NGC 6994 Asterism
RA 20h 59m · Dec -13° 08′
5′

A Y-shaped grouping of four faint stars that Messier mistook for a nebula. The stars are not physically related, making this one of the least rewarding Messier objects. Notable only as a curiosity and for completionists.

Object

NGC 6994 Asterism

M 73 · Aquarius
These photons are ~2,000 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 58m 51.3s
Centre Dec
−13° 08′ 07″
Field
42.7′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale
2.37″/px
Orientation
171.1° E of N
Hemisphere
Southern
Also in this frame
M73

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
-13°40′-13°30′-13°20′-13°10′-13°-12°50′-12°40′-12°30′20h57m20h58m20h59m20h59m21h21h01mM 73NE42.7′ 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 58 51.3 -13 08 07. 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

Which constellation is M 73 in?
M 73 lies in the constellation Aquarius.
How far away is M 73?
The light in this image left M 73 roughly ~2,000 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of M 73?
M 73 sits at right ascension 20h 58m 51s and declination −13° 08′ 07″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph M 73?
M 73 rides highest in the evening sky around August, reaching about 40° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What equipment was used to photograph M 73?
This image of M 73 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of M 73 represents 13m (79 × 10s) + 13m (79 x 10s) of total integration time.

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