Messier 54
Messier 54 (also known as M54 or NGC 6715) is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1778 and then included in his catalog of comet-like objects.
| Messier 54 | |
|---|---|
M54 by Hubble Space Telescope; 3.4′ view | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Class | III |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Right ascension | 18h 55m 03.33s |
| Declination | −30° 28′ 47.5″ |
| Distance | 87.4 kly (26.8 kpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 7.6 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 12.0′ |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 153 ly |
| Estimated age | 13 Gyr |
| Notable features | Probably extragalactic |
| Other designations | M54, NGC 6715, GCl 104, C 1851-305 |
It is easily found in the sky, being close to the star ζ Sagittarii. It is, however, not resolvable into individual stars even with larger amateur telescopes.
In July 2009, a team of astronomers reported that they had found evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole in the core of M54.
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