Let’s take a look at the ancient constellation Coma Berenices, a faint group of stars tucked under the handle of the Dipper halfway between the stars Arcturus and Denebola in Leo’s hindquarters. There is something for everyone here: history and legend, a beautiful naked-eye star cluster that invites careful inspection, and dozens of galaxies to explore with a modest telescope. And armchair astronomers can contemplate the immensely distant Coma Cluster of Galaxies, some 300 million light years away, that first yielded evidence for the mysterious dark matter that makes up a good portion of the universe [Read more…] about Touring Queen Berenice’s Hair
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The Coma Cluster of Galaxies
Towards Coma Berenices, a tiny constellation between the handle of the Big Dipper and the haunches of the constellation Leo, the Lion, lies in a tiny expanse of sky an assembly of some of the most distant galaxies visible in a backyard telescope. These are the members of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies, a group of more than 1,000 big galaxies located so far away, their starlight left well before the first dinosaurs walked the Earth [Read more…] about The Coma Cluster of Galaxies
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