U 337
16:48 to 17:20
-17° to -28°
Oph, Sco, Ser

FEATURED OBJECTS: LDN 1753, NGC 6235, LDN 1770, LDN 1785, IC 4634, NGC 6273 (Ben 86), ESO587-SC004, LDN 19, NGC 6284, NGC 6287, LDN 22, LDN 15, NGC 6293 (Ben 89), LDN 1740, TJ 5, LDN 44, LDN 114, LDN 103, LDN 143, LDN 178, NGC 6325, TJ 16, LDN 102, NGC 6333 (Ben 92), LDN 1766.

LDN 1753
Barnard 238
RA 16:52:05
Dec -23°05.0'
Dark nebula

NGC 6235
ESO586-SC005, GCL-48
RA 16:53:23
Dec -22°11.0'
Globular cluster

Discovered in 1786 by William Herschel (H II-584) “pB, cL, gbM, easily resolvable, undoubtedly stellar.”

h: “pretty compressed, small, 2', rather triangular than round, mbM, resolved into stars 14..16th mag.”

Hartung notes that “this is one of the less-concentrated type of globular cluster, a hazy luminous body about 1.5' across full of tiny gleaming points with no conspicuous outliers. An 8-inch telescope shows some of these stars but a 6-inch failed, and a 4-inch gives only a small hazy spot in the field.”

Tom Lorenzin: “10M; 2' diameter; faint, diffuse, small and round; unresolved at any power; possibly not a GLOB, but a dense cluster; the company it keeps and its position relative to the galactic plane does not reduce the ambiguity; 12.5M star 2.5' NNW; tough in any but darkest skies.”

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “Bright, pretty large, irregularly round and somewhat brighter in the middle at 165X. It is easily resolved in the 13", this nice globular has a central bar that is brighter than the other parts of the cluster.”

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: In a 15.5-inch telescope at 220x, this interesting cluster, although it is small to medium in size, is quite faint. The individual stars are of 11th mag and smaller. The cluster appears as a faint, extended patch of light. Careful examination with averted vision shows a few stars sparkling out within the globular, whilst the outer circumfrance appears irregular with ragged edges. The cluster lies inside a pretty large right-angled triangle of 9th magnitude stars. (suburban skies) [AS]

LDN 1770
Barnard 46
RA 16:57:00
Dec -22°49.6'
Dark nebula

Barnard (Astrophysical Journal, January 1919) notes that there are "a string of small stars in the middle."

The SAC 4.0 database comments: "contains B51,238 Narrow lanes extending following p Oph"

LDN 1785
Barnard 47
RA 16:59:35
Dec -22°35.5'
Dark nebula

Barnard (Astrophysical Journal, January 1919) notes that this nebula is "connected with No. 51 by two sharp lanes."

IC 4634
ESO587-PN001, PK000+12.01
RA 17:01:32
Dec -21°49.6'
Planetary nebula

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “Pretty bright, extremely small planetary. It is somewhat elongated. This greenish dot is floating in a very nice Milky Way field. Averted vision makes it grow to about three times the Airy disk.”

Tom Lorenzin: “12M; 20" x 10" extent; soft, fuzzy ellipse surrounds 14M star; not a disc! TOUGH! use >200x”

NGC 6273
Bennett 86
Messier 19, ESO518-SC007, GCL-52
RA 17:02:35
Dec -26°16.0'
Globular cluster

In the Philosophical Transactions, 1814, William Herschel wrote “Common 10 feet telescope. When the 19th of the Connoissance des Temps is viewed with a magnifying power of 120, the stars are visible; the cluster is insulated; some of the small stars scattered in the neighbourhood are near it; but they are larger than those belonging to the cluster. With 240 is it better resolved, and is much condensed in the centre. With 300 no nucleus or central body can be seen. The diameter with the 10 feet is 3' 16 arcseconds, and the stars in the centre are too accumulated to be separately seen.” In the Philosophical Transactions, 1818, William Herschel wrote: “1783, 10 feet telescope With 250 power I can see 5 or 6 stars, and all the rest appears mottled like other objects of this kind, when not sufficiently magnified or illuminated. 1784, 20 feet telescope. a cluster of very compressed stars, much accumulated in the middle; 4 or 5' diameter.”

