M24

From South Dublin Astronomical Society

M24
Type	Milky Way Star Cloud
NGC	NGC6603
Constellation	Sagittarius
Right Ascension	18h 16.9m
Declination	-18° 29’
Magnitude	4.6
Size	90 arc min.
Image:M24 messier image.jpg

M24 seems to be a bright detached wedge of the Milky Way in northern Sagittarius. There is almost a grainy texture to it’s appearance and low power binoculars reveals a rich number of stars scattered across the field. The brighter suns can be connected to form a trellis garden fence shape orientated NE-SW with the southwestern edge rich in faint stars. The whole area constitutes a portion of the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm that lies at a distance of 10,000 to 16,000 light-years.It’s a stunning sight in any power binoculars. A number of dark nebulae are easily visible as shadowy prongs intruding into the western and northwestern periphery of the star cloud. They appear as jet black ribbons against the faint glow of a multitude of unresolved Milky Way stars. The more prominent ink blot is known as Barnard 92. Tucked away in the star cloud is the condensed open cluster NGC 6603. Look for a small smudge of light northeast of the centre of M24.