| Description | Discovery of M69 is attributed to Messier (#32) on August 31, 1780, despite the fact that he was attempting to confirm La Callie's observation. The consensus is he found something new: 1.2° away from La Caille's reported position. There is a grouping of three stars of mag 8.3, 7.8, 8.7 at La Caille's reported position, which might well have looked like a nebula in his modest, 0.5" aperture instrument. [messier.seds.org]. Messier observed with a 3" aperture telescope and his entry reads: "Nebula without star, in Sagittarius, below his left arm & near the arc; near it is a star of 9th magnitude; its light is very faint, one can only see it under good weather, & the least light employed to illuminate the micrometer wires makes it disappear.... this nebula has been observed by M. de La Caille, & reported in his Catalog; it resembles the nucleus of a small Comet. (diam 2')" <--> M69 ranks 20 and 25 respectively in terms of brightness and diameter among all Messier GCs. At Dec -32, it's one of the most southerly and impossible to view from my back yard.. This is another target I imaged from the Ashokan Reservoir, which delivers a very low southern horizon... Despite the limited reach of my Seestar, the core appears to be attractively symmetrical, nearly round. |
