Messier 18 or M18 (also designated NGC 6613) is an w:open cluster of w:stars in the w:constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1764 and included in his list of w:comet-like objects. From the perspective of w:Earth, M18 is situated between the w:Omega Nebula (M17) and the w:Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24). Its age is estimated at 32 million years.

Messier 18
M18 photo from the w:2MASS project.
Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
Right ascension18h 19.9m
Declination−17° 08′
Distance4.9 kly (1.5 kPc)
Apparent magnitude (V)7.5
Apparent dimensions (V)9.0′
Other designationsNGC 6613

External links