Charlie Hein
Postmaster
Reged: 11/02/03
Loc: 26.06.08N, +80.23.08W
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"The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
#5657668 - 02/02/13 07:57 AM
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"The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
By Will Young
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Polaris_PL
journeyman
Reged: 11/30/06
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Charlie Hein]
#5661132 - 02/04/13 04:39 AM
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Hello,
in Poland we call it a "Cat's Paw". It's quite famous, tiny asterism inside the real jewel of autumn sky.
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darthwyll
member
Reged: 03/29/10
Loc: Southeast Texas
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Polaris_PL]
#5661568 - 02/04/13 11:24 AM
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That's really cool. I've never really heard anyone talk much about it in the States. To me it was obvious as soon as I saw it. Thanks for reading!
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Loc: Conneaut, Ohio
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: darthwyll]
#5661765 - 02/04/13 01:17 PM
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Nice ,Ive looked at the double cluster hundreds of times and never noticed it, but then again I lack imagination sometimes.
By the way the link you included below your name, doesnt work.
Thanks for sharing this
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John Kuraoka
sage
Reged: 12/12/12
Loc: Sunny San Diego, CA
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: droid]
#5661942 - 02/04/13 02:53 PM
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I love it - and I love the "Cat's Paw" name too. I'm definitely going to look for it the next clear sky I get.
By the way, minor typo: toward the end of the second paragraph, it reads "NGC86" instead of "NGC869."
Thanks for the new way (to me, anyway) to look at the double cluster!
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darthwyll
member
Reged: 03/29/10
Loc: Southeast Texas
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: John Kuraoka]
#5661985 - 02/04/13 03:22 PM
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The web addres is www.asset-astronomer.org
Strange that it didn't work. Thanks for spotting the typo, John. Hopefully I can edit that in. It is indeed supposed to be NGC869.
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jjack's
member
Reged: 04/01/12
Loc: normandy
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: darthwyll]
#5665698 - 02/06/13 05:24 PM
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For me it's the smiling devil. It have some curved horns over is head !
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Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: jjack's]
#5666397 - 02/07/13 02:28 AM
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To me it always looked like an eye with a tired 'bag' suspended under it.
TBH though, i like your 'Smiling Cyclops' idea a lot better. 
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rkrdr
member
Reged: 03/18/08
Loc: Southeast Texas
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: darthwyll]
#5666683 - 02/07/13 09:16 AM
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Excellent article, sir. I enjoyed reading it and immediately knew what you were talking about!
Welcome to CN.
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zawijava
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/06/07
Loc: Wells, Maine 04090
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Charlie Hein]
#5667838 - 02/07/13 08:48 PM
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I've been calling it the "Cyclops Smiley Face" for quite some time now....Club Members here are likely tired of hearing it from me every time I look/show the Double Cluster 
Quote:
"The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
By Will Young
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csa/montana
Den Mama
Reged: 05/14/05
Loc: montana
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Charlie Hein]
#5669133 - 02/08/13 02:01 PM
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Great article. I've not noticed this asterism before, so am glad attention is drawn to it for others like me, that haven't seen it!
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Doug Culbertson
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/06/05
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: csa/montana]
#5669143 - 02/08/13 02:05 PM
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You know, that asterism has always been one of the first things I noticed when looking at the Double Cluster, but I never thought of the possiblilty of it being named. OK, it's the second thing I notice, right after the carbon stars.
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FractorFiend
newbie
Reged: 11/22/11
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Doug Culbertson]
#5670765 - 02/09/13 01:30 PM
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Somebody introduced it to me as the "Cowboy Cluster". He's upside down in the image. The "smile" is his hat, the "eye" is the knot in his bolo tie, and you can see his chaps extending away on the other side.
It's easily overlooked because you need to put some power on it, and one usually starts at pretty low power on the double cluster.
Deane
Edited by FractorFiend (02/09/13 01:32 PM)
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plav1959
sage
Reged: 05/10/07
Loc: Central Florida
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: Doug Culbertson]
#5674646 - 02/11/13 07:14 PM
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I've always heard it referred to as Stick Man.
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PhilH
sage
Reged: 01/27/05
Loc: Long Island, NY
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Re: "The Smiling Cyclops", an asterism.
[Re: plav1959]
#5675292 - 02/12/13 06:02 AM
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Quote:
I've always heard it referred to as Stick Man.
Paul,
You might be thinking of the open cluster Stock 2, which lies next to the Double Cluster. That's often referred to as the "Muscleman Cluster" or "Strongman Cluster.:
Here's a quote from my November 2009 Binocular Universe e-column, which you can read right here on CN:
Quote:
John Davis from Amherst, Massachusetts, mentioned to me more than 20 years ago that the brighter stars [of Stock 2] almost look like a headless stick figure flexing his muscles, christening it the "Muscleman Cluster." His legs stretch out in two straight lines to the east, while his flexing arms curve to the west, above his long, albeit headless neck. Others remark that the pattern is more reminiscent of a pirouetting ballerina, again sans head. Muscleman or ballerina not withstanding, the next time you are drinking in the beauty of the Double Cluster, be sure to swing northward and spot Stock 2 in the same field of view.
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