Terence Galuszka Astrophotography

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The Southern Cross (The Crux)

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This image is the result of fog forming over the camera lenses on a night where the temperate fell below -2C at the Phoenix Astronomy Society clubrooms, Wairarapa.  It's not the best wide angle photo I taken, however the diffusion has really brought out the star colours.

Besides the Southern Cross, there Pointers Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri (aka Hadar) stand out, so too does the Southern Pleiades IC2602, visible in the lower right side.

.Scorpius to M16

 

SAO Number m Spectral Type
252838 Alpha Centauri 1.35 G2V, K1V, K1V**
252582 Hadar    
251904 Acrux 0.77 B0.5IV
2 Acrux A 0.77 K0III
1 Acrux B 0.77 B1V
240019 Gacrux 2.7 K3-IIIa
240259 Mimosa 2.0 B2.5V
** Spectral type of Alpha Centauri binaries listed also

Charts showing stars of The Crux and "The Pointers"  

 

Table of the brightest stars. m is the apparent visual magnitude, with spectral type listed.

Note the Alpha Centauri has a spectral type of G2V, the same as our Sun. Planets are expected to be found here, maybe in the goldilocks zone...

 

Technical Details

 

  

Date

30 June 2008

Location

Wairapara

Optics

Pentax SMC 200mm F4 Lenses

Mount

Homebuilt Astrograph

Camera

Pentax K10d

Filters

S

Exposure

4mins light, 4min Dark

Acquisition

 

Processing

In camera

 

 

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