| Designation(s) | M73, NGC 6994 |
| Object Type(s) | Open Cluster |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Messier, NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-09-09 20:50:00 |
| Instrument | EdgeHD 8" f10-2,032mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294MC-Pro |
| Image Details | Total integration time was 8m30s. Exposures 30s@305g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. |
| Description | This is one of the oddest Messier object in the catalog, discovered by Charles Messier himself in 1780... demonstrating mostly how much better modern amateur gear is now compared to Charles' crappy telescope in those days. He categorized it as a "cluster", but it's almost certainly an asterism of 4 independent stars that appear together in our sky. I would never have observed it except I'm trying to do all 110 Messier objects. John Herschel, the best telescope builder of his era, doubted this was a cluster when he looked at it a year or two later. But such was Messier's rep that he included it in his catalogue, and so it survived into the NGC, and here I am observing and cataloging it on my website. |
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