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| M18, A small open cluster (NGC 6613) |
| Open cluster M18 is one of the original discoveries of Charles Messier, who cataloged it on June 3, 1764. It only has about a dozen bright members, and all together probably only 20 gravitationally linked members, spread over about 17 light year diameter. It is never the less noticeable because against the background of the Milky Way, its little cluster of bright stars stand out. Its distance from us is about 4,900 light years. M18 is quite young; its age is estimated at a mere 32 million years. M18 is located in the heart of the summer Milky way about 17 degrees below the celestial equator between the Swan Nebula (M17) and the Little Star Cloud (M24). |
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10"
F6.3 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope, (1600mm F.L.) Modified Canon
300D camera with Baader IR-UV filter and coma corrector, placed at the scopes prime focus |