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RA: 18h 36m 33.3s
Dec: −08° 13′ 15″
Con: Scutum
Ch: MSA:1319, U2:295, SA:16
Ref: SIMBAD, Collinder (1931), NGC/IC, Archinal&Hynes (2003)
Type: open cluster, 32m
Mag: B=8.81, V=7.8
Size: 16′
PA: ?
Synonyms: H VIII-012
Discovered in 1785 by William Herschel with an 18.7-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He called it "a cluster of very coarse, scattered stars."
Observed by Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope with an 18-inch f/13 speculum telescope. He recorded it as "a cluster of large stars. It is the commencement of the bright milky way, which here comes on suddenbly in its main body."
Trumpler (Lick Obs Bul, Vol 14, No. 420) gives the diameter as 20' and the class as 4 2 m.
The RNGC (Sulentic and Tifft 1973) notes that this is a 9.0 mag open cluster.
Raab, S. (1922) A research on open clusters. Lund Medd. Astron. Obs. Ser. II, 28, 1.
Discussed, based of F-A plates.
Vorontsov-Velyaminov, B. "Integral magnitudes of south star clusters", Astron. Nach. 228, 325. Comparing the brightness of the cluster with the extrafocal images of stars, he estimates the magnitudes as 8.28
Photo Index by Jim Lucyk: Burnhams V3 p1757.
A catalogue of star clusters shown on Franklin-Adams chart plates. Mem.R.A.S., 60(5), 175-186.
Tom Lorenzin, in the e-version of "1000+ The Amateur Astronomers' Field Guide to Deep Sky Observing", notes: "9M; 18' diameter; large and sparse; 25-plus 10M and dimmer members; 20' E of 4M Alpha SCT."
Steve Coe, observing with a 17.5" f/4.5 at 100X, notes: "Pretty bright, pretty large, pretty rich, somewhat compressed and has 15 pretty bright stars with a sprinkling of dimmer members at 100X. Just barely seen in finder.
Arp: 21' E of alpha Sct. *s in knot V>14.
POSS: N-S knot 9' N of alpha Sct.
7x35mm - on E side of alpha Sct is losfcbr circ patch. unres. rel consp due
to dk surround. BS, 29Apr1992, TSP.
7cm - in dk region W of Sct *cloud. scattered grp res @ 30x w/o haziness. 50x
shows 20 *s rel unconcen in oval region elong E-W. stragglers to S.
BS, 23Jun1996, Mars Hill.
8cm - lg cloud next to alpha Sct @ 20x. partially res. BS, 13Sep1982, Anderson
Mesa.
15cm - fairly dim cl of 20 *s in 10' area, m10+. BS, 28Mar1971, FtL.
- apparent, dull. 15 *s in W shape. HM.
- 95x shows 35 *s in 25' diam, brtr *s to N side. next to alpha Sct. BS,
15Mar1981, Anderson Mesa.
- E of alpha Sct. 15' diam w/poor concen of *s. brtst m10.5-11, then few
except vf ones. some grainy haziness @ 80x, but this goes away @ 140x.
50 *s counted. stray outliers to S. about 5' N of alpha Sct is little
knot of vf *s that might be interesting in lgr aperture. BS, 22Jun1990,
Anderson Mesa.
25cm - lg, widespread, E of alpha Sct. 40' diam, 40 *s. on N is sm nebula.
- 25' diam, unconcen, brtr *s to N side. *s fntr than m10. 125x shows at
least 60, maybe 75 *s. somewhat elong N-S. BS, 15Mar1981, Anderson Mesa.
30cm - 149x. sm neb from 25cm is grp of 7-8 *s. 20' diam, elong E-W. on W is
string of ten *s going S 15'. 35 *s. CBL, Roof.
As seen with a 15.5-inch at 220X, this open cluster lies in the same field as Alpha Scu. It is a large spread-out cluster with a dozen or so dominant members, which form a staggered pattern across the cluster. About twice that number of fainter stars are sprinkled amongst them, giving this well spread out cluster a pleasing appearance.
1995-06-01: 11x80. Kelsey Farm. 23:00 SAST. Due east of Alpha Scu. This is a large puff of light. Surprisingly large. Unevenly concentrated patch of light, brighter on the north-east side. Looks like a wildly off-centre globular cluster. Picked up while star hopping to Alpha Scu.
1997 July 6, Sunday, 21:00 - 23:00 Jonkershoek. 11x80's tripod-mounted. Lies within a neat triangle of alpha, delta and epsilon Scu. Alpha lies due west. Beautiful! A soft glow, round, upon a murky field. A delicate object, surprisingly large, like percolated starlight, a slightly condensed milky-way star-patch. Nudging the field 2degrees west brings ona massive lightless void, over 3 degrees long.
1997 July 8, Tuesday, 20:55 - 23:30 Jonkershoek. 11x80's tripod-mounted. Obscure cluster near alpha Scu. Looks like a low surface brightness globular lcuster, or a slightly condensed part of the milky way.
NGC: 6664 – SCUTUM
Open Cluster
RA: 18h36m37s - DEC: -07°48'50" - Magnitude: 7.8 - Size: 16'
Tel: 16" S/C – 102x - 127x - 290x - Date: 13 June 2008 - Site: Pburg - Good
Just 33' from alpa Scutii this cluster displays a faint grouping in an elongated NE-SW direction. To me the stars appears like a figure-outline.
Lacaille's catalogue
The Messier objects
Dunlop's catalogue
The Bennett objects
The Caldwell list
Named DSOs
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