Constellation tour in Spring
Centaurus

Click on image to enlarge

Date & Time: Jun 3 2022, from 21:01 to 21:16 JST(+0900)
Composed 6 shots with 3 minutes exposed
Optical: AF zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm (f=24mm, stop:F4.5)
with Kenko PRO Softon Clear filters
Auto-guided with Kenko SKYMEMO Equatorial
Digital Camera: Nikon D810A
Location: Furudono town, Fukushima pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...14bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(7360×4912)
Device Size...FX format (36×24mm)
Sensitivity...ISO1600, White Balance...Daylight



Astroarts StellaNavigator 		Centaurus is one of the largest constellations visible at the lower southern sky in spring, positioned at the south of Virgo. Although the figure of Centaurus is seen only the upper part of that around Tokyo, it includes two bright stars with 0th magnitudes at the front hooves. The constellation marks Cheiron, the king of the Centaurus with the body of half-man, half-beast. He has a sword waving menacingly toward Lupus, the Wolf on the east.
The companion of principal star at the Centaur's foot, αCentauri (Rigil Kentaurus), Proxima Centauri, is well known as the closest star from the solar system, about 4.3 light years away. And the constellation has a very spectacular globular cluster of the Omega Cluster at the back. The cluster is easily detected only with naked eyes as a normal star with about third magnitude.
The lower part of Centaurus is bathed in the "spring's Milky Way" invisible at Japan. It must be true that the view of the constellation seeing at the Southern Hemisphere is extremely splendid, the Southern Cross is positioned just south of Centaurus.
This image has been cropped with an equivalent focal length of 50mm.


Click on image to enlarge

Full view of Centaurus right on the equator

Date & Time: Apr 25 2018, from 20:46 to 20:49 SST(+0800)
Mosaic of 2 flames of 8sec.×4shots (Composed in lighten mode)
Optical: f=4.9mm, Aperture: F3.5 (f=28mm in 35mm-film format)
Fixed on tripod
Digital Camera: Ricoh CX3
Location: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Camera Settings: Recording Format...JPEG-FINE (3648×2736)
Sensitivity...ISO400, White Balance...Auto


This image shows you the full view of Centaurus taken at Singapore. You can detect two 0th magnitude stars of αCen (Rigil Kentaurus) and βCen (Hadar) are paralleling just east of Crux (The Southern Cross). Those stars are forming the fore legs of Centaurus.


Guide for Deep Sky Objects

Omega Cluster .....Largest globular cluster in heavens, forming the constellation as a star
NGC5102 .....Small galaxy 17' east of iota Cen.
NGC5128 .....Famous radio Galaxy as "Centaurus A" positioned 4 deg north of Omega Cluster
NGC5253 .....Irregular galaxy near a border to Hydra
Shapley8 (Abell3558) .....The one of largest galactic cluster in northern region, 640 million ly away



Crater
Vela,Pyxis & Antlia

Copyright(c) 2022 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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