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NGC 6397

Globular Cluster in ARA

 (ra: 17:40.4 / dec - 53:40)

 

 

 

 

June 2011, Laguna de Todos los Santos, 25 de Mayo

Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

 

 

DATA

TYPE: Globuar Cluster

VISUAL BRIGHTNESS: 6.68

SIZE: 32 arcs minutes

DISTANCE: 7.200 light years

 

 

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

NGC 6397 is one of the two closest globular cluster (after M4) from Earth. It is located almost 3 degrees to the east from 2.81 magnitude star Beta Arae. A good target for binoculars or small telescopes even in urban skies.

The globular contains around 400.000 stars. The age of the cluster is calculated in 13.6 billion years close to the age of our Milky Way. The apparent size of NGC 6397 is a bit smaller compared to M22, making it the fourth biggest cluster in the sky.

 

 

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: Celestron SCT 8" working in f6.3

MOUNT: Sky Watcher HEQ6

SKY CONDITIONS: Rural Skies - good.

CAMERAS: QSI 583 WS -10Cº

FILTERS: Baader 31 mm LRGB

EXPOSURES: LRGB (30,20,20,20) RGB bin 2x2

GUIDING: William Optics ZenithStar 66 f6. Starlight Xpress Lodestar Camera. AA 3.71 Control Camera Plug-in

PROCESSING: Images Plus (Sigma Median Combination) CCD Sharp Richardson Lucy Deconvolution NASA Photoshop Fits Liberator, Photoshop CS