SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
massimo.difusco
Location of Photo:
Rio Hurtado (Chile)
Date/Time of photo:
14/04/2025 03:00
Equipment:
Data acquired at Telescope Live: Planewave CDK24 @3962mm, Mathis MI-1000/1250 Mount, QHY600M Pro camera, Astrodon R/G/B filters
Description:
Messier 26 (also known as M26 or NGC 6694) is an open cluster located in the constellation Scutum. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 8.0 and lies at an approximate distance of 5000 light years from Earth. M26 occupies an area of 15 arcmin, corresponding to a linear diameter of 22 light Years, and its estimated age is 89 million years. Messier 26 is notable for a region of low star density near the cluster’s centre, likely a result of a cloud of interstellar dust blocking the light of the stars from our view. The low density zone is 3.1 arc minutes in diameter and located at the centre of the cluster. Charles Messier discovered the cluster on June 20, 1764.
