Messier Index/M14

M14 250px Messier 14, from 2MASS J2000 VIII Ophiuchus 17 37 36.15SIMBAD Astronomical Database Results for NGC 6402 http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad 2006-11-15 -03 14 45.3 30.3 kly 9.3 kpc +8.32 11.0′ - - 50 lydistance × sin( diameter_angle / 2 ) = 50 ly. radius - - - NGC 6402 Messier 14 Messier 14 (also known as M14 or NGC 6402) is a w:globular cluster in the w:constellation w:Ophiuchus. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1764. At a distance of about 30,000 light-years, M14 contains several hundreds of thousands of w:stars. At an w:apparent magnitude +7.6 it can be easily observed with w:binoculars. Medium-sized w:telescopes will show some hint of the individual stars of which the brightest is of magnitude +14. The total w:luminosity of M14 is in the order of 400,000 times that of the w:Sun corresponding to an w:absolute magnitude of -9.12. The shape of the cluster is decidedly elongated. M14 is about 100 light-years across. A respectable total of 70 w:variable stars is known in M14, many of the W Virginis variety common in globular clusters. In w:1938, a w:nova appeared although this was not discovered until w:photographic plates from that time were studied in w:1964. It is estimated that the nova reached a maximum brightness of magnitude +9.2, over five times brighter than the brightest 'normal' star in the cluster. Slightly over 3° southwest of M14 lies the faint globular cluster NGC 6366. thumb|left|250px|Messier 14. Courtesy Hunter Wilson External links SEDS Messier pages on M14 M14, Galactic Globular Clusters Database page References