SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
massimo.difusco
Location of Photo:
Rio Hurtado (Chile)
Date/Time of photo:
15/08/2025 07:00
Equipment:
Data acquired at Chilescope: ASA Newton 500 @1900mm, ASA DDM85 equatorial Mount, FLI PL16803 CCD camera, Astrodon R/G/B filters
Description:
Messier 19 (also known as M19 or NGC 6273) is a globular cluster located in the southern constellation Ophiuchus. It has an apparent magnitude of 7.47 and lies at a distance of 28700 light years from Earth. Messier 19 is one of the most oblate known globulars, indeed it has a distinctly elongated shape in the north-south direction. The oblate appearance may not accurately reflect the cluster’s physical shape because of the intervening dust and gas along the eastern edge of M19 (the flattening is far less noticeable in infrared images). The tidal forces of the galactic centre could explain why M19’s shape deviates from that of a globular cluster.
