Messier 4

Messier 4 or M4 (also designated NGC 6121) is a globular cluster in the constellation of Scorpius. It was discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745 and catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764. It was the first globular cluster in which individual stars were resolved.

Messier 4
Globular star cluster Messier 4
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ClassIX
ConstellationScorpius
Right ascension16h 23m 35.22s
Declination−26° 31 32.7
Distance6.033 kly (1.850 kpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)5.6
Apparent dimensions (V)26′.0
Physical characteristics
Mass8.4×104 M
Radius35 light-years
Metallicity = −1.07 dex
Estimated age(12.2 ± 0.2) Gyr
Notable featuresClosest globular cluster
Other designationsNGC 6121
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.