h: “globular, vB, R, diam 10', resolved into stars 16th mag.” On a second occassion he called it “superb globular, gmbM, but not to a nucleus; diam of B part = 12 seconds, of whole cluster to edge = 17 seconds; resolved into stars 14, 14, 16th mag.”

Houston notes that Messier found the cluster from Paris, and that this “is a tribute to his observing skill. Even in the northern United States, where the cluster climbs nearly 10 degrees higher in the sky than at Paris, M19 is not especially well placed for viewing. John Mallas, whose locating in southern California was more suitable for examining M19, remarked that the globular is a miniature of the great Omega Centauri. M19 is 5' in diameter and a bright 6.6 magnitude. Under good skies it is easily seen in most telescope finders.”
Houston recalls observing this cluster from Mexico and notes that M19 is perhaps a magnitude fainter.than NGC 6333, M9, which is some four degrees away.

Bennett observed it with a 5-inch short-focus refractor, including it in his list of cometary objects as number 86.

Tom Lorenzin: “7M; 5' diameter; bright, large and compressed; resolved to 13M members; two 13M stars bracket N sector”

Donald J. Ware:”This globular appeared as an milky patch of light about 8' in diameter, with resolution around the edges. Its granular core is flanked by two stars, one to the northwest, and one to the northeast, and appears somewhat ovoid in shape.”

11x80: Easy in binoculars, lies in a busy field of small stars. The most striking of these field stars are 3 wide pairs of bright stars to the east, northeast and northwest. The east and northeast pairs are aligned in the same PA. The cluster can be readily seen (even though there is strong moonlight) and appears about the same size as the bright “solid” disk of M4. (suburban skies, strong moonlight) [AS]

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: A 15.5-inch telescope at 220x shows a prominent bright globular cluster lying in a rich starfield. There are only two prominent field stars, and these appear superimposed on the cluster; both are quite faint and lie on the northwest and northeast edge of the cluster. The cluster appears asymmetrically concentrated, as if the stars gather at its northern edge, leaving the southern edge more diffuse. Overall mottled appearance. A number of short chains can be glimpsed in the nucleus; these appear as brighter patches in the nucleus. Whilst sweeping for the globular, the field of view just clipped the southern fringe, and it was immediately noticed, so the globular is clearly well distinguished from its surroundings. (suburban skies) [AS]

ESO587-SC004

RA 17:04:22
Dec -19°27.3'
Open cluster

LDN 19
Barnard 51
RA 17:04:23
Dec -22°10.1'
Dark nebula

NGC 6284
ESO518-SC009, GCL-53, H11
RA 17:04:30
Dec -24°46.0'
Globular cluster

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H VI-011) “a fine miniature of the 19 nebula of [Messier] (which is a cluster of very compressed stars, much accumulated in the middle, 4 or 5' diameter, all the stars red), 2 or 2.5' diameter, the stars faint, red.” In the Philosophical Transactions, 1818, William Herschel wrote: “1784. 20 feet telescope. A cluster of stars, which, in respect of the size of the whole as well as the distance and magnitude of the stars, is a good miniature of the 19th of the Connoissance observed a few minutes ago. The stars, like those of the foregoing cluster, preserve a faint red tint. It may be called the next step to an easily resolvable nebula. It is about 1.5' or 2' in diameter .. It is in the preceding branch of the milky way.”

h: “globular, B, R, gbM, diam = 7 seconds, resolved into stars 16th mag.”

Houston writes: “Just 1.5 degrees north-northeast of M19 is NGC 6284. It is a bit small and fainter than [the nearby] NGC 6293, but still suitable for small telescopes. It is a nice cluster for beginners; searching for it provides good experience in hunting out challenging objects.”

