Close-up on constellation Lyra the Harp
Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Monday, Apr 21 2008
Here’s the constellation Lyra again – a closer look than yesterday. This constellation is the radiant point of the Lyrid meteor shower, which peaks tonight – but which is drowned in bright moonlight in 2008.
You might see a meteor in the light of the moon, however. And if you’re standing out there looking tonight, try checking out some of the stars in Lyra. This tiny but prominent constellation represents a lyre, an ancient musical instrument that is essentially a small harp. The constellation is dominated by the brilliant star Vega, but there are several other interesting sights for small telescopes. One is the star Epsilon, just to the lower left of Vega on our chart. This is the famed double-double star, which means that in binoculars it appears as a double star, but each of those stars also appears as a double in a telescope. In other words, the single point we see with the eye as Epsilon is at least four stars.
Another interesting object is M57, the Ring Nebula, located between the Beta and Gamma stars of Lyra. These are the two stars farthest from Vega, and to the lower right on the chart. M57 is roughly halfway between them, and appears as a faint ellipse – like a smoke ring – in a telescope. It is a planetary nebula, the remant of a sun-like star that has died.
