M14

From South Dublin Astronomical Society

M14
Type	Globular cluster
NGC	NGC 6402
Constellation	Ophiuchus
Right Ascension	17h 37.6m
Declination	-3° 15’
Magnitude	7.6
Size	12 arc min.
Image:M14 messier image.jpg

If you’ve been successful in hunting down the M10/M12 pairing then you might like to try for M14, another Ophiuchus globular. It’s not that hard to find; drop two 5 binocular field-widths down from Celabrai, or Beta Ophiuchi (also called Cheleb in some guides), and you should spot the subdued glow of the cluster a little off-centre of your field. The cluster looks like a little ball of burnished steel wool and the harsher glow of the suns concentrated at the centre tapers towards the edges. It’s roughly the same apparent size as M10 and M12 but not as bright. Look for a short line of faint suns immediately to the west while there appears to be a little knot of light just below the cluster but this a star near the limit of visibility. M14 is the most distant of the Messier globulars in Ophiuchus at 45,000 light years or more than twice the distance from us to the galactic centre