---
name: Lupus
created_by: skybber
created_date: 2021-06-29 07:25:14.221918
updated_by: skybber
updated_date: 2021-06-29 07:34:04.120598
---
Constellation of the southern sky, in our latitudes only its northern part rises above the horizon. The constellation is only beginning to be clearly visible from the southern regions of the Mediterranean. The Wolf lies on the northeastern edge of the southern Milky Way between Scorpius and Centaurus, below Libra. Its pattern is made up of several 2nd and 3rd magnitude stars, most of which belong to the vast Scorpio-Centaurus stellar association. Many of them are binaries, as can be seen in a small telescope: ε, κ (3.9mag, 5.8mag, 26.8"), μ, η (3.6mag, 7.6mag, 15") π (4 , 6mag, 4.7mag, 1.4") and ξ Lupi (5.3mag, 5.8mag, 10.4"). Like other constellations in the Milky Way, the Wolf harbors several open clusters, the brightest of which is the large NGC 5822, visible even to the trier near ζ Lupi. We also find a few planetary nebulae, globular clusters and galaxies.

In a constellation that is all adorned with the rich structure of the Milky Way near its center, there is a very remarkable dark nebula called Barnard 228. This thin but up to four degrees long dust belt can be found near the stars ψ1 and ψ2 Lupi. It looks like a narrow dark channel in the stellar field and is best seen in wide fields of large binaries that enhance the contrast between the dark nebulae and the surrounding Milky Way. Finding it in the field of view is not difficult, just move the telescope slowly eastward from the stars of ψ Lupi.

![<]($IMG_DIR/cons/Lup.png)