M80 (NGC 6093) -- Globular Cluster in Scorpius
M80 -- A Very Dense Globular Cluster
M80 is about as dense of a globular cluster as you are going to find. The view of several
hundred-thousand stars packed within a 120-light-year sphere, shining at me from a distance
of 32,000 light years is a mesmerizing sight. Although, dimmer and much further away than the
impressive M4 Globular Cluster, that is only 5-degrees to its southeast, M80 because of its
dense core, is easier to spot through the telescope from my light-polluted house deck than M4
(a far less dense globular). These two globulars could not be more different – each a worthy
target under a star-lit night.
hundred-thousand stars packed within a 120-light-year sphere, shining at me from a distance
of 32,000 light years is a mesmerizing sight. Although, dimmer and much further away than the
impressive M4 Globular Cluster, that is only 5-degrees to its southeast, M80 because of its
dense core, is easier to spot through the telescope from my light-polluted house deck than M4
(a far less dense globular). These two globulars could not be more different – each a worthy
target under a star-lit night.