COMETS AND ASTEROIDS

steroid 14 Irene reaches opposition in January as it tracks across the northern part of the constellation of Cancer, passing just to the south of mag. +4.0 lota (ι) Cancri. (ρ) Cancri and Rho (ρ) Cancri between 7-12 January. These stars are of mag. +6.0 and +5.2 respectively. (As an aside, Rho, or 55 Cancri, is a fascinating star located 41 light years from Earth and known to have at least five exoplanets in orbit around it.)