Globular Cluster in Sagittarius
This is one of three globular clusters in Messier's catalog (along with M54 and M70) that can be found along the bottom of the Sagittarius "teapot" shape. Years ago, viewing all of these clusters on the same night through a 13.1-inch reflector, I found Messier 69 the easiest of the three to resolve into individual stars. Using high magnitification is very helpful in seeing them.
| Magnitude | 7.7 |
| Apparent Size | 10' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 29,000 |
| Right Ascension | 18:31.4 |
| Declination | -32 21 |
| Field of View | 35' x 26' |
Image details: Exposure times of 22 minutes luminance and 6 minutes each of red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 12" Meade telescope at f/5.6.
August 2013