(Posted 11/14/2019)
By: Steve Goldberg
Asterism: a grouping of stars that form a recognizable pattern.
This month’s asterism is called the “Engagement Ring”. If you noticed the Declination, +88o, you should have thought that it is pretty far north. Well, Polaris is the “diamond” on the ring.
This is a binocular object instead of a telescope object.
Here you can see the stars that make up the ring. They are “above” Polaris in this picture.
If you use a telescope, can you see the companion to Polaris? It is a double star system. When aligning my optics on my telescope, I look for the companion to verify I am on Polaris.