Deep space
Messier 73
Asterism · M73 · NGC 6994
Asterism in Aquarius
Photo: Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 73 is an asterism of four stars in the constellation Aquarius which was long thought to be a small open cluster. It lies several arcminutes east of globular cluster M72. According to Gaia EDR3, the stars are 1030±9, 1249±10, 2170±22, and 2290±24 light-years from the Sun, with the second being a binary star.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~2,500 light-years
Apparent mag.
+9
Apparent size
2.8′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
M73 · NGC 6994
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 73 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 6994.
- Found in the constellation Aquarius.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
