Constellation Sagittarius Declination −19° 01′ Apparent magnitude (V) 6.9 | Right ascension 17 56.8 Distance 2.15 kly (659 Pc) Apparent dimensions (V) 27.0′ | |
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Messier 23 (also known as NGC 6494) is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 20, 1764.
M23 is at a distance of about 2,150 light-years away from Earth, its radius is around 15-20 light years. There are some 150 identified members in this cluster, the brightest being of magnitude 9.2. M23 can be found with a modestly sized telescope in the rich starfields of the Sagittarius Milky Way.
References
Messier 23 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA