by APOD Robot » Wed Sep 03, 2014 4:07 am
M6: The Butterfly Cluster
Explanation: To some, the outline of the
open cluster of stars M6 resembles a butterfly.
M6, also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6,
pictured above, can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the
constellation of the Scorpion (
Scorpius), covering about as much of the sky as the
full moon. Like other
open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of
young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange.
M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like
M6 helps astronomers calibrate the
distance scale of the universe.
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[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140903.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_140903.jpg[/img] [size=150]M6: The Butterfly Cluster[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] To some, the outline of the [url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18009]open cluster[/url] of stars M6 resembles a butterfly. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Cluster]M6[/url], also known as NGC 6405, spans about 20 light-years and lies about 2,000 light years distant. M6, [url=http://www.glitteringlights.com/Images/Open-and-Globular-clusters/i-PL62NBV/1/O/M6_HaRGB.jpg]pictured above[/url], can best be seen in a dark sky with binoculars towards the [url=http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html]constellation[/url] of the Scorpion ([url=http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/sco/]Scorpius[/url]), covering about as much of the sky as the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap980107.html]full moon[/url]. Like other [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster]open clusters[/url], M6 is composed predominantly of [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091014.html]young blue stars[/url], although the brightest star is nearly orange. [url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977ApJ...218..105W]M6[/url] is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like [url=http://www.universetoday.com/31219/messier-6/]M6[/url] helps astronomers calibrate the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/diamond_jubilee/debate_1920.html]distance scale[/url] of the universe.
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