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'Messier 72' (also known as 'M72' or 'NGC 6981') is a globular cluster in the Aquarius constellation discovered by Pierre Méchain in August 29 1780. Charles Messier looked for it on the following October 4 and 5, and included it in his catalog. Both decided that it was a faint nebula not a cluster as is now believed. Using 10 inch telescopes, viewing the cluster is difficult resulting in only a view of a faint blurry picture, However using Kopernicks 20 inch telescope resolution is highly increased. M72 is located at about 53,000 light-years away from Earth and lies in a considerable distance beyond the Galactic Center. Another source states that the cluster is 62,000 light-years away, with a diameter of 42 light-years. Generally considered a young cluster, the cluster has several blue giants, yet star clusters generally contain the oldest stars.

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References

External links

★ Messier 72, SEDS Messier pages

★ Messier 72, LRGB CCD image based on two hours total exposure

★ M-72 Information

References