Constellation Report

This weekend we move on to the constellation Scorpius The Scorpion.

Scorpius as imaged by John Berkenpas and Anthony Arrigo of Utah Skies

Scorpius the Scorpion seems to guard the summer Milky Way. Its appearance heralds the summer constellations. This beautiful shot was taken by John Berkenpas and Anthony Arrigo of Utah Skies.

Deep Sky Report

The focus of our efforts here will be the deep sky objects of Scorpius. To find Scorpius, face due south shortly after dark. You'll see Scorpius climbing up from just above the horizon. Actually, if you have a restricted horizon, you might not even see the southern portion of the constellation. The constellation Scorpius is loaded with astronomical wonders. Whether you have a telescope or binoculars, you'll find something awesome to look at in Scorpius.

Globular Star Cluster M4 as imaged by Al Kelly

Let's start with the Globular Cluster M4 (mag 6.0).This awesome shot was taken by Al Kelly.

Next, we'll hit a nice Open Star Cluster M6(mag4.25). Also known as The Butterfly Cluster, M6 is an impressive sight. This object is just barely visible with the naked eye. It looks very nice in a telescope or binoculars. Check out the nebulosity so beautifully captured in the accompanying image.

Moving on about 3.5° to the northwest we come to another impressive Open Star Cluster, M7 (mag 3.5). M6 and M7 provide a nice contrast for observers. Again, this is easily visible to the naked eye to the southwest of M6. It looks absolutely stunning in a small telescope.

Checkout this awesome shot of lower Scorpius by Jerry Lodriguss.There is so much happening in this area you could spend days examining it and still miss a bunch of stuff. The cluster to the upper right is M6, while the cluster towards the bottom is M7.

Moving on, we come to a beautiful Globular Star Cluster M80(mag7.2). This is another easy target given its (relatively) high northern declination. Binoculars are about all it takes to find and view the soft glow of the cluster. In telescopes of around 6-8", you'll begin to resolve the individual stars, while 10-12" ought to pull stars from the core.

Next up is Open Star Cluster, NGC6124(mag6)...

...and Open Star Cluster, NGC6231(mag2.75).

Continuing along we come to a sweet Globular Star Cluster, NGC6388(mag7).

Diffuse Nebula NGC6334 as imaged by The Anglo-Australian Observatory

Here we have Diffuse Nebula, NGC6334. This awesome shot was taken by The Anglo-Australian Observatory.

Diffuse Nebula NGC6357 as imaged by Herm Perez

Here's another nice Diffuse Nebula, NGC6357(mag13.6).

This incredible image comes from former Utah Skies Astrophotographer of the Month, Herm Perez

Diffuse Nebula IC4628

as imaged by James Janusz

Moving right along, we come to another nice Diffuse Nebula, IC4628. This shot was taken by James Janusz of www.astroimager.net You should definitely checkout his site when you get a chance.

Planetary Nebula NGC6302 as imaged by Al Kelly and Ed Grafton

Next we come to our Utah Skies Challenge Object, Planetary Nebula NGC6302(mag13). Also known as the Bug Nebula. This very cool pic was taken by Al Kelly and Ed Grafton on 7/20/01 through a 32" f/4 reflecting telescope. The image you see is the combination of several long exposures digitally "stacked". So, remember that this is a faint object. Don't expect to see the level of detail or the color captured in this image. On the other hand, at mag 13 and located as it is near some bright stars, you should be able to find this object with telescopes in the 6-8" range. It ought to begin to look interesting as you move beyond the 10-12" range. Perhaps we'll view this object at our next star party?

Good Luck!

This is a wide angle shot of the area taken by Jerry Lodriguss. Checkout Jerry's site when you get a chance. Jerry's got some awesome rich field shots. In the meantime, click on the image for an annotated version of the shot.

Just look at the amount of nebulosity, our galaxy's dust lanes, star clusters. What an incredible view of the southern Milky Way!