NGC 6366

NGC 6366 is a very loose globular cluster in Ophiuchus, lying about 11,400 light years from Earth. Shining at a bit over 9th magnitude, its brightest stars are only about visual magnitude 13 1/2, making it a difficult subject in smaller telescopes despite its size of about 1/4th degree. The cluster is apparently being dimmed considerably by interstellar dust. NGC 6366 is a bit unusual in hosting a number of metal-rich stars.

Image taken July 9, 2012, The C-14 was operating at F:3.5 and the ST-8 camera was binned 2 X 2 - exposure was 400 seconds. Raw image was processed with Maxim's Digital Development.