Wednesday, 12 September 2012

The Constellation Cygnus

This image is a mosaic, showing clouds of colourful gas and dark lanes of dust. The light from the gas and dust is too faint for the human eye to see; long exposure times and special filters were used.

Cygnus is a northern constellation which lies on the plane of the Milky Way; the name is the Latin word for swan. It was first catalogued by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy; it is one of the 88 modern constellations. The constellation contains the Northern Cross, Cygnus X-1, the stars Deneb and Albireo, the Fireworks Galaxy, the Pelican Nebula, the North American Nebula, the Crescent Nebula, and the Veil Nebula.

Cygnus is the 16th largest constellation in the night sky, and occupies an area of 804 square degrees. It is in the fourth quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -40°.

Photo: CONSTELLATION OF CYGNUS

This image is a mosaic, showing clouds of colourful gas and dark lanes of dust. The light from the gas and dust is too faint for the human eye to see; long exposure times and special filters were used. 

Cygnus is a northern constellation which lies on the plane of the Milky Way; the name is the Latin word for swan. It was first catalogued by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy; it is one of the 88 modern constellations. The constellation contains the Northern Cross, Cygnus X-1, the stars Deneb and Albireo, the Fireworks Galaxy, the Pelican Nebula, the North American Nebula, the Crescent Nebula, and the Veil Nebula.

Cygnus is the 16th largest constellation in the night sky, and occupies an area of 804 square degrees. It is in the fourth quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -40°.

-TEL

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2012/sep/07/astronomy-photographer-year-2012-pictures?CMP=twt_fd#/?picture=395093963&index=5; http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/cygnus-constellation/
Image: J-P Mets vainio/Royal Observatory

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