Butterfly Cluster

Butterfly Cluster

Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
Constellation	Scorpius
Right ascension	17^h 40.1^m
Declination	−32° 13′
Distance	1.6 kly (491 Pc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	4.2
Apparent dimensions (V)	25′
Physical characteristics
Radius	6 light-years
Other designations	Messier 6, NGC 6405, Collinder 341, Melotte 178, Lund 769, OCL 1030, ESO 455-SC030

Not to be confused with butterfly cluster compound.

The Butterfly Cluster (cataloged as Messier 6 or M6, and as NGC 6405) is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius. Its name derives from the vague resemblance of its shape to a butterfly.

The first astronomer to record the Butterfly Cluster's existence was Giovanni Battista Hodierna in 1654. However, Robert Burnham, Jr. has proposed that the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy may have seen it with the naked eye while observing its neighbor the Ptolemy Cluster (M7). Charles Messier catalogued the cluster as M6 in 1764 and it wasn't till the 20th century that star counts, distance, and other properties were measured.

Characteristics

Most of the bright stars in this cluster are hot, blue B-type stars but the brightest member is a K-type orange giant star, BM Scorpii, which contrasts sharply with its blue neighbours in photographs. BM Scorpii, is classed as a semiregular variable star, its brightness varying from magnitude +5.5 to magnitude +7.0.

Estimates of the Butterfly Cluster's distance have varied over the years, with a mean value of around 1,600 light-years, giving it a spatial dimension of some 12 light years. Modern measurements show its total visual brightness to be magnitude 4.2.

External links

Media related to Messier 6 at Wikimedia Commons

Messier 6, SEDS Messier pages

The Butterfly Cluster on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

Messier objects

List	M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15 M16 M17 M18 M19 M20 M21 M22 M23 M24 M25 M26 M27 M28 M29 M30 M31 M32 M33 M34 M35 M36 M37 M38 M39 M40 M41 M42 M43 M44 M45 M46 M47 M48 M49 M50 M51 M52 M53 M54 M55 M56 M57 M58 M59 M60 M61 M62 M63 M64 M65 M66 M67 M68 M69 M70 M71 M72 M73 M74 M75 M76 M77 M78 M79 M80 M81 M82 M83 M84 M85 M86 M87 M88 M89 M90 M91 M92 M93 M94 M95 M96 M97 M98 M99 M100 M101 M102 M103 M104 M105 M106 M107 M108 M109 M110

See also	Caldwell catalogue Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars Herschel 400 Catalogue Index Catalogue New General Catalogue Revised New General Catalogue

Book Category Commons Portal

New General Catalogue 6000 to 6499

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Astronomical catalog List of NGC objects

Coordinates: 17^h 40.1^m 00^s, −32° 13′ 00″

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Butterfly Cluster

Characteristics

See also

External links