Messier 56 (M56)

Also Known as: NGC 6779

Object Type: Globular Cluster

Constellation: : Lyra

Distance from Earth: 32,900 light years

Apparent Magnitude: 8.3

Coordinates: RA 19H 16M 35.57S DEC 30 deg 11 min 00.5 sec

Actual Size: 84 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 8.8 arc-minutes

Discovered by: M56 was discovered by Charles Messier on January 19, 1779. He described it as a nebula without stars, having little light.
William Herschel was the first to resolve M56 into stars around 1784. He described it as a “globular cluster of very compressed small stars about 4 or 5 minutes in diameter.”

Description: M56 contains approximately 80,000 stars and has a mass of about 230,000 times that of the Sun.
It has an estimated age of 13.7 billion years old. The brightest stars in M56 are of 13th magnitude and the 25 brightest stars have an average visual magnitude of 15.31.
The cluster is approaching us at 145 km/s.
Messier 56 follows a retrograde orbit through the Milky Way moving at an estimated velocity of about 177 km/s.
It is about 31,000 light years from the galactic center and 4,800 light years above the galactic plane.
The properties of M56 indicate that the cluster may have become part of our galaxy when the Milky Way devoured a dwarf galaxy.
The nucleus of the smaller galaxy is believed to have survived as Omega Centauri, the famous globular cluster located in the southern constellation Centaurus.
Messier 56 is located relatively close to Messier 57, the famous Ring Nebula, which is the only other Messier object found in Lyra.
The cluster has only 1 percent of the Sun’s metallicity, or abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

M56 is relatively easy to find. The object is a challenge with binoculars because it is quite dim and does not have a bright core so it appears as an out-of-focus star. At least an 8 inch telescope is required to resolve stars. 4-inch telescopes show a round ball of light, but do not reveal much detail. Visually, observers can only see the cluster’s central region, about 3 arc minutes in diameter.

The best time to observe M56 is during the summer months of June-August.

Platesolve

M56 Globular Cluster

Imaging Details
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