Messier Index/M62

Messier 62
Messier 62 by w:Hubble Space Telescope; 1.65′ view
Credit: w:NASA/w:STScI/w:WikiSky
Observation data (w:J2000 epoch)
ClassIV
Constellationw:Ophiuchus
Right ascension17h 01m 12.60s[1]
Declination-30° 06′ 44.5″[1]
Distance22.5 kly (6.9 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)+7.39[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)15′.0
Physical characteristics
Masskg ( M)
Radius49 ly[2]
Other designationsNGC 6266, GCl 51[1]

Messier 62 (also known as M62 or NGC 6266) is a w:globular cluster in the w:constellation w:Ophiuchus. It was discovered in w:1771 by w:Charles Messier.

M62 is at a distance of about 22,500 w:light-years from w:Earth and measures some 100 light-years across. From studies conducted in the 1970s it is known that M62 contains the high number of 89 w:variable stars, many of them of the w:RR Lyrae type. The globular also contains a number of w:x-ray sources, thought to be close w:binary star systems, and millisecond w:pulsars in binary systems.

w:Globular Cluster Messier 62 - Courtesy Hunter Wilson

References

  1. ↑ a b c d "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for NGC 6266. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  2. ↑ distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 49 ly. radius
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