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The Constellation Delphinus - The Dolphin

The four constellations of Aquila, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Delphinus lie relatively close to each other in a region of the
sky which is almost devoid of bright showpiece deep sky objects. Aquarius and Capricornus lie away from the main body of the Milky Way, and mostly contain faint galaxies with only a few star clusters and nebulae. Aquila and Delphinus, on the other hand, lie right along the Milky Way and contain some fine examples of planetary and dark nebulae. Even though there are only four Messier objects in this entire region, there are still enough deep sky targets to keep an astronomer busy on a summer night.

DELPHINUS

NGC 6905. A fine planetary nebula, this silver-grey puff of light is about 30-40" in diameter, with a slightly brighter center and somewhat diffuse edges. It is nicely framed by a triangle of stars, and us reminiscent of the Owl Nebula (M-97) in Ursa Major.

NGC 7006. This small, unresolved globular cluster is unremarkable until you realize that it is some 185,000 light years distant, comparable to the distance of the Magellanic Clouds, and may actually not even belong to the Milky Way's system of globulars.

NGC 6934. This globular is closer to home, and shows a 4' diameter disk which hints at resolution and granulation with averted vision.

Gamma Delphini. This very pretty double star is easy to split and presents a gold primary and a pretty blue secondary. One of the finest double stars in the sky, it is located at the tip of the "nose" of the dolphin. Check it out!

Article © Copyright Rick Raasch
Photos © Copyright Edward P. Flaspoehler, Jr.

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EDITOR: Edward P. Flaspoehler, Jr.

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