Right ascension 18 19.9 Distance 4.9 kly (1.5 kPc) Apparent dimensions (V) 9.0′ | Declination −17° 08′ Apparent magnitude (V) 7.5 Radius 9 ly | |
 | ||
Messier 18 or M18 (also designated NGC 6613) is an open cluster of stars in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 and included in his list of comet-like objects. From the perspective of Earth, M18 is situated between the Omega Nebula (M17) and the Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24). Its age is estimated at 32 million years. It is 4,900 light-years away.
References
Messier 18 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA