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Messier Index/M26
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image:Messier_object_026.jpg Messier 26 J2000.0 II,2,r 18h 45.2m −09° 24′ w:Scutum 5.0 kly 1534 pc 8.0 15.0′ 22 ly 89 million years NGC 6694
Open Cluster M26 (also known as Messier Object 26 or NGC 6694) is an w:open cluster in the w:constellation w:Scutum. It was discovered by w:Charles Messier in w:1764.
M26 spans about 22 w:light years across and is at a distance of 5,000 light years from the w:Earth. The brightest star is of magnitude 11.9 and the age of this cluster has been calculated to be 89 million years. An interesting feature of M26 is a region of low w:star density near the nucleus, most likely caused by an obscuring cloud of w:interstellar matter between us and the cluster.
External links
Messier 26, SEDS Messier pages