File:Messier_71,_an_Unusual_Globular_Cluster.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Class
- X–XI
- Constellation
- Sagitta
- Right ascension
- 19 53 46.49
- Declination
- +18 ° 46 ′ 45.1 ″
- Distance
- 13.0 kly (4.0 kpc )
- Apparent dimensions v
- 7.2'
- Mass
- 1.7 × 10 M ☉
- Radius
- 13 ly
- Metallicity
- [ Fe/H ] = –0.78 dex
- Estimated age
- 9–10 Gyr
- Other designations
- M71, NGC 6838, Cr 409, GCl 115
via Wikipedia infobox
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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Messier 71 (also known as M71, NGC 6838, or the Angelfish Cluster) is a globular cluster in the small northern constellation Sagitta. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of non-comet-like objects in 1780. It was also noted by Koehler at Dresden around 1775. Messier 71 is also known as NGC 6839, though this identification is very uncertain.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Messier 71” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.