NGC 6397
Globular Star Cluster in Ara
| Position (J2000): | 17h40m41s -53°40'25" |
| Magnitude: | 5.3 |
| Size: | 25'.7 |
| Class: | IX |
| Finder Charts: | 30° | 15° | 5° |
| Search Radius: | 5° |
| NGC Description: | glob. cl. , B, vL, Ri, st 13 |
| Other Identifiers: | Caldwell 86 (C 86), Lac 3-11, ESO 181-SC004, GCL 74, h 3692, GC 4311 |
NGC 6397, located 7,200 light-years away in the southern constellation Ara, is one of the nearest globular star clusters. It contains about 400,000 stars and has undergone a "core collapse," which makes its central area very dense. Recent work suggests that NGC 6397 was born just a few hundred million years after the Milky Way's first stars formed.
Learn more about NGC 6397 on the web, browse the observing lists containing NGC 6397, or review the references used to gather information regarding NGC 6397.
