NGC 6981 Globular Cluster
RA 20h 53m · Dec -12° 15′
5′

A remote, loosely concentrated globular cluster in Aquarius. One of the more distant Messier globulars; poorly resolved from northern latitudes.

Open cluster

NGC 6981 Globular Cluster

M 72 · Aquarius
These photons are ~55,000 years old
UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
Date
22/09/2025
Location
36.3857° N, 28.0415° E
Integration
13m (79 × 10s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
1h 5m over 1 night
Moon
🌑New Moon, 0% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
20h 53m 16.6s
Centre Dec
−12° 14′ 56″
Field
42.8′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
2.38″/px
Orientation
167.5° E of N
Hemisphere
Southern
Also in this frame
M72

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
-12°50′-12°40′-12°30′-12°20′-12°10′-12°-11°50′-11°40′20h51m20h52m20h53m20h53m20h54m20h55mM 72NE42.8′ x 76.0′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 20 53 16.6 -12 14 56. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)
36.3857° N, 28.0415° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 72?
M 72 is an open cluster.
Which constellation is M 72 in?
M 72 lies in the constellation Aquarius.
How far away is M 72?
The light in this image left M 72 roughly ~55,000 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 72?
M 72 sits at right ascension 20h 53m 17s and declination −12° 14′ 56″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 72?
M 72 rides highest in the evening sky around August, reaching about 41° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What equipment was used to photograph M 72?
This image of M 72 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 72 represents 13m (79 × 10s) + 13m (79 x 10s) of total integration time.

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