SAS Astro-Challenges of the Month [March, 2026]
Gemini, Orion, and its Hunting Dogs Challenges
This month's prize: The Miller Planisphere
Astro-Challenge General Instructions: To win the prize: 1. Read, understand and follow each of the instructions. This the most important one. Failure to follow the full instructions will automatically disqualify your entry. 2. Participation is open to any person living within 100 miles of the Skylight Observatory. Executive SAS members are not eligible. 3. Choose one challenge below, either visual, binocular, or telescope. 4. Go out one clear night (or more depending on the challenge) and follow the challenge instructions. 5. Answer the associated questions for that challenge. 6. Email proof of your accomplishment to sas_astro_challenge@kantbelievemyeyes.com. Generally, the easiest proof is to take a picture with your cell phone of whatever is asked of you and email that. 7. With your email, provide the exact time (hour and minute) and date of your observation. 8. With your email, provide the rough physical location for your observation. 9. With your email, provide the specifications of the instrument you used if applicable (e.g. eyes, binoculars, 8" reflector - if you have more details provide them, e.g. 8x50 binoculars, 8" Meade LX200 etc.) 10. With your email, provide the name you prefer to use, and your approximate age (pre-teen, teen, young adult, older adult) 11. All entries must be received before midnight on the night just before the meeting for the month of the challenge. 12. Some number (1 or more) will be selected randomly from all the valid entries. 13. Winners will be notified by email the day after the meeting, at which point arrangements will be made to enable them to obtain their prize. That's it! Good luck
This month’s observer’s tip; Using imaginary lines or curves drawn from stars and constellations you know can help you find stars and constellations you are less familiar with.
Gemini (“the Twins”) is a zodiac constellation representing the mythological brothers Castor and Pollux. Its two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, mark the twins’ heads. Orion, “the Hunter,” contains the three aligned stars of Orion’s Belt—Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka and, in his sword, hosts the Orion Nebula, a nearby stellar nursery visible to the naked eye under dark skies. Finally, Orion’s hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor host the brightest star in the night sky.
Visual Challenge 1: Navigating the Constellations
The map below is taken from the Stellarium program that is available free of charge from the internet (www.stellarium.org). It is set up for 8:00 pm EDT on March 15, 2026. If you observe earlier, you may end up in evening twilight. If you observe later, you will begin with Oriwith a belt of three bright starson farther to the West. The green Z toward the top marks the Zenith or the point directly overhead. The size of the circles for stars increases as they are brighter.
Begin by finding Orion (The Hunter) . It is a trapezoid of bright stars in the Southwest sky with a belt of three bright stars across the middle.
If you start from Rigel in Orion and continue upward through Betelgeuse, you will come to a very bright object. This is the planet __________ which is also a binocular and telescope object in Gemini this month.
If you continue on the same line that brought you to ___________, you will come the bright star ___________.
If you move a short distance toward the horizon from that star, you will come to the somewhat brighter star ______________.
If you go back to the star at the right end of Orion’s belt and draw a line through the other belt stars toward the horizon, you will come to the very bright star _________________ which is the brightest star we can see in our skies. It is part of the constellation Canis Major. It’s nickname is the ___________. It is actually a very close double star.
If you go to the star Bellatrix on Orion’s right shoulder and extend a line through Betelgeuse on the shoulder and extend a line toward the East, you will come to the bright star ________________ in Canis Minor.
To make an entry, print out this page, write in your answers, and take a picture with your cell phone. Alternatively, submit the 7 answers (in the right order). Email the picture or a list of the answers to the email: sas_astro_challenge@kantbelievemyeyes.com.
Visual challenge for Gemini, Orion and Canis Minor and Major.
Binocular Challenge: Jupiter’s Moons
If you look at Jupiter through your binoculars or telescope you can see a maximum of four bright satellites. If you look several hours apart on the same evening or on different nights, the moons will have changed positions and there may be more or fewer visible.
Challenge: Find Jupiter in the sky. Sketch what you see of Jupiter including the bright moons. Record the date and time (hour and minute) you do this. Do the same thing a few hours later on the same night (good luck with clouds) or on the next clear night).
In the drawing, make it clear which one (if any) moved within the few hours.
To make an entry, take a picture of your dated and timed sketches with your cell phone, and email the images to the email: sas_astro_challenge@kantbelievemyeyes.com.
Telescope Challenge: The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini
In Gemini, there is a planetary nebula designated C(aldwell) 39 and ‘popularly named The Eskimo Nebula or The Clown Face Nebula. See the image below for its approximate location in the sky.
You can either draw what you see, or take a picture, depending on your setup. For those who are drawing, draw what you see, including any stars in the field to give it some context. Let us know if you see any color. Take a picture of your drawing and email it to us.
For those of you who can image through their telescope, do so and email us the image. Specify the camera you used, the frame exposure time and the number of stacked images you use (if applicable) as well as any processing you applied.
Eskimo or ClownFace Nebula in Gemini