This beautiful object is worth a look through a telescope even if you haven’t heard of it.
Open cluster NGC 6231 is part of a complex of objects in the southern part of the constellation Scorpius sometimes called the False Comet.
Credit: Giovanni Tumino
- NGC 6231 is the sky’s sixth-brightest open star cluster.
- It’s located in the Scorpius constellation.
- Amateur astronomers call it the “Northern Jewel Box.”
- Binoculars or a small telescope provide the best view.
In this episode,
Astronomy
magazine Editor Dave Eicher invites you to head out and observe the sky’s sixth-brightest open cluster, NGC 6231, in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. This object has been dubbed by amateur astronomers the “Northern Jewel Box.” Although sharp-eyed observers may pick this up with their naked eyes, its swarms of stars look best through binoculars or a small telescope. Good luck!