Messier Index/M69

Messier 69 (also known as M69 or NGC 6637) is a w:globular cluster in the w:constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in August 31, w:1780, the same night he discovered M70. At the time, he was searching for an object described by LaCaille in 1751-2 and thought he had rediscovered it, but it is unclear if LaCaille actually described M69.

Messier 69
M69 by w:Hubble Space Telescope; 3.5′ view Credit: w:NASA/w:STScI/w:WikiSky
Observation data (w:J2000 epoch)
Class	V
Constellation	Sagittarius
Right ascension	18h 31m 23.23s
Declination	-32° 20′ 52.7″
Distance	29.7 kly (9.1 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	+8.31
Apparent dimensions (V)	9′.8
Physical characteristics
Mass	kg ( M${\odot }$)
Radius	42 ly
Other designations	M69, NGC 6637, GCl 96

M69 is at a distance of about 29,700 w:light-years away from w:Earth and has a spatial radius of 42 light-years. It is a close neighbor of w:Globular Cluster M70, 1,800 light-years separating the two objects, and both these clusters lie close to the Galactic Center. It is one of the most metal-rich globular cluster known.

0.2° view]]

External links

• Globular Cluster M69 @ SEDS Messier pages
• Messier 69, Galactic Globular Clusters Database page