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 * * * SKY & TELESCOPE's SKYWATCHER'S BULLETIN - January 4, 2005 * * *

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Welcome to S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin. More information on the items
below is available on our Web site, SkyandTelescope.com, at the URLs
provided. (If the links don't work, just manually type the URLs into your
Web browser.) Clear skies!
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CATCH COMET MACHHOLZ AT ITS BEST

Comet Machholz is entering its glory days. For observers in the Northern
Hemisphere, all the circumstances are at their best in the first half of
January. The Moon is conveniently approaching new phase just as the comet
shines at its brightest and makes its closest approach to Earth.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1423_1.asp

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WATCH A VARIABLE STAR

The star Algol (Beta Persei) was the first eclipsing variable star ever
discovered, and it's still the most famous one. You can check on it
whenever you step outdoors on nights when Perseus is in view. On January
6th, Algol is at minimum brightness at 8:17 p.m. Eastern time.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/variablestars

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FLORA AND HERCULINE MEET SATURN

If you're observing Saturn in the next few months, you might be surprised
to know that the minor planets 8 Flora and 532 Herculina are also in your
sights (or nearly so). Here's where to find these two asteroids:

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/asteroids

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SKY AT A GLANCE

The waning crescent Moon forms a triangle with orange Mars and orange
Antares low in the dawn sky Friday morning (the 7th). To read more about
what's happening in the night sky this week, visit "This Week's Sky at a
Glance":

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance

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CRUISE TO TOTALITY (Advertisement)
South Pacific Total Eclipse Cruise April 3-19

SKY & TELESCOPE and TravelQuest International invite you to join us as we
sail aboard the newly refurbished MV Discovery to witness April's total
solar eclipse near Polynesia. En route to and from our eclipse site we'll
visit exotic Tahiti, meet descendents of the HMS Bounty's crew on Pitcairn
Island, wander amid the mysterious stone statues of Easter Island, and
walk in the footsteps of the Inca in Peru. Add to all that the spectacular
southern sky, and you have the astronomical adventure of a lifetime.

> http://www.tq-international.com/SouthPacificTotal/SoPachome.htm

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Copyright 2005 Sky Publishing Corp. S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin is
provided as a free service to the astronomical community by the editors of
SKY & TELESCOPE magazine. This bulletin may not be redistributed or
republished in any form without written permission from Sky Publishing;
send e-mail to permissions{at}SkyandTelescope.com or call +1 617-864-7360.
More information about astronomical observing is available on our Web site
at http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/.

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To change your address, unsubscribe from S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin, or
subscribe to S&T's Weekly News Bulletin, which highlights the latest
discoveries from the world's astronomical observatories, go to this
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> http://SkyandTelescope.com/shopatsky/emailsubscribe.asp

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