Utah Skies Astronomy Resource | The Amateur Astronomer's Resource

Utah Skies
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Constellation Report

Our Constellation Report is an easy way for people to become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated with a particular constellation as well as describing the numerous deep sky objects residing within its boundaries. No equipment is required to view the constellations, though a star chart can be quite helpful. This ease of observing makes constellations a natural place to begin your journey to the stars.

This weekend we move on to the constellation Delphinius the Dolphin.

Deep Sky Report
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Delphinius. Delphinius is located just southeast of the constellation Sagitta, which we covered recently. Delphinius kind of looks like a dolphin... NOT.. Well not exactly anyway... We begin our journey through Delphinius with a visit to the double star Gamma Delphinius. This yellowish pair, located in the northeast corner of the constellation are magnitudes 4.3 and 5.1. They are separated by 9.2" -- making them an easy target for a good pair of binoculars or a decent telescope. Estimates place this duo at a distance of about 100 light years. Gamma Delphinius is the nose of the dolphin. While you're in the area, you'll also want to take a peak at Struve 2725, a tighter double which, depending on your magnification level, may even be in the same field of view. This pair contains a stars of mag7.3 & and mag8.0 with a 5.7" separation.
Let's continue by observing Globular Cluster NGC7006 (mag10.6). This star cluster is one of our galaxy's most remote, with distance estimates ranging from around 110,000 light years to almost 200,000 light years! NGC7006 has a diameter of 2.8'. This small size, coupled with it's relative brightness should make this object relatively easy to find in telescopes down to about 6" in aperture. Larger instruments will begin to reveal some of the individual stars. To find NGC7006, return to Gamma Delphinius (above) and move 15' due east.
Also in Delphinius is another globular cluster NGC6934(mag8.9). This large bright globular appears considerably brighter than NGC7006 because it is significantly closer. Estimates place NGC6934 about 50,000 light years from us. Since many of the stars in this cluster are in the mag 14 to mag 15 range, you'll still need a pretty big telescope to resolve it's individual stars. However, it's relative brightness should make it easy to find. This object is on the Deep Sky Binocular Clubs observing list. As such, it should "theoretically" be visible in a pair of 7x50 binoculars.
We'll wrap up our journey through Delphinius with a visit to this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, the Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC6928(mag12.6). This small galaxy is about 2.2' x 0.8'. What should help you in locating this object is it's place in the center of a small galaxy cluster. NGC6928 will be the brightest galaxy in the bunch. Good Luck!