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NGC 6167

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberNone
NGC/IC NumberNGC 6167
ConstellationNorma
Right Ascension16h 34m 39s
Declination-49° 45' 32"
Distancec.4,000 light years
c.1,200 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +6.7
Absolute: -3.5
DiameterApparent: 7'
Actual: 7 light years
Number of Starsc. 400
Optimum VisibilityJune (Usually visible from southern latitudes)

One of a number of open star clusters within the boundaries of Norma, NGC 6167 lies very near that constellation's eastern border, where it meets Ara the Altar. This cluster lies within the Galactic disc, and so appears in the heart of the Milky Way in the sky. It is nearly four thousand light years away from the Solar System, and is invisible to the naked eye, though it can be detected through even a relatively modest telescope.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

NGC 6167 is a young cluster, no more than about 10 million years old, containing new and hot blue stars somewhat like the much more familiar and considerably closer Pleiades. These stars are packed closely together, so that the core of the main cluster has a diameter of only about ten light years.

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