NEW TAC GAME

[Paul Alsing]

I'm breaking the rules and sending this 2 hours before "tomorrow" because I'm leaving very early in order to get to GSSP early to lay out the roads, which is my deal. Forgive me. You be good and don't answer until tomorrow. Do as I say, not as I do!

This is an open cluster, often visible in binos, it is claimed, but I myself have not tried. I thought it was widely known, but every time I get it into the eyepiece, some folks say they have not heard of it before! It is all about triangles and its colloquial name is also the name of a movie. It sits quite close to a spectacular galaxy along the Virgo/Corvus border.

In between my object and the galaxy is another asterism, which I call "The gun", which is aiming at the galaxy," but has a different "official" name, which would spoil the game if I told you what it is! So, this is a 2-fer!

These should be an easy ones... I think I gave too many clues!

\Paul

PS... I'm on the road early on Wednesday so I may be late in responding... but if you know the objects, you know it right away! Distinctly unique objects!

[Akarsh Simha]

On Tue, Jul 7, 2026 at 10:06 PM Paul Alsing <pnal...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm breaking the rules and sending this 2 hours before "tomorrow" because I'm leaving very early in order to get to GSSP early to lay out the roads, which is my deal. Forgive me. You be good and don't answer until tomorrow. Do as I say, not as I do!

This is an open cluster, often visible in binos, it is claimed, but I myself have not tried. I thought it was widely known, but every time I get it into the eyepiece, some folks say they have not heard of it before! It is all about triangles and its colloquial name is also the name of a movie. It sits quite close to a spectacular galaxy along the Virgo/Corvus border.

In between my object and the galaxy is another asterism, which I call "The gun", which is aiming at the galaxy," but has a different "official" name, which would spoil the game if I told you what it is! So, this is a 2-fer!

These should be an easy ones... I think I gave too many clues!

I know the galaxy, but I don't know of the open cluster! Are you talking about the nearly equilateral triangle of stars with a bright double star in its center? Is that the open cluster?

 

\Paul

PS... I'm on the road early on Wednesday so I may be late in responding... but if you know the objects, you know it right away! Distinctly unique objects!

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[Akarsh Simha]

Okay well, I'm pretty certain I figured it out, but I didn't know the official names of these things. I obviously independently "discovered" these as a kid, but after my above response I did do a Google Search and it lines up. I'm not sure if I "win" this one since although I knew what you were talking about, I didn't know their names enough to just "call it".

[Paul Alsing]

Anyone else want to take a stab at it.? The galaxy's colloquial name is a type of hat!