The Caldwell Objects

glitter all come to mind as the cluster assaults the
eye-brain system. Observing Omega Centauri is
like peering into the working mind of the
Creator.
A naive calculation suggests that Omega
Centauri is theoretically visible only from latitudes
south of Ν 42° 31.4'. But, as Houston
reminded readers of his "Deep-Sky Wonders"
column, atmospheric refraction can raise the
celestial "limbo stick," making the cluster visible
from points ever so slightly farther north.
80
David McCarter and Steve Gauthier of the
London Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society
of Canada sighted the cluster ½° above the
horizon with a 10-inch reflector from a cliff
overlooking Lake Erie in southern Ontario (42°
32' north). And Massachusetts amateurs John
Gall and Ralph Pass have seen Omega Centauri
with a 10-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
from the state's seaside village of Magnolia (42°
34.5' north). See if you, too, can match or exceed
the theoretical limit.
The Caldwell Objects 323