In Episode SH036 of Star Hopping…
We’ll look at the Sagitta, Delphinus, and Equuleus region, and show you how to find the loose globular cluster Messier 71, the nearly naked eye globular Messier 2, and the top-tier globular cluster, Messier 15.
Intro
Well, we’ll continue on with three easy targets for smaller telescopes this week, and again, they’re all globulars. But as I said when we were hunting galaxies, that’s what’s up now! But globulars are bright and beautiful and generally pretty easy to locate, so they are great targets for smaller telescopes or binoculars.
“Now” actually with respect to this episode is late June, as I’m covering the summer early, since I’ll be off on the European Astronomy Tour in just a few weeks’ time now! More about that at the end of today’s episode.
Well below the summer triangle lies three tiny constellations that you may not have heard about. They are Sagitta the Arrow, Delphinus the Dolphin, and Equuleus the little horse.
Sagitta should sound familiar as we discussed Sagittarius last week. As Sagitta is the arrow and Sagittarius is the centaur with a bow or the Archer, you can see the root of the two constellation names.
Delphinus is a tiny diamond shaped constellation that lies between Sagitta and Equuleus the little horse. Just below Equuleus is the massive constellation of Pegasus, the great winged horse.
Of the three, Sagitta is now the highest, lying close to the head of Cygnus the Swan, marked by the bright double star Alberio that we discussed a couple weeks ago. So let’s tackle the pretty globular in that small pointy constellation, right after this message…
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Credits for this Episode
- Star Chart Images & Simulations Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy http://SkySafariAstronomy.com.
- M2 image by Blue Mountain Vista Observatory
- M71 image by the Hubble Space Telescope
- M15 image by the Hubble Space Telescope