🔭 M2

Globular cluster in Aquarius

M2 is a globular cluster in the constellation Aquarius, with an apparent magnitude of about 6.5, roughly 33 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M2
Object type	Globular cluster
Constellation	Aquarius
NGC / IC	NGC 7089
Apparent magnitude	6.5
Distance (approx.)	33 thousand light-years

What a globular cluster is

A dense, spheroidal ball of hundreds of thousands of old stars orbiting a galaxy’s halo. Through a small telescope they look like fuzzy stars; in a large one they resolve into glittering swarms.

Other Messier objects in Aquarius: M72, M73.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.