🔭 M68

Globular cluster in Hydra

M68 is a globular cluster in the constellation Hydra, with an apparent magnitude of about 7.8, roughly 33.6 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M68
Object type	Globular cluster
Constellation	Hydra
NGC / IC	NGC 4590
Apparent magnitude	7.8
Distance (approx.)	33.6 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 Hydra: M48, M83.

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