M 72 (NGC 6981) -- Globular Cluster in Aquarius
Messier’s Faintest Globular Cluster
M72 shines at magnitude 9.2 in Aquarius, a constellation that is low in the southern sky in
my area and is often compromised by light pollution. Still I have little trouble spotting M72
with the 110mm refractor from our local Astronomy Club Observatory at Alpha Ridge Park.
With the small refractor, I cannot resolve the cluster, but again, it does not appear
completely uniform. The core appears to extend its brightness outward in three slightly-
brighter wide-spokes to the edge of the cluster’s glow.
M72, like all Globular Clusters, rewards the observer with large aperture telescopes. Only
then can the tens-to-hundreds-of-thousands of stars resolve to show the true essence of
these magnificent clusters. Still I can mentally appreciate the soft glow in the eyepiece, for
what it truly is, even when viewing through my small refractor.
my area and is often compromised by light pollution. Still I have little trouble spotting M72
with the 110mm refractor from our local Astronomy Club Observatory at Alpha Ridge Park.
With the small refractor, I cannot resolve the cluster, but again, it does not appear
completely uniform. The core appears to extend its brightness outward in three slightly-
brighter wide-spokes to the edge of the cluster’s glow.
M72, like all Globular Clusters, rewards the observer with large aperture telescopes. Only
then can the tens-to-hundreds-of-thousands of stars resolve to show the true essence of
these magnificent clusters. Still I can mentally appreciate the soft glow in the eyepiece, for
what it truly is, even when viewing through my small refractor.