Earthsky Tonight — April 18, Spica, your guide star to Omega Centauri
Posted By Gary Wamsley On April 17, 2010 @ 10:16 pm In Earth & Sky | Comments Disabled
Courtesy of EarthSky
A Clear Voice for Science
www.EarthSky.org [1]
[2]
[3]Silvery-blue Spica, the only prominent star in the constellation Virgo, acts as your guide to the Omega Centauri globular star cluster. To the unaided eye, Omega Centauri looks like a fairly faint (and possibly fuzzy) star. Very few of the Milky Way galaxy’s 250 or so globular clusters [4] are readily visible without optics.
To find Spica, extend the curve of the Big Dipper handle, as illustrated on our April 4 [5] EarthSky Tonight. Spica transits – climbs to its highest point in the sky – around midnight tonight. Spica’s precise transit time for your sky is available at the US Naval Observatory [6]. Spica – like any star – transits 4 minutes earlier with each passing night.
As seen from mid-northern latitudes, Spica and Omega Centauri transit due south in concert. Look for Omega Centauri about 35 degrees directly below Spica. (A fist at an arm-length approximates 10 degrees.)
People living south of 35 degrees north latitude have a realistic chance of spotting Omega Centauri, though it’s been seen as far north as Point Pelee, Canada (42 degrees north). Best appreciated with a telescope, Omega Centauri [7], the largest and brightest of all globular star clusters, is a globe-shaped stellar city, teeming with millions of stars!
Related:
Omega Centauri: Largest and brightest star cluster [8]
Written by Bruce McClure
Other Links:
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA/JPL [9]
CHANDRA Photo Album [10]
U.S. Naval Observator Astronomical Information cente [11]r
StarDate Online [12]
Sky and Telescope [13]
National Geographic [14]
Space Com [15]
Amazing Space [16]
The York County Astronomical Society [17]
Scope City [18]
Article printed from Recorder Online: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com
URL to article: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2010/04/17/earthsky-tonight-%e2%80%94-april-18-spica-your-guide-star-to-omega-centauri/
URLs in this post:
[1] www.EarthSky.org: http://www.EarthSky.org
[2] Image: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Moon_phases-waxing-crecent.jpg
[3] Image: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/10apr18_430.jpg
[4] globular clusters: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/globclust.html
[5] April 4: http://earthsky.org/es-tonight/drive-a-spike-to-spica
[6] US Naval Observatory: http://earthsky.org/article/sunrisesunset-moonrisemoonset-almanacs
[7] Omega Centauri: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020416.html
[8] Omega Centauri: Largest and brightest star cluster: http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/omega-centauri-milky-ways-prize-star-cluster
[9] Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA/JPL: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
[10] CHANDRA Photo Album: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/
[11] U.S. Naval Observator Astronomical Information cente: http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/astronomical-information-center/astronomical-information-center
[12] StarDate Online: http://stardate.org/
[13] Sky and Telescope: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/
[14] National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/
[15] Space Com: http://www.space.com/nightsky/
[16] Amazing Space: http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/tonights_sky/
[17] The York County Astronomical Society: http://www.ycas.org/tonights_sky.htm
[18] Scope City: http://www.scopecity.net/
Click here to print.