2.3 KiB
| name | created_by | created_date | updated_by | updated_date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cepheus | skybber | 2021-06-06 08:42:45.907258 | skybber | 2022-02-11 15:55:24.061943 |
A constellation of the northern sky extending to the celestial pole, which does not fit in our latitudes. It is formed by a rhombus lying at the elongated junction of the Big Dipper with Polaris, which peaks at midnight in late August near the zenith, and is therefore best seen in the evening during October and November. We can help us find it by using, for example, Cassiopeia - it is pointed at the 2 times elongated conjunction of the stars Shedir and Caph. Cepheus is a relatively inconspicuous constellation sandwiched between the brighter and easier to distinguish Cassiopeia and the Cygnus, although its star shape, resembling the drawing of a child's house, is easy to find under average viewing conditions: α, β, ζ and ι Cephei represent the corners of this house, with γ Cephei at the tip of its roof. The southern part of the constellation also extends into the Milky Way, and at first glance it would appear that there is not a single interesting deepsky object to be found here. But there isn't. You need to get your hands on a better binocular or at least a smaller telescope! Surprises start to emerge from the endless depths of space in the form of interesting stars, clusters and nebulae.
From the emission nebula IC 1396, a hazy but still clearly visible Milky Way bulge penetrates the Cephean rhombus, separating a narrower, darker bay in the direction of the ζ-ι Cephei line from the main Milky Way stream (continuing on to Cassiopeia). It is brightest in the vicinity of stars 18, 19 and 20 Cephei, which together with a few other fainter stars form a brightening of about three degrees. If observing conditions allow you to see even faint stars, the moon isn't exactly in the sky, and someone decides to turn off the public lighting in the area, it's worth noting that the Milky Way continues on to γ Cephei (where it is closest to Polaris) and only ends in a hazy arc at brightening at the point where most star atlases plot the large open cluster Collinder 463. Between this arc and the mainstream, a chain of dark nebulae (the Second Great Rift) very similar to the one in the Cygnus becomes apparent.