WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 51
cluster of a million suns. Nearby lies the
spectacularly disturbed, interacting gal-
axy Centaurus A, one of the sky’s great
treats. The list goes on and on.
And seeing the deep-sky treasures of
Scorpius and Sagittarius high in the sky
is really incredible. You can follow the
galactic mainline here, all of the bright
Messier clusters and nebulae, and see
them more clearly than ever before. The
Lagoon Nebula, the Trifid Nebula, the
Omega Nebula, the Eagle Nebula, M6,
M7, NGC 6231, M22, M4, M11 — a
treasure trove in perpetuum, and you
can see these objects with unprecedented
clarity and resolution.
Those are some of the reasons why
our southern sky trips to Costa Rica are
so special. I suggest that if you have never
been to the Southern Hemisphere, this
Costa Rican experience could change
your astronomy life. I hope to see you
there this coming spring, under the
spectacle of the Milky Way as it arches
overhead.
DAVID J. EICHER is Editor of Astronomy, author of 23 books on
science and history, and a devotee of the southern sky.ABOVE: Sometimes
called the Southern
Pleiades, brilliant star
cluster IC 2602 in
Carina lies south of the
Carina Nebula. It is
bright and large enough
to make a thrilling view
even in binoculars, and
wide-field telescopes
show it as a brilliant
array of gleaming suns.
MARCO LORENZILEFT: Another monster
open cluster that would
be far better known if it
lay in the northern sky,
NGC 3532 in Carina
offers a mesmerizing
field of multicolored
stars that leaves
observers bedazzled.
DARRYN LAVERY2020: JOIN US IN
COSTA RICA!
Astronomy magazine’s editor,
David Eicher, will lead an observing
trip to Costa Rica February 23–
March 1, 2020, in conjunction with
TravelQuest International, the
magazine’s tour partner. We invite
you to come along and discover the
incredible splendor of the deep
southern sky.
For complete information on the
tour, see http://www.astronomy.com/
magazine/trips-tours.
On this unique trip, you’ll be able
to join Dave to enjoy five nights of
private, southern sky stargazing
from the grounds of our exclusive
Star Lodge. We will also experience
daily morning and evening birding
and nature walks with an expert
guide.
On this trip, you can leave it all
behind, with no TV, telephone, or
in-room Wi-Fi. Enjoying the splendor
of nature is what it’s all about.
The trip also features a special
day excursion to a scarlet macaw
sanctuary, a birding opportunity and
boat tour through the Abangares
River Mangrove, and the opportunity
to view targets in the southern sky:
the Southern Cross, the Carina
Nebula, and Milky Way gems.