Western entry chart for the Virgo Realm of the Galaxies
I have always had trouble getting accurate scope pointing in the Realm of the Galaxies (the Virgo Supercluster) beneath Com B. The May Sky & Telescope suggests an asterism - the Little Pleaides - to ease western entry from beta Leo. Western Entry to Realm of the Galaxies - Little Pleaides Asterism http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3207 The Little Pleaides asterism is located about 6 degs on an RA sweep from beta Leo and contains 6 Com (5 mag) as its brightest star. The Little Pleaides asterism is useful for locating and synchronizing computer controlled scopes on M98 - which is next to 6 Com and M99 which is next to another prominent star in the asterism. Once computer control is resynched with the Realm, moving to the numerous nearby galaxies is easy. The Little Pleaides asterism is easily located under at mag 5 sky at Little Mtn using 5 deg TFOV binoculars. beta Leo, omi Vir and 6 Com make a nice equilateral triangle about 6 degs on a side. Center your binos in this imaginary triangle using the brighter beta Leo and omi Vir. Then travel up slighty to the celestial northeast and you will see the Little Pleaides. The same principle applies with a 4 deg telescope finder. From my mag 3.5 to 4.0 apartment in the Avenues, the Little Pleaides is difficult to find. It appears as a flag asterism in 10 x 50 binos because light pollution washes out the faintest star in the Pleaides-like asterism. I have not checked my Celestron and Meade 497 handcontrollers to see if 6 Com (SAO100012) comes up. As we get ready for the weather constrained start of season - practicing finding the Little Pleaides asterism after work under an urban or suburban sky is a good prepatory warm-up to get ready for a clear late April or May weekend. Clear Skies - Kurt
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Canopus56