NGC 6401
NGC 6401 is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. William Herschel discovered this star cluster in 1784 with his 47 cm telescope, but mistakenly believed it to be a bright nebula. Later his son, John Herschel, was to make the same error because the technology of the day was insufficient to allow the individual stars to be resolved visually.
| NGC 6401 | |
|---|---|
 The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has used its powerful optics to separate the globular cluster NGC 6401 into its constituent stars. What was once only visible as a ghostly mist in the eyepieces of astronomical instruments has been transformed into a stellar landscape. Credit: HST/NASA/ESA | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension | 17h 38m 36.93s |
| Declination | −23° 54′ 31.5″ |
| Distance | 24.450 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 7.40 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 4.8' |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Other designations | ESO 520-SC011, GCL 73, H I-44, h 1982, h 3697, GC 4314 |
External links
Media related to NGC 6401 at Wikimedia Commons- NGC 6401 SEDS.org (Revised NGC)
- NGC 6401 NASA Extragalactic Database
- Enigmatic cluster targeted by Hubble
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