Globular Cluster Messier 14
History
The globular cluster Messier 14 was added to his list of nebulous celestial objects by Charles Messier just a few days after the discovery of M 9 and M 10 in June 1764.
Physical Properties
M 14 belongs to those globular clusters that do not have a sharply defined central compression. The brightness curve extends gently over the entire pane and drops continuously at the outer edges. The integrated spectral type is given as G0 and the distance as about 70'000 light years, but this value still needs a large correction due to the dusty region of the Milky Way, which is in the line of sight to M14. The cluster shows a radial speed of 130 km/s in our direction [4]
| Designation | NGC 6402 |
| Type | GCL (VIII) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 17h 37m 36.1s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -03° 14' 43" |
| Diameter | 11 arcmin |
| Visual magnitude | 7.6 mag |
| Metric Distance | 9.300 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | ! globular, B, vL, R, eRi, vgmbM, rrr, st 15 |
| Identification, Remarks | M 14, GCL 72 |
Finder Chart
The globular cluster Messier 14 is located in the constellation Serpent Bearer (Ophiuchus). The best observation time is May to July.
Visual Observation
400 mm Aperture: The globular cluster M 14 is not easy to find, especially when the sky is so milky and bright that you can barely make out the stars of the Serpent Bearer, but once you find it in the 21 mm Ethos eyepiece, you are rewarded for your search with beautifully resolved stars all the way to the core region. With increasing magnification, more stars become visible in the core region. — 400 mm f/4.5 Taurus Dobsonian, Glaubenberg, 17. 6. 2023, Bernd Nies