| Designation(s) | M54, NGC 6715 |
| Object Type(s) | Globular Cluster |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier, NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 41.95°, 073.19° |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-09-03 22:04:00 |
| Instrument | Seestar S50 f5.0-250mm FL |
| Camera | Built-in SONY IMX462 Sensor |
| Image Details | Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. 5m total, exposures 10s. Darks subtracted, no flats. . |
| Description | Messier recorded his discovery of M54 (#24) after a gap of 1 year and 5 months on July 24, 1778: `Very faint nebula, discovered in Sagittarius; its center is brilliant & it contains no star". <--> Ranked (tied) at 18th and 16th respectively among Messier GC's, it's below median on both counts. It's also incredibly challenging to observe given its -31° declination. That Messier managed it from Paris at nearly 49° latitude is astonishing. I've been despairing how to capture a set of Messier targets low in the southern sky. M54 is one of these, never really rising above my treeline. This was one of the last targets on my list, and by the time I got to it, my SeeStar's platesolving wouldn't definitely identify it. I could see it on my screen so started it capturing, and it tracked OK. I had decided to travel to the Ashokan Reservoir, which has a very low southern horizon... The resolution here is poor given the small size of target and low angle. |
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