Butterfly Cluster (M6)
Also known as M6 · M 6 · Butterfly Cluster · NGC 6405
Butterfly Cluster (M6) is an open star cluster in the constellation Scorpius, about 1,500 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Position (J2000) | 17h 40m 20s, −32° 15′ |
| Distance | 1,500 light-years (its light set off about 1,500 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 4.2 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 20′ × 20′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 243 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Butterfly Cluster (M6) is highest in the sky at midnight in June. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 38° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 8°. To see it you need the naked eye from a dark site.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Scorpius
- Butterfly Nebula
- Cat's Paw Nebula
- Fried Egg Nebula
- M4 (NGC 6121)
- M80 (NGC 6093)
- Prawn Nebula
- Ptolemy Cluster (M7)
- War and Peace Nebula
Everything in Scorpius · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits