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M72

Melotte 233, NGC 6981

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberM72
NGC/IC NumberNGC 6981
Other DesignationsMelotte 233
ConstellationAquarius
Right Ascension20h 53m 28s
Declination-12° 32' 14"
Distancec.55,400 light years
c.17,000 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +9.27
Absolute: -6.88
DiameterApparent: 6' 36"
Actual: 106 light years
Optimum VisibilityAugust

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

A faint and diffuse globular star cluster in the western parts of the constellation Aquarius. It is very distant indeed from Earth - more than fifty thousand light years away - and lies far beyond the Saturn Nebula, to which it appears close in the sky.

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