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Credit & Copyright: Emmanuel Astronomono
Explanation:
Unlike most
entries
in Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep sky objects,
M24
is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.
It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allows
a view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral arm
of our Milky Way galaxy.
Direct
your gaze
through this gap with binoculars or small telescope
and you are
looking through a window over 300 light-years wide at stars some
10,000 light-years or more from Earth.
Sometimes called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous stars fill
this
gorgeous starscape.
Covering over 3 degrees or the width of 6 full moons in the
constellation Sagittarius,
the telescopic field of view includes
dark markings
B92 and B93 near center, along with other
clouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sagittarius
Publications with words: Sagittarius
See also: