dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (07/27/85)
Ordinary binoculars will make any constellation look better than ever. More on what you'll see with binoculars in the constellation Scorpius -- in just a moment. July 27 Scorpius with Binoculars Saturday night the moon is visible near the red star Antares -- the fiery heart of the constellation Scorpius. The rest of this constellation extends southward from Antares. You'll see it as a looping pattern of stars that really resembles a scorpion's tail. If you find Scorpius, and come to know it -- wait until some night when the moon is down to look at the constellation through binoculars. You'll be surprised at what you see. First of all, binoculars bring out the colors of stars. The red star Antares -- the star at the scorpion's heart -- will look even redder through binoculars. At least two other red stars lie within the body of the scorpion -- and binoculars will help you see which ones they are. Also, several stars in Scorpius that look single to the naked eye are seen through binoculars to be double. Finally, you can see a star cluster in Scorpius if you look in a very dark sky. This cluster can be found at the crook of the scorpion's tail, at the place where it turns eastward. The official name for the cluster is NGC6231 -- but you don't need to remember that. Just remember to look at the crook of the scorpion's tail with binoculars for something that looks hazy -- not like a star! It's really a star cluster. And by the way, if you're looking in a dark sky, move your binoculars slightly to the east to find the best binocular target of all -- the glittering arc of the Milky Way -- now becoming very prominent in the evening. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin