There are tons of different things that can be found in the night sky but perhaps this little fox and coat hanger are some you’ve never stopped to notice. We’ve all seen the big dipper but how many other different things have you taken the time to spot in the dark?
While oftentimes Vulpecula the little fox is hard to see in the night sky as of late it has become more prominent, according to Space.com. This asterism is quite unique as it contains a cluster of stars below it known as the Brocchi’s cluster. This specific cluster itself is one most people know of as the ‘Coat Hanger’ versus its actual name.
If you want to see these special things in the sky Space.com wrote as follows on how to view them:
To find it, locate the famous “Summer Triangle” — an asterism in its own right — formed by the brightest stars of three constellations: Vega in Lyra, the lyre; Altair in Aquila, the eagle; and Deneb in Cygnus, the swan. Of the three, Altair is the easiest to identify because it is flanked by a fainter star on either side of it. The star to the upper right of Altair is Tarazed, while the star to the lower left is Alshain. Use these three stars to point your way toward the Coat Hanger; they measure just shy of 5 degrees apart.
Now, an imaginary line directed upward through these three stars, for approximately twice the distance (10 degrees) between them will point directly at the Coat Hanger, projected against the glittering backdrop of the summer Milky Way.
Using just your eyes, this unusual asterism appears as nothing more than a blur of light involving the stars 4, 5 and 7 Vulpeculae arranged in the shape of a tight triangle. Binoculars, however, dramatically transform this group into an amazing sight: a chain composed of four sixth-magnitude and two seventh-magnitude stars strung out in a line and joined at its center by a conspicuous loop of four stars, together forming an inverted coat hanger in the sky!
The cluster that makes up the coat Hanger itself is not one mentioned often so most people aren’t aware of it at all which honestly needs to change because it is quite spectacular. Sure, it might not sound like much but it’s quite interesting to view, and the fox itself while not quite appearing as a fox is also worth checking out. The fact that they are quite faint most of the time makes viewing them now all the more important.
For more information on all of this take a look at the video below. Did you know about these star formations before or is this the first time you’re hearing of these specific ones? I for the longest time had no idea the Coat Hanger was even present.