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NGC 6820

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberNone
NGC/IC NumberNGC 6820
ConstellationVulpecula
Right Ascension19h 42m 28s
Declination+23° 5' 15"
Distancec.6,000 light years
c.1,800 parsecs
(highly approximate)
MagnitudeApparent: +14.90
Absolute: +3.58
DiameterApparent: 1'
Actual: approxiately 2 light years, depending on distance
Associated starsOpen cluster Collinder 404
Optimum VisibilityJuly / August
NotesSome older sources prefer to assign the catalogue number NGC 6820 to the entire surrounding nebula, a wide region extending across some forty arcminutes of sky. This broader nebula is now more usually known as Westerhout 55, or by its Sharpless number, Sh 2-86, and the identity NGC 6820 refers (as here) to the small bright nebula within it.

NGC 6820 is a small light patch in the much broader mass of nebulous material designated Westerhout 55 or Sh 2-86 in Vulpecula. This area is illuminated by the light of the young cluster Collinder 404, a collection of stars that have recently emerged within this region of stellar formation. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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