Aquila and Scutum - Downloadable article
Dazzling clusters and nebulae decorate this celestial duo.
By
Tom Polakis —
Published:
March 3, 2009This downloadable article is from an Astronomy magazine 45-article series called "Celestial Portraits." The collection highlights all 88 constellations in the sky and explains how to observe each constellation's deep-sky targets. The articles feature star charts, stunning pictures, and constellation mythology. We've put together 11 digital packages. Each one contains four Celestial Portraits articles for you to purchase and download.
"Aquila and Scutum" is one of four articles included in Celestial Portraits Package 6.
Warm summer months bring with them some of the year's most appealing nighttime skies. With the Milky Way boasting its richest star fields, many constellations offer observers numerous deep-sky surprises. Sandwiched between Sagittarius and Cygnus along the river of the Milky Way lies Aquila, the Eagle, and its tiny neighbor Scutum, the Shield. Although these two constellations contrast greatly, each offers a wide array of astronomical objects to fill those lazy summer nights.
Although Aquila contains few nebulae and clusters and is devoid of Messier objects, this large constellation holds many other celestial treats wellworth searching for. The nearby star Altair, flanked by the bright stars Beta (β) and Gamma (γ) Aquilae, serves as the starting point for navigating through Aquila. From a distance of 17 light-years, it shines with the light of 11 suns. A line drawn from Altair through the 3rd-magnitude stars Lambda (λ) and Delta (δ) Aquilae divides the constellation. Moving northwest of this line, the luminous band of the Milky Way becomes more and more prominent, while the starry glow dies off abruptly to the southeast where dim galaxies prevail. To read the complete article, purchase and download Celestial Portraits Package 6.
|
Deep-sky objects in Aquila and Scutum
NGC 6649, M26 (NGC 6694), M11 (NGC 6705), NGC 6709, NGC 6712, B114-B118, IC 1295, NGC 6741, NGC 6749, NGC 6751, NGC 6755, NGC 6760, NGC 6772, NGC 6778, NGC 6781, NGC 6804, B143 |
Package 6 contains the following Celestial Portraits articles
|