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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 5 Get set to Stars over Sisters telescope. enter Sisters By Rylee Funk and Holly Werts low-power At a declination of +20 degrees, the Beehive is in the northern por- March has arrived, bring- Rodeo Parade ing with it a few nice astro- located tion of the celestial sphere Correspondents It must be getting on toward spring, because Rodeo is in the air. Entry forms for the 2018 Sisters Rodeo Parade are now available. The parade will be held on Saturday, June 9 at 9:30 a.m. in Sisters. Entry deadline is May 15. Parade position numbers will be sent out after that date, according to the parade committee. “The number of entries is limited, so interested per- sons should apply as soon as possible before the reg- istration deadline,” said Jeri Buckmann, parade co-chair. Entry forms can be com- pleted online at www.sisters rodeo.com or may be picked up at the Sisters Rodeo office, 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters or at the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, 291 E. Main Ave. “This is a wonderful Western tradition at Sisters Rodeo that entertains the whole family,” said co-chair Vicki Yost. “We have a vari- ety of entries from infants to seniors, lots of music and color. It’s a flashy parade, flag- waving, foot-stomping fun.” The entry form includes general rules for parade participants and directions for finding accommoda- tions and boarding facilities. Information for visiting rodeo courts is also available at the rodeo office for both the parade and Grand Entry pre- ceding rodeo performances. Judging of entries will start at 8:30 a.m. that morning with trophies and ribbons to be awarded for several categories of entry. The Sisters PRCA Rodeo will feature five performances on June 6 (Xtreme Bulls), and rodeo June 8-10. Tickets may be purchased by phoning 541- 549-0121 or 800-827-7522. nomical treats. Situated between the two Zodiac constellations of Gemini and Leo is Cancer the Crab, which also lies in the plane of the ecliptic. It is, however, so faint that you’d likely never notice it, except maybe on a clear, moonless night away from city lights. While the constellation is rather inconspicuous, an extravagant cluster of stars resides in its midst. This object is commonly known as M44, Praesepe or the “Beehive.” It is an open clus- ter of relatively young, bright stars within our galaxy. Open clusters are stars that are gravitationally bound and are created out of the gas and dust of a defuse nebula. At a distance of about 577 light-years, the Beehive is one of the closest clusters to our solar system and has a greater population of stars (approximately 1,000) than most other nearby clusters. This collection of stars is only about 600 million years old, compared with the sun’s more advanced age of 4.5 billion years. Although quite faint, the Beehive can still be spotted with the naked eye under dark skies, appearing as a small, dim glow against the black sky. The only objects on Messier’s list of non- stellar objects brighter than M44 are the Pleiades cluster (M45) and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). In addi- tion, the Pleiades cluster is the only deep-sky object in Messier’s catalogue that is closer than the Beehive. The cluster spans about 1.5 degrees in the sky, equal to a distance of three full- moon diameters. It is best viewed using binoculars or a and can, therefore, be seen in all of the Northern Hemisphere down to about a latitude of 65 to 70 degrees south in the Southern Hemisphere. The Beehive cluster will be on the merid- ian at about 10 p.m. local time by mid-month. This year the vernal equi- nox will occur at 9:15 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, March 20. On this day the length of day and night will be relatively equal. As the earth continues to revolve around the sun, the earth’s axis of rotation will begin to tilt the Northern Hemisphere toward the sun, which will result in longer and warmer days. Spring brings with it an opportunity to view what is called the “zodiacal light.” It is a faint elongated cone of light sometimes seen in the night sky, extending from the horizon along the eclip- tic. The glow resembles light pollution from a neighboring town, but it is actually caused by sunlight reflecting off dust and ice particles in the solar system. The zodiacal light is best seen in the western sky during the spring because the ecliptic makes the greatest angle with the horizon at this time. Observers will improve their chances of seeing it by avoiding moonlight and light pollution from nearby towns. Mercury and Venus put on quite a show in the evening PHOTO BY BOB FRANKE The Beehive cluster is a collection of young, bright stars located at a distance of 577 light-years in the constellation of Cancer. sky this month. On March 15, Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation, meaning it has achieved its maximum separation from the sun. This maneuver places it very close to the much brighter Venus. By March 18, a crescent moon enhances the spectacu- lar sight. After the two inferior planets have set, Jupiter rises in the east about midnight local time. At 3 a.m. Mars makes an appearance, fol- lowed by Saturn 40 minutes later. On the last day of the month Mars catches up to Saturn in the constellation of Sagittarius. There are two full moons this month — the first on March 1 and the second on March 31 (a blue moon). This makes viewing under dark skies ideal during the middle of the month. A lab of lov or e s Siste e r d! n Ow “Peter made my day: No exaggeration! The carpets looked new when he left. He was thoughtful, focused and did an excellent job.” — Kelly Sheets 541-549-6471| 35 Years Experience | Peter Herman, Owner • • YOU’RE INVITED Live Life Better! 55 & Over • Pets warmly welcomed • Independent living Chef-prepared meals included • Transportation services No long-term commitment Learn more: Free gift & chef-created lunch for you and your family when you mention this ad. Join us for a community meeting to discuss proposed time, place and manner regulations for marijuana-related businesses in Sisters. Tuesday, March 6 • 5:30 to 7 p.m. City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave. • 541-460-5323 | 1460 NE 27th Street, Bend | stonelodgeretirement.com For more information contact Kerry Prosser at 541-323-5213 •