Hartung writes: “In a field profusely sown with small and faint stars is a round haze about 1' across, easy to see with a 4-inch telescope but needing an 8-inch to resolve it irregularly into gleaming points.”

Tom Lorenzin: “10M; 2' diameter; small, round with very dense center; unresolved; small triangle of 13.5 and 14M stars 2' E.”

John Callender, 8-inch Dobsonian reflector: “Unable to spot it at 49x.”

11x80: The cluster lies in a rich starfield of 9-10th magnitude stars, and just north of it is a nice but faint Southern Cross asterism. Just to the east of the cluster are three faint stars forming a very flat isoceles triangle. The globular is bright but quite small, and although not concentrated to a point, there aren't any obviously apparent outliers. Appears regularly round in form. (suburban skies) [AS]

NGC 6287
ESO518-SC010, GCL-54, H195
RA 17:05:12
Dec -22°42.0'
Globular cluster

Discovered in May 1784 by William Herschel (H II-195) “pB, cL, iR, lbM, r.”

h: “globular, irregular round, gpm comp M, 3' diam, barely reslved into stars 16..18th mag.”

Hartung notes that “The Milky Way field in which this globular cluster lies is partly veiled by absorbing matter...which blots out most of the background stars. The cluster is about 1.5' across, irregularly round, not bright gand just resolved into very faint stars with a 12-inch. All that a 4-inch telescope shows is a faint round spot in an almost empty field.”

Tom Lorenzin: “10.5M; 3' diameter; like nearby N6284 but larger, fainter, unresolved, and less compressed.”

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: At 220x, this cluster appears regular in shape, round, diffuse, no distinction between the concentrated nucleus and the outlier. Unlike the many globular clusters in this area, which all lie in pretty rich starfields, NGC 6287 lies near the edge of the dark nebula Barnard 51, and the stars readily visible within half a degree number under half a dozen. (suburban skies) [AS]

LDN 22
Barnard 246/60
RA 17:07:59
Dec -22°43.9'
Dark nebula

LDN 15
Barnard 57
RA 17:08:06
Dec -22°53.9'
Dark nebula

NGC 6293
Bennett 89
ESO519-SC005, GCL-55, H12
RA 17:10:12
Dec -26°35.0'
Globular cluster

Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel (H VI-012) “another miniature cluster like the preceding [NGC 6284], but rather coarser.”

h: “globular, B, R, psbM, diam 7 seconds, resolved into stars 16th mag.” On a second occassion he called it “globular, pB, R, psvmbM, 3.5', resolved into stars 15..16th mag.”

Houston notes that this globular lies within a short distance of M19. It is “about 2' across and of magnitude 8.4. It can be seen with only a 2-inch aperture and shows nicely in 4 to 8-inch telescopes.”

Bennett observed it with a 5-inch short-focus refractor, including it in his list of cometary objects as number 89.

Hartung notes that the cluster lies in a “fine starry field” and is “bright, compressed, well-resolved...about 2' across with irregular edges but no conspicuous outlying stars. An 8-inch telescope is able to resolve it partially but a 6-inch shows only granularity”.

Tom Lorenzin: “8M; 4' diameter; very bright and round with much brighter and denser center; unresolved; looks like EL GAL.”

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: A 15.5-inch telescope shows here a medium to small sized, pretty bright globular cluster, irregularly round diffuse glow, with a pretty extended central brighter portion and a fainter smaller halo. The nucleus is extended but there are no stars resolved. There is a faint field star lying to the east-northeast of the cluster. Readily visible at 220x, it could be quite a challenge in smaller telescopes. (suburban skies) [AS]

LDN 1740
Barnard 59, Sink Hole
RA 17:11:06
Dec -27°23.6'
Dark nebula

Barnard (Astrophysical Journal, January 1919) calls this dark nebula the Sink Hole "because of its peculiar form and outlines. This sink hole is full of rich detail ... diameter one degree" This nebula forms part of the Pipe Nebula, one of the largest dark-cloud formations. It lies above the tail of Scorpius, just 2.5 degrees south of Theta Ophiuchi. To the naked eye, the Pipe appears as a 2 x 3 degree rectangle (the pipe's bowl) with a long, thin lane (the stem) extending westward for five degrees. The bowl is B78, while the stem is listed as B59, B65, B66 and B67, from west to east. Rated 6 for opacity, the Pipe is quite distinct to the eye alone on crystal-clear nights.

