Messier Index/M9

M9 250px Messier 9, from 2MASS J2000 VIII Ophiuchus 17 19 11.78SIMBAD Astronomical Database Results for NGC 6333 http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad 2006-11-15 -18 30 58.5 25.8 kly 7.9 kpc +8.42 12′.0 45 ly NGC 6333 Messier 9 or M9 (also designated NGC 6333) is a w:globular cluster in the w:constellation of w:Ophiuchus. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1764. M9 is one of the nearer globular clusters to the center of the w:Milky Way Galaxy with a distance of around 5,500 w:light-years. Its distance from w:Earth is 25,800 light-years. The total w:luminosity of this cluster is around 120,000 times that of the w:Sun, the w:absolute magnitude being -8.04. The brightest individual w:stars in M9 are of w:apparent magnitude 13.5, making them visible in moderately sized w:telescopes. There have been 13 w:variable stars found in M9. Nearby, at about 80' to the northeast of M9 is the dimmer globular cluster w:NGC 6356, while at about 80' to the southeast is the globular w:NGC 6342. External links Messier 9, SEDS Messier pages M9, Galactic Globular Clusters Database page References