The Butterfly Cluster (cataloged as Messier 6 or M6, and as NGC 6405) is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Scorpius. Its name derives from the resemblance of its shape to a butterfly .

Feb 11, 2015 · Messier 6 (M6), also known as the Butterfly Cluster, is a bright open cluster located in the southern constellation Scorpius. It lies in the direction of the galactic centre, at an approximate distance of 1,600 light years from Earth.

Messier 6, or the Butterfly Cluster, is an open star cluster in the Scorpius constellation. As an easily observable and intriguingly structured celestial object, M6 provides scientists with valuable information about stellar evolution and galactic structure.

Jul 18, 2024 · Both M6 and M7 are open star clusters, which means they are groups of stars that formed together from the same cloud of gas and dust, making them like star siblings. You can spot these...

Like other open clusters, M6 is composed predominantly of young blue stars, although the brightest star is nearly orange. M6 is estimated to be about 100 million years old. Determining the distance to clusters like M6 helps astronomers calibrate the distance scale of the universe.

M6 is a superb bright naked eye open cluster in the constellation of Scorpius that's also known as the Butterfly Cluster. The name was first coined by Robert Burnham who described it as a "charming group whose arrangement suggests the outline of a butterfly with open wings".

The visually brightest star in M 6 is BM Scorpii. It is a giant of the spectral class K0-K3. It is semi-regularly variable and varies by about two magnitudes in a cycle of about 850 days.

Aug 18, 2014 · Today’s treat is one of the most southerly star clusters in the entire catalogue: Messier 6, the Butterfly Cluster. Here’s how to find it.

Messier 6 or M6 (also designated NGC 6405) is an open cluster in the constellation Scorpius. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.2 and its angular diameter is 25 arc-minutes. M6 lies at an estimated distance of 1600 light years. The Equinox 2000 coordinates are RA= 17h 40.1m, Dec= -32° 13´ which makes M6 best seen during the summer.

M6 is an Open Cluster of relatively young stars born from the same molecular cloud and orbiting in the plane of our galaxy. Despite being 1,600 light-years away, the Butterfly Cluster is actually a galactic neighbor of ours since our own Milky Way galaxy …