))
NGC 1502
Archived series ("HTTP Redirect" status)
Replaced by: StarDate Premium Audio
When?
This feed was archived on February 01, 2017 16:37 (
Why? HTTP Redirect status. The feed permanently redirected to another series.
What now? If you were subscribed to this series when it was replaced, you will now be subscribed to the replacement series. This series will no longer be checked for updates. If you believe this to be in error, please check if the publisher's feed link below is valid and contact support to request the feed be restored or if you have any other concerns about this.
Manage episode 171389277 series 1354067
Content provided by McDonald Observatory. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by McDonald Observatory or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
For the casual skywatcher, Camelopardalis, the giraffe, is a dud. Only a few of its stars are visible to the unaided eye, and you need dark skies to see even those.
With binoculars, though, you can pick out several pretty sights within the giraffe’s borders. One example is Kemble’s Cascade — a string of about 20 stars along the giraffe’s neck. The stars aren’t related to each other — they just happen to line up in the same direction in the sky.
Near one end of the cascade, though, is a group of several dozen stars that are related: the star cluster NGC 1502. It stands high above the North Star in mid evening.
The cluster is a few thousand light-years away, although the exact distance is uncertain. The cluster’s age is uncertain, too, although it’s probably only a few million years.
One clue to the age is the types of stars the cluster contains. Many of the stars of NGC 1502 are much bigger, brighter, and hotter than the Sun. Such stars live no more than a few tens of millions of years, compared to billions of years for stars like the Sun. Since quite a few of these stars are still around, it means that the cluster can’t be very old.
The brightest member of the cluster is called SZ Cam. It’s a family of six stars, split into three tight pairs. Two of the pairs huddle close together, while the third is much farther out. SZ Cam helps make the cluster worth looking for, in a constellation that’s a little short of skywatching wonders.
Script by Damond Benningfield
28 episodes
Share
