S Nor Cluster (NGC 6087)
Also known as S Nor Cluster · NGC 6087
S Nor Cluster (NGC 6087) is an open star cluster in the constellation Norma, about 3,000 light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Open star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Norma |
| Position (J2000) | 16h 18m 50s, −57° 56′ |
| Distance | 3,000 light-years (its light set off about 3,000 years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 5.4 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 29.5′ × 29.5′ (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 | 202 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
S Nor Cluster (NGC 6087) is highest in the sky at midnight in May. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 12° above the horizon; from 50° N it never rises. 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 Norma
Everything in Norma · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits