Is there any Messier object in the Sagitta constellation? Maybe not everyone can tell immediately, but there is. Placed at the Milky Way stars there is M71 globular cluster. Quite bright and easy to catch object, I like to point telescope there whenever I observe this sky region.
Cluster itself has been discovered in 1746 by swiss astronomer Philippe Loys de Chéseaux. For a long time it resisted to classify as tight open or loose globular cluster. But eventually in 2008 it has been recognised as not so rich globular cluster of stars. There are many interesting objects in this cluster – short time millisecond pulsars, semidetached eclipsing binaries, wandering white dwarfs. None of them is visible at my picture, but one can try to spot Harvard 20 open cluster a little below frame center 🙂
I made this photo 21.11.2016 with Photoline 130mm refractor, QHY163M camera and EQ6 mount. Using Baader RGB filters, total 90 minutes of exposure with 2 minutes subframes.
Large version here https://astrojolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016-11-21-M71.jpg
Clear skies!
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