Paul Money is an astronomy writer and broadcaster, and the reviews editor of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Fuzzy blobs - that's often what new stargazers viewing a globular cluster think when they spot their first one. It's true that these concentrations of ancient stars, ranging in number from tens of thousands to millions, can be a bit lacking in their visual impact with smaller instruments, not quite resembling the stunning images you'll regularly see online or in our Gallery pages. Yet, with care, a little more aperture, and yes, by capturing the objects with an astrophoto, a globular cluster's own 'personality' - the detail that makes them interesting and enjoyable to view - shines through.
All about globulars
You could argue that the first globular cluster seen was Omega Centauri, listed by Johann Bayer in his Uranometria in 1603. But that very designation belies the fact it was visible to the naked eye and considered a star. The first globular defined as a 'nebula' was accidentally discovered by the German amateur astronomer Abraham Ihle in 1665, one we now know as M22 in Sagittarius. More were quickly discovered, but their nature was still not properly understood. They were still described as nebulous patches or round spots of cloud until 1764, when Charles Messier resolved stars in M4.
William Herschel coined the term 'globular cluster' in 1786, when he found he could resolve the objects into clouds of stars. Herschel's revelation may stem not just from his visual acuity but from the growing apertures of the instruments at his disposal, mainly reflectors he produced himself.
この記事は BBC Sky at Night Magazine の September 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は BBC Sky at Night Magazine の September 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Could We Find Aliens by Looking for Their Solar Panels?- Designed to reflect ultraviolet and infrared, the panels have a unique fingerprint
Researchers searching for life beyond Earth spend a lot of time thinking about what telltale signs might be detectable astronomically. Forms of unambiguous evidence for the presence of life on another world are known as biosignatures. By extension, techno signatures are indicators of activity by intelligent, civilisation-building life.
Antimatter- In our continuing series, Govert Schilling looks at antimatter, the strange counterpart to most of the matter filling our Universe
Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.
Where Have All The Milky Way's Early Stars Gone?- Our Galaxy has a curious lack of pristine stars
The Big Bang produced a Universe filled almost exclusively with hydrogen and helium; all other elements - what astronomers call metals - were produced by stars, supernovae and everything that happens later. So if you can pick out a pristine star with no metals polluting it from among the billions in the Milky Way, then you are likely to have a star dating from our Galaxy's earliest days.
Inside The Sky At Night - Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST
Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST. In July's Sky at Night, we discovered what she's learned since then.
How to stack DSLR data in Siril
Easily combine multiple frames to boost detailin your astro photos
Lunar occultation of Saturn
You'll need to strike a balance on 21 August to capture the Moon covering the ringed planet
How to plot a variable star light curve
A rewarding project to chart stars that change brightness
Smartphone photography with a telescope
Mary Mcintyre explains how to get impressive night-sky images using your phone
Once-a-century solar storm is overdue
If a Carrington Event struck today it would be catastrophic, says Minna Palmroth
The new era of human spaceflight
There's been a step-change in crewed space missions since the dawn of the 21st century. Ben Evans charts its course and looks ahead to future horizons