Globular Cluster in Lyra
The most famous Messier object in Lyra is the Ring Nebula, M57. After viewing the Ring Nebula with my 18-inch Dobsonian, I often take a short star hop to the southwest and find the Messier 56, a small but attractive globular cluster. It is bright enough to find pretty easily. Its center is bright, and its periphery is nicely resolved into inidividual stars. On summer evenings, M56 is high overhead where there is less haze and humidity, and it makes an impressive sight against the star-filled background.
| Magnitude | 8.2 |
| Apparent Size | 7' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 31,000 |
| Right Ascension | 19:16.6 |
| Declination | +30 11 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Exposure times of 35 minutes luminance and 15 minutes each of red, green, and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
July 2015