M54, NGC6715

[M54] M54, NGC6715

Downloadable versions (see NOAO Conditions of Use):
200 x 200 11 kb color JPEG(on this page)
400 x 400 33 kb color JPEG
1024 x 1024 152 kb color JPEG
2048 x 2048 528 kb color JPEG
2048 x 2048 4.1 Mb 8-bit color TIFF
2048 x 2048 12.3 Mb 24-bit color TIFF

M54 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It is bright but small, and its core is not resolved here. M54 was always thought to be some 60000 light-years away, but there is now a claim that it is actually part of an extragalactic system, a member of the Local Group called the Sagittarius Dwarf, which would move it out to nearly 90000 light-years. This composite was created from images taken in July 1998 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope, during the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program operated at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and supported by the National Science Foundation. Image size 11.6 arc minutes.

Minimum credit line: REU Program/NOAO/AURA/NSF (for details see Conditions of Use)

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