|NGC 6231, is a nice open star cluster in lower (southern) Scorpius. This is quite far south and therefore is often challenging to observe and image for those of us in North America. It is nice in binoculars. This one was also to far south for Messier. Nearby is IC 4628.
Seds Reports this about NGC 6231: This cluster is extremely young, and was estimated only about 3.2 million years old. Its hottest star is of spectral type O8 and magnitude 4.71, according to the Sky Catalog 2000. It is approaching us at 22 km/sec. It belongs to the Scorpius OB association of very young stars.
Zeta SCO is the yellow star in the lower part of the frame.
 Antares Area, Prime Focus |  Antares Wide Angle Pictures and Area Index |
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Image details: 3x4 minute exposures (12 minutes total exp) 3/25/2006 at the HAS site. Takahashi TOA 130 (a 5" APO refractor) and Canon EOS D20a.
Copyright © 2006, Dick Locke. All Rights Reserved. Contact and Image Use Information
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