TJ 5
C1708-271
RA 17:11:16
Dec -27°11.5'
Globular cluster

LDN 44
Barnard 317
RA 17:11:35
Dec -22°29.6'
Dark nebula

LDN 114
Barnard 61
RA 17:15:08
Dec -20°21.4'
Dark nebula

The SAC 4.0 database comments: "1 degree south preceding B63"

LDN 103
Barnard 62
RA 17:15:57
Dec -20°53.3'
Dark nebula

LDN 143
Barnard 251
RA 17:16:45
Dec -19°43.2'
Dark nebula

LDN 178
Barnard 64
RA 17:17:13
Dec -18°23.2'
Dark nebula

Barnard (Astrophysical Journal, January 1919) includes a photograph of this nebula in his article, stating that this 'cometary' object lies "just west of the compressed cluster M 9 [NGC 6333] It is somewhat cometary in form and has a very black core or head that sharply abuts against the thick stratum of stars; from this it spreads out into a large dark area with much dark detail, filling quite a space close southwest of M 9. It thus resembles a dark comet with a dense and well-defined head and diffused widening tail."

The nebula can be glimpsed by an experienced observer using large binoculars under very dark skies. Houston notes observing this nebula with 7x50's and seeing it without averted vision.

Donald J. Ware:”This globular cluster is about 6-8' in diameter, roughly circular, with some resolution at the edges. The core is unresolved in my scope, and is somewhat kidney bean shaped, and is elongated in the north to south direction. Under a clear, dark sky, see if you can find Barnard 64, the dark nebula upon which M-9 is superimposed. I saw it as an amorphous region, about 3/4 of a degree in extent, which is almost devoid of stars just to the west of the globular, and ever so slightly darker than the surrounding sky background.”

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “Large, very dark, very obvious dark nebula. At 100X it was very obvious, with only 6 stars involved. This dark marking is triangular in shape.”

NGC 6325
ESO519-SC011, GCL-58
RA 17:17:59
Dec -23°46.0'
Globular cluster

h: “pF, R, gbM, r, 1'. No doubt it is a globular.”

Hartung writes that this globular is “of fairly compact type, a round haze about 1' across with no sign of resolution, faint but not difficult with an 8-inch telescope.”

Tom Lorenzin: “12M; 1' diameter; small and faint; unresolved; looks like EL GAL”

The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 12.5 mag globular cluster.

TJ 16
TBJ 2, C1715-277
RA 17:18:27
Dec -27°46.5'
Globular cluster

LDN 102
Barnard 63
RA 17:18:58
Dec -21°23.1'
Dark nebula

NGC 6333
Bennett 92
Messier 9, ESO587-SC005, GCL-60
RA 17:19:12
Dec -18°31.2'
Globular cluster

Messier observed this cluster in 1764, and the NGC describes it as “bright, large, round, extremely compressed in the middle, well resolved into 14th magnitude stars”.

In the Philosophical Transactions, 1814, William Herschel described it as “a cluster of very compressed and extremely small stars. It is a miniature of the 53d [Messier].” In the Philosophical Transactions, 1818, William Herschel wrote: “1783, 10 feet telescope, power 250. I see several stars in it; and have no doubt a higher power and more light will resolve it all into stars. 1784, 1786, 20 feet telescope. a cluster of extremely compressed stars, it is a miniature of the 53d.”

h: “globular, B, R, gmbM, 4', resolved into stars 14m.”

