|
Constellation Report |
|
 This weekend we move on to the constellation Libra the Scales.
Libra is one of the 12 zodiac signs - the last to be "officially" recognized. Going back to the very earliest astronomical writings, the stars of Libra were actually considered to be a part of neighboring Scorpius. Alpha Librae, known also as Zubenelgenubi, is Arabic meaning "the southern claw". Beta Librae or Zubeneschamali, is "the northern claw".
Back around 1200 B.C. the location of Alpha Librae coincided with the Autumnal Equinox. It was around that time that the Greeks and Romans began referring to Libra as the scales, weighing the lengths of night and day.
|
|
|
Deep Sky Report |
The focus of our efforts here will be the deep sky objects of Libra
|
 Ok, let's start things off with Spiral Galaxy NGC5915(mag12) . This is the compact, odd shaped galaxy at the center of the accompanying image. While not exactly bursting with detail, it is part of an interesting galaxy cluster. All three galaxies should easily fit in a low power field of view.
|
 Next we'll hit Spiral Galaxy NGC5878(mag11.5) . This is a more classically shaped spiral galaxy. It is tilted about 30° from edge-on, giving us a nice view of it's spiral arms. |
 Continuing along we come to a sweet Globular Cluster NGC5897(mag8.5) . While this object is a bit too far south for optimum viewing, you'll no doubt enjoy this cluster. Spanning almost 1/4°, you should have no trouble tracking this object down. Once you lock in on it, crank up the magnification a notch. This sweet shot was taken by Utah Skies own Don Brown from right here in Park City. |
 Continuing along we come to Spiral Galaxy NGC5756(mag13) . This rather small galaxy won't give you a whole bunch of detail. Suffice it to say that you'll need 8-10" of aperture just to find this. Were it not for the fact that the first 3 of our 4 deep sky objects were grouped in the middle of the constellation, this probably would have been this weeks challenge object. |
 Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, Spiral Galaxy NGC5792(mag12) This object is brighter, but much bigger than our previous object. As such, it has a lower surface brightness. While it is on the outskirts of Libra, it is close enough to a couple stars in eastern Virgo that you should find it fairly easily.
Good Luck! |
Newsfeed
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Moon
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
