Messier 10

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Messier 10 with amateur telescope
Messier 10
Messier 10 Hubble WikiSky.jpg
Messier 10 by Hubble Space Telescope; 3.5′ view
Credit: NASA/STScI/WikiSky
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Class VII
Constellation Ophiuchus
Right ascension 16h 57m 08.99s[1]
Declination -04° 05′ 57.6″[1]
Distance 14.3 kly (4.4 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V) 6.4[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 20′.0
Physical characteristics
Mass kg ( M{\odot})
Radius 41.6 ly [2]
Other designations NGC 6254[1]
See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters

Messier 10 or M10 (also designated NGC 6254) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

The object was discovered by Charles Messier on May 29, 1764, who cataloged it as number 10 in his list. He described it as a "nebula without stars", but later study revealed it as a globular cluster of thousands of stars.

M10 has an apparent diameter of some 20 arcminutes, about two-thirds of the apparent diameter of the Moon. Viewed through medium-sized telescopes it appears about half that size (8' to 9'), as its bright core is only 35 light-years across. M10 has a spatial diameter of 83 light-years and is estimated to be 14,300 light-years away from Earth. Four variable stars have been discovered in this cluster.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for NGC 6254. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad. Retrieved 2006-11-15. 
  2. ^ distance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 41.6 ly. radius

Coordinates: Sky map 16h 57m 08.99s, −04° 05′ 57.6″