Bennett observed it with a 5-inch short-focus refractor, including it in his list of cometary objects as number 92.

Hartung descirbes the cluster as “large, rising broadly to the centre with irregular edges and well resolved, the scattered outliers about 3' across, some of which are visible with an 8-inch telescope. It is an easy object for a 3-inch telescope”. The cluster measures 9' across and has an integrated magnitude of 7.9. The concentration rating is 8. Visually, the cluster is about 4' across and is located at the northern edge of the dark nebula Barnard 64.

Houston recalls observing this cluster from Mexico: “M9 was so bright and beautiful in the 7x50 that I tried repeatedly to see it with the naked-eye but unsuccessfully. This 7th mag cluster seemed about 5' in diameter, and even the Barnard dark nebula south and west of it stood out clearly without averted vision.

John Bortle (Webb Society Quarterly Journal, January 1976) using 10x50 binoculars, estimates the visual magnitude as 8.0.

Tom Lorenzin: “8M; 9' diameter; scraggly and uneven for a GLOB; center little condensed; looks like very rich cluster”

Donald J. Ware:”This globular cluster is about 6-8' in diameter, roughly circular, with some resolution at the edges. The core is unresolved in my scope, and is somewhat kidney bean shaped, and is elongated in the north to south direction. Under a clear, dark sky, see if you can find Barnard 64, the dark nebula upon which M-9 is superimposed. I saw it as an amorphous region, about 3/4 of a degree in extent, which is almost devoid of stars just to the west of the globular, and ever so slightly darker than the surrounding sky background.”

Steve Coe, using a 13” f/5.6, notes: “M 9 is a large, bright globular cluster. The core is bright and oddly triangular in shape. There are chains of stars radiating outward at 135X. Dark nebula B64 is to the east. Along with B64 there is a dark area on the south side, within the cluster. Sentinel--easy in 11X80, shows fuzzy glob and dark oval to the west. 150X--Bright, large, round, extremely compressed, much, much compressed, only 12 stars resolved at this power. 330X-- the finest stardust! Still only 22* resolved, but averted vision shows a myriad of tiny stars at the limit of the 13" and a pretty bright bar of star in the core runs NE-SW and is about 2 arcmin long. 60X--Erfle 38mm shows a very compressed glob at the edge of a dark nebula and a rich star field to its' north. There is a nice orange star 15 arcmin south of M9, also at the edge of dark nebula B 64.”

11x80: A certain but very faint glow, in the middle of 1 side of a two-degree large right-angled triangle of 6th-7th mag stars. (suburban skies, strong moonlight) [AS]

15.5-inch f/9 Newtonian: A 15.5-inch telescope at 220x shows it as a very fine, well populated globular cluster, small, compact and bright. Individual stars are easily seen, scattered across its disk at 330x. The stars appear evenly spread out, although there are a number of quite brighter stars which seem superimposed on the globular. The cluster appears regular in shape at 220x, but at 330x the mottled appearance of the cluster's edges give it an irregular shape. Examining the stars scattered across the field heightens the impression of brighter, nearby stars superimposed over the even mass of the globular. The cluster lies in the same two-degree field as the globulars NGC 6342 to the southeast and NGC 6356 to the north-east. (suburban skies) [AS]

LDN 1766
Barnard 65
RA 17:19:48
Dec -26°38.0'
Dark nebula

This nebula forms part of the Pipe Nebula, one of the largest dark-cloud formations. It lies above the tail of Scorpius, just 2.5 degrees south of Theta Ophiuchi. To the naked eye, the Pipe appears as a 2 x 3 degree rectangle (the pipe's bowl) with a long, thin lane (the stem) extending westward for five degrees. The bowl is B78, while the stem is listed as B59, B65, B66 and B67, from west to east. Rated 6 for opacity, the Pipe is quite distinct to the eye alone on crystal-clear nights.