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Credit & Copyright: Lorand Fenyes
Explanation:
M7 is one of the most prominent
open clusters
of stars on the sky.
The cluster, dominated by bright blue
stars,
can be seen with the naked eye in a dark
sky
in the tail of the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).
M7 contains about 100 stars in total, is about
200 million years old,
spans 25
light-years across, and lies about 1000 light-years away.
The above deep image, taken last June from
Hungary
through a small telescope, combines over 60 two-minute exposures.
The M7 star cluster
has been known since ancient times, being noted by
Ptolemy in the year
130 AD.
Also visible are a
dark dust cloud
and literally millions of unrelated stars
towards the Galactic center.
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Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 7 - open cluster
Publications with words: M 7 - open cluster
See also: