Sky Maps Database: Scorpius and Sagittarius

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Astronomy truly is fascinating. Especially these two. Scorpius and Sagittarius, along with Lyra, Cygnus, and Hercules make up the 5 constellations you can't miss. Not only are they easy to spot, but the objects they house are incredible. You'll see why.

Sagittarius and Scorpius are two constellations that are quite low on the horizon at our lattitudes (about 45°). To see all of scorpius, you would have to go a bit more southwards. But even at a mid-north lattitude, it's possible to see all of the wonders of these constellations. Sagittarius and Scorpius are crossed by the milky way, and when you're looking at these two, you're looking in the direction of the center of our galaxy, where resides a supermassive black hole, sagittarius A. You're looking in the direction of the sky where you're most likely to see star clusters and nebula, just try scanning this zone with a pair of binocs, you'll know what I mean! The hard thing is to know which object you're observing. That's why the maps above are here to help!

There are three nebula that truly are awesome, I'm talking about Messier 8, the Lagoon Nebula, The Triffid Nebula, and the Omega Nebula. Anyway, as you can see on the map, there lined up so easy to spot. On a clear night, you'll be able to spot the Lagoon Nebula easily with only your eyes.

Speaking of Scorpius, Messier 4 is a nice cluster to observe and easy to locate becuase it's right next to the bright star Antares. The Greeks used to call her 'Mars' rival or equal' because she was so red (remember that Ares and Mars are the same god, hence the name Antares). This star is dying. It's mass being 17 times the sun's, Antares is reaching the final phase of it's life: becoming a red supergiant. If placed in the sun's position, it would nearly be touching Jupiter, so guess where Earth and Mars would be :) Maybe tonight, or in several million years, this 600 light-year distant star will burst into a supernova, which will make it just as bright as the moon during a couple of days. Just be patient...