The Sky at Night Phần 7 pptx

98 24 Scorpion in the Sky

and contains several hundred thousand stars. The full diameter is 95 light-years,

and near the centre the individual stars are so close together that collisions must

sometimes occur. In May 1861, a nova flared up in the cluster and briefly outshone

all the other cluster members combined; it was given a designation – T-Scorpii – but

has never reappeared. It was probably an ordinary nova, a one-off, but M80 is worth

monitoring.

Adjoining Scorpius are the beautiful clouds of the star Rho Ophiuchi, and the

whole region is exceptionally rich. So, when the sky is clear, go and seek out the

Scorpion, with its red leader, its chain of bright stars, and its wonderful star fields.

There is no other constellation quite like it.