruce St. Open 9 AM -7 PM Every Day MEATS • CHEESES • EATERY ATE TE E R RY Y • DRINKERY DRINKER RY EXTREME CLEAN INC — Since 1989 • Central Oregon Owned — Carpet • Upholstery • Window • Tile • Duct Cleaning Carpet Cleaning 20% OFF Coupon Minimums apply. 4/12/17 p. ex d, require Duct Cleaning des $395 Inclu er FREE Dry ut! Vent Clean Co o up on Up to 20 vents. 12/17 required, exp. 4/ Serving all of Central Oregon | Residential | Commercial 541-318-1203 | ExtremeCleanBend.com