NGC 6281
| AladinLite | |
| Constellation | Scorpio |
|
Position equinox : J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Right ascension | 17 h 04 m 41.3 s |
| declination | -37 ° 59 ′ 07 ″ |
| Appearance
|
|
| classification | II2p |
| Brightness (visual) | 5.4 likes |
| Angular expansion | 8.0 ′ |
| Physical data
|
|
| Radial velocity | −15 km / s |
| distance | 1550 ly (479 pc ) |
| history | |
| Discovered by | James Dunlop |
| Discovery time | June 5, 1826 |
| Catalog names | |
| NGC 6281 • Mel 161 • Cr 324 • ESO 332-SC19 • GC 4265 • h 3664 • OCL 1003 | |
NGC 6281 is an open star cluster (type definition “II2p”) in the constellation Scorpio and about 1550 light years from Earth. It was discovered on June 5, 1826 by James Dunlop with a 9-inch reflector telescope, who described it as "a curiously curved line of pretty bright small stars, with many very small stars".
During his observation with an 18-inch reflector telescope, John Herschel noted “ap rich, L, pB, cluster VII class, of loose stars 9, 10, 11th mag, which fills 2/3 of field”.