In a dark sky, look for M6 and M7
2 comments Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Thursday, Aug 21 2008
Now that moon is moving away from this part of the sky, look back along the Milky Way to see two very prominent star clusters, known as M6 and M7. To see them, you need to be out in the country. Bring along binoculars, to see the clusters at their best.
The starlit trail of the summer Milky Way is in the south in mid- to late evening now. This hazy band across our sky is an edgewise look into our own galaxy in space. There are many, many star clusters in the Milky Way visible though binoculars, telescopes or even just with the eye. M6 and M7 are known as galactic or open star clusters. They’re located in the plane of the Milky Way.
How can you find them? First, locate the prominent Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius. Now locate the constellation Scorpius, one of the sky’s most recognizable constellations for the graceful curve of stars in the Scorpion’s Tail. M6 and M7 are between the “Teapot” and the Tail of Scorpius. Look at the two stars at the tip of the Tail, Shaula and Lesath. If you’ll draw a line between Lesath and Shaula, this line nearly points to M7. M6 is just above M7 as you stand facing southward. These two are really very noticeable in a dark country sky! If you could see them through a telescope, you’d find that they’re irregular in shape.
M6 and M7 are relatively young star clusters. They’re groupings of stars formed from a single cloud of gas and dust in space – not unlike the cloud from which our own sun was born.
I was just looking at M6 & M7 last night for the first time, through a pair of $11 binoculars, from the middle of a city. Wonderment! And when you find M6, you are looking in the direction of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
how can keep track of Leo Minor, Virgo and Libra (constellation) daily