# Messier Index/M12

Messier 12 or M 12 (also designated NGC 6218) is a w:globular cluster in the w:constellation of w:Ophiuchus. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier on w:May 30, w:1764.

M12

Messier 12, from 2MASS
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Class IX
Constellation Ophiuchus
Right ascension 16h 47m 14.52s[1]
Declination -01° 56′ 52.1″[1]
Distance 16.0 kly (4.9 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V) +7.68[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 16′.0
Physical characteristics
Mass kg ( M${\displaystyle {\odot }}$)
Radius 37.2 ly[2]
Other designations NGC 6218[1]

Located roughly 3° in the sky from the cluster M10, M12 is about 16,000 w:light-years from Earth and has a spatial diameter of about 75 light-years. The brightest stars of M12 are of 12th magnitude. It is rather loosely packed for a globular and was once thought to be a tightly concentrated w:open cluster. Thirteen w:variable stars have been recorded in this cluster.

A study published in w:2006 concluded that this cluster has an unusually low number of low mass stars. The authors surmise that they were stripped from the cluster by the gravitational influence of the w:Milky Way.[1]