Sky Archive

A tangle of stars in Berenices’ Hair

Posted by

and

March 11, 2018

Chart showing Leo and Coma Berenices. — You can use the constellation Leo to find Coma Berenices.

A tangle of stars

What we’re calling a tangle here is really a famous cluster of stars, called the Coma star cluster. It requires a dark sky to be seen. It’s in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices – also known as Berenice’s Hair – and it’s an open star cluster, a loose collection of stars held together by gravity.

If you can’t spot this wispy and gossamery group of stars with the unaided eye, try binoculars.

See the chart below.

Diagram of constellations Coma Berenices and Leo with location of cluster marked. — The circle on this map shows you the location of the Coma star cluster in the constellation Coma Berenices. Note: the red planet Mars is no longer in front of the constellation Leo, as shown on the above chart. Throughout March 2021, Mars is found in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull. Chart and caption via AstroBob.

How can you find it? One way is to use the famous constellation Leo the Lion, shown on our chart at the top of this post, now in the east each evening. Leo is relatively easy to see. The front part of the Lion looks like a backwards question mark, and the back part is a little triangle, which includes the star Denebola, marked on the chart at top. The word Deneb in a star name always means tail, and this star marks the tail of Leo.

Do you know how to use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star? Instead of going northward from the pointer stars to Polaris, the North Star, go southward instead to find the constellation Leo.

Chart of Big Dipper with arrows to Polaris and to Leo. — An imaginary line drawn between the pointer stars in the Big Dipper - the two outer stars in the Dipper's bowl - points in one direction toward Polaris, the North Star, and in the opposite direction toward Leo.

Imagine that Leo is holding his tail out. In the place where you might see a “puff” at the end of the Lion’s tail, you’ll notice a fuzzy patch not too far away from Denebola. This is the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. The constellation Coma Berenices once was considered part of the constellation Leo.

Viewing Tip: To enhance your view of the Coma star cluster, take a paper towel tube or roll up some dark paper into a tube and place it to your eye. The tube will shield your eye from the glare of any ground lights. Binoculars or opera glasses will also lead to a better viewing experience.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Scattered stars, with some closer together forming an open cluster. — The Coma star cluster as captured on March 25, 2014, by Scott MacNeill of the Frosty Drew Observatory and Sky Theatre.

The Coma star cluster is estimated to be about 288 light-years away and has at least 37 known stars that are 400 million years old. It is the third-closest open cluster to our Earth and sun. Only the Ursa Major cluster (the bowl stars of the Big Dipper) and the Hyades cluster (the head of Taurus) are closer.

This cluster of stars – seen by the early stargazers as Queen Berenice’s Hair – is named for Queen Berenice II of Egypt, wife of Ptolemy III. In 243 BCE, Ptolemy went to war. His newlywed bride, Berenice, swore to the goddess Aphrodite to sacrifice her long blonde hair, of which she was extremely proud, if her husband returned safely. He did, and she had her hair cut and placed it in the goddess’ temple. The next morning, the hair had disappeared. To appease the furious king and queen, and save the temple priests, the court astronomer is said to have indicated a fuzzy patch of stars in the heavens, and said that the gods were so pleased with Berenice’s offering that they had placed her hair in the heavens for all to see.

Classical-era marble bust of a woman with short hair. — Queen Berenice II of Egypt, via Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond the visible stars in the Coma cluster is something else: a vast region of galaxies.

Star chart showing showing 50 or 60 labeled galaxies in cluster. — View larger. | Coma Berenices appears to the eye as a cluster of stars. But a telescope reveals a vast region of distant galaxies, which can be seen on this chart of the Coma Berenices region via University of Wisconsin.

Bottom line: How to find the open star cluster in the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. Today, as in ancient times, the cluster is one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

X Facebook Pinterest Buffer

Posted

March 11, 2018

in

Sky Archive

Deborah Byrd

View Articles

About the Author:

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.