NGC 6144

GLOBULAR CLUSTER IN SCORPIUS

 (ra 16:27.3/ dec -26:02)

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June 2013 - Camping La Porteña - San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE:  Globular Cluster in Scorpius

Apparent magnitude: 9.1

Apparent diameter: 9.3 arc minutes

Distance: 30.000 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: 8" Orion Optics UK with Televue Paracorr

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

FILTERS: Baader LRGB, 2" IDAS LPS for all channels

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies 35 % Moon

EXPOSURES: LRGB (60,30,30,30)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

It was discovered by William Herschel on May 1784. For visual observers lies relative close to M4; almost 1 degree, however it is three times farther away.  Because of the relative proximity to Super Giant Star Antares (roughly 38 arc minutes to the North West), NGC 6144 is not often imaged with larger focal lengths. The optics reflections generated by the star are very hard to remove. The yellow dusty cloud that surrounds the region are shedding material coming from the mentioned dying star.   Those particles are washing out the stellar colors giving the image a subtle monochromatic appearance.