Astropedia
Diamonds, jewels, points of light
What makes the sky so different tonight?
Something has changed, pray not my sight.
No, nothing so wrong to cause me fright....
Although not quite as large to the naked eye as M31, M51, aka the Whirlpool Galaxy, is still quite a sight. Although much farther away (approximately 31 million light years away from Earth) the Whirlpool Galaxy is still an awesome object in the night sky....
One of the most amazing objects in the night sky would have to be M31, aka the Andromeda Galaxy. At approximately 2.9 million light years away, Andromeda is our closest neighboring galaxy and has been an object of obsession for astronomers for millennia....
Located approximately 7,500 light years away in the constellation of Perseus, the Double Cluster is a beautiful pair of relatively young star clusters (approximately 13 million years old!)....
Located in the southern skies, Omega Centauri is a brilliant globular cluster that lies approximately 17,000 light years away. The cluster itself is thought to be about 150 light years across, making it the most massive cluster in the Milky Way....
Throughout the year multiple star clusters are visible under the skies above Mauna Kea. These beautiful celestial bodies composed of anywhere from one hundred to over one million stars!...
Located approximately 4,000 light years away, in the constellation of Sagittarius, the Lagoon Nebula is a gas cluster that is about 33 light years across....
The constellation of Orion, called Ka Heihei o na keiki in Hawaiian, is arguably one of the most recognizable constellation, world-wide, because it can be seen from both the northern and southern hemisphere....
