Messier 62
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| Messier 62 | |
 Messier 62, from 2MASS |
|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
|---|---|
| Class | IV |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension | 17h 01m 12.60s[1] |
| Declination | -30° 06′ 44.5″[1] |
| Distance | 22.5 kly[citation needed] (6.9 kpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +7.39[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 15′.0 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | kg ( M ) |
| Radius | 49 ly[2] |
| Other designations | NGC 6266, GCl 51[1] |
| See also: Globular cluster, List of globular clusters | |
Messier 62 (also known as M62 or NGC 6266) is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. It was discovered in 1771 by Charles Messier.
M62 is at a distance of about 22,500 light-years from Earth and measures some 100 light-years across.
From studies conducted in the 1970s it is known that M62 contains the high number of 89 variable stars, many of them of the RR Lyrae type. The globular also contains a number of x-ray sources, thought to be close binary star systems, and millisecond pulsars in binary systems.
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