Galactic anticenter

Overview sketch of the Milky Way with the direction of the Galactic anticentre indicated, as seen from the Solar System

Map of the Auriga constellation. Elnath is the star at the bottom of the ring.

The galactic anticenter is a direction in space directly opposite to the Galactic Center, as viewed from Earth. This direction corresponds to a point on the celestial sphere.

From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the galactic anticenter is located in the constellation Auriga, and the Crab nebula and the bright star Beta Tauri (Elnath) appear nearest this point. For binocular and telescope observers in dark sky locations, the magnitude 8.5 star HIP 27180 appears closest to this point.

Location

In terms of the galactic coordinate system, the Galactic Center (in Sagittarius) corresponds to a longitude of 0°, while the anticenter is located exactly at 180°. In the equatorial coordinate system, the anticenter is found at roughly RA 05h 46m, dec +28° 56'.

See also

• Anticenter shell
• Galactic Center