Messier Index/M26

Open Cluster M26 (also known as Messier Object 26 or NGC 6694) is an w:open cluster in the w:constellation w:Scutum. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1764.

Messier 26
Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
Constellationw:Scutum
Right ascension18h 45.2m
Declination−09° 24′
Distance5.0 kly (1534 pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)8.0
Apparent dimensions (V)15.0′
Other designationsNGC 6694

M26 spans about 22 w:light years across and is at a distance of 5,000 light years from the w:Earth. The brightest star is of magnitude 11.9 and the age of this cluster has been calculated to be 89 million years. An interesting feature of M26 is a region of low w:star density near the nucleus, most likely caused by an obscuring cloud of w:interstellar matter between us and the cluster.