M 62 (also known as Messier 62 or NGC 6266 ) is a globular star cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus .
| Ball cluster M 62 | |
|---|---|
| Star cluster | |
 M 62; Hubble telescope / STScI / WikiSky | |
| Research history | |
| Discoverer | Charles Messier |
| opening date | 1771 |
| Designations | NGC 6266 , M 62 |
| Observational data ( Age J2000.0 ) | |
| Type of | Globular cluster |
| Right ascension | |
| Declination | |
| Distance | 22 500 St. years (6900 pc ) |
| Visible magnitude (V) | 6.5 |
| Visible Dimensions (V) | 15,0 ′ |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| physical characteristics | |
| Class | IV |
| Radius | 50 St. years |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | |
Content
- 1 Discovery History
- 2 Interesting features
- 3 Observations
- 3.1 Neighbors in the sky from the Messier catalog
- 3.2 Sequence of observation at the Messier Marathon
- 4 Images
- 5 See also
- 6 notes
- 7 References
Discovery History
It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771 .
Interesting features
M 62 is located at a distance of about 22,500 light years from Earth and is 100 light years across. Due to its proximity to the center of the galaxy , the cluster is deformed by the influence of gravitational forces, which is expressed in a denser concentration of the southeastern region of the cluster in comparison with other regions.
According to research in the 1970s, it is known that M 62 contains a large number (> 89) of variable stars , many of which belong to the RR Lyrae type. The cluster also contains a number of x-ray sources.
Observations
This globular cluster on the southern border of the summer constellation Ophiuchus on a moonless night can be easily found with field binoculars on the continuation of the δ-α line of Scorpio (approximately the full length of this segment towards Sagittarius). The cluster is located 30 degrees south of the celestial equator and is barely accessible to observations from the central regions of Russia, where it rises very low above the horizon. In the Caucasus and the Black Sea coast, the conditions for observations of M 62 are better, but still far from ideal.
Meanwhile, this globular cluster is very interesting for amateur observations. Even with a medium- aperture telescope (200-250 mm), an unusual eccentricity of the location of a rather bright core relative to the cluster boundaries is noticeable, which makes this object a bit like a comet’s head. Some of this deformation is due to the tidal influence of the Galaxy - M 62 is one of the most nearby from its center.
Neighbors in the Sky from Messier Catalog
- M 19 - (near, north) similar in brightness, but symmetrical globular cluster;
- M 4 - (to the west, in Scorpio near Antares - α Scorpio) a huge and bright globular cluster;
- M 8 - (to the east, in Sagittarius) the famous diffuse nebula "Lagoon"
Sequence of Observation at the Messier Marathon
... M 71 → M 27 → M 62 → M 19 → M 11 ...
Images
Gal. Longitude 353.5746 °
Latitude + 7.3196 °
Distance 22,200 St. years
See also
- List of Messier objects
- New General Catalog
Notes
- ↑ Harris W. E. A catalog of parameters for globular clusters in the Milky Way // Astron. J. / J. G. III - IOP Publishing , 1996. - Vol. 112, Iss. 4. - P. 1487. - ISSN 0004-6256 ; 1538-3881 - doi: 10.1086 / 118116