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Messier 9 is a faint globular cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus. At a distance of about 5,500 light years from the center of the Milky Way and 25,800 light years from us, Messier 9 has a visual magnitude of +8.4 and more than 250,000 stars in it. The total luminosity is 120,000 that of our Sun. As usual with globular clusters, its metallicity (the presence of elements heavier than Helium) is very low due to the fact that many stars were formed in the early stages of our Universe. Messier 9 has an age pf approximately 12 billion years.
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): Messier 9, M9, NGC 6333
Type: Globular Cluster
RA: 17h 19m 10s
Dec: -18º 30’ 51”
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Size (arcmin): 12 arcmin
Magnitude: +8.4
Distance: 25,800 light years
Image
Date: 2021-04-20 and 2021-04-21
Location: iTelescope.net, SSO near Coonabarabran, NSW Australia
Size (arcmin): 41×41 arcmin
Telescope: 17” f/6.8 Reflector
Camera: FLI PL16803 (4096x4096pix)
Guiding: N/A
Total exposure: 4h 40m (L: 80 min; RGB: 3h 20m)
Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop CC 2021