Scorpius
“Just So Science” – The Winter Wonders | Just So Science
Scorpius Rising As we quickly approach the middle of Winter, are also treated to both the best observing conditions of the year (when its not raining that is!) and a plethora of gorgeous sights up in the night sky.
Butterfly Cluster
The Butterfly Cluster (cataloged as Messier 6 or M6 , and as NGC 6405 ) is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius . Its name derives from the vague resemblance of its shape to a butterfly . The first astronomer to record the Butterfly Cluster's existence was Giovanni Battista Hodierna in 1654.
Messier 7
Messier 7 or M7 , also designated NGC 6475 and sometimes known as the Ptolemy Cluster , [ 4 ] is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius . The cluster is easily detectable with the naked eye , close to the "stinger" of Scorpius. M7 has been known since antiquity ; it was first recorded by the 1st-century Greek-Roman astronomer Ptolemy , who described it as a nebula in 130 AD. [ 5 ] Italian astronomer Giovanni Batista Hodierna observed it before 1654 and counted 30 stars in it.
Messier 80 (also known as M80 or NGC 6093 ) is a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius . It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781.
Messier 80
Antares (α Scorpii, α Sco, Alpha Scorpii) is a red supergiant star in the Milky Way galaxy and the sixteenth brightest star in the nighttime sky.
Antares
NGC 6302 (also called the Bug Nebula , Butterfly Nebula , or Caldwell 69 ) is a bipolar planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius .
NGC 6302
Messier 4
Messier 4 or M4 (also designated NGC 6121 ) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Scorpius . It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1746 and catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764.