Fact Sheet
Shy Centaur
Centaurus, the centaur, just peeks above the southern horizon on spring nights. More of the constellation becomes visible as you travel farther south; this view is from Dallas, at about 33 degrees north latitude. Highlights include Omega Centauri, the brightest globular star cluster visible in Earth's sky, and Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own. Unfortunately, Alpha Centauri is visible only from the farthest southern points in the U.S., such as Hawaii and the tips of Texas and Florida. This view is around midnight. [Tim Jones]
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