SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
massimo.difusco
Location of Photo:
Rio Hurtado (Chile)
Date/Time of photo:
13/08/2025 06:00
Equipment:
Data acquired at Chilescope: ASA Newton 500 @1900mm, ASA DDM85 equatorial Mount, FLI PL16803 CCD camera, Astrodon R/G/B filters
Description:
Messier 70 (also known as M70 or NGC 6681) is a globular cluster located in the southern constellation Sagittarius. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 9.06 and lies at a distance of 29400 light years from Earth. Messier 70 occupies an area of 8 arc minutes of apparent sky, which corresponds to a linear diameter of 68 light years. The cluster is moving away from us at an approximate velocity of 200 km/s and its estimated age is 12.8 billion years. With a density classification of V, M70 has an average concentration of stars. However, it is one of the clusters that have undergone a core collapse and, as a result, it has an extremely dense core. Other Messier globulars that have suffered the same fate include Messier 15, Messier 30 and possibly Messier 62 and Messier 79.
