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NGC 6087

Open Cluster Excellent (62/100)
NGC 6087 OpenCluster Nor Visible Level 1 Naked eye / Binoculars - Wide field preferred
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Properties

Magnitude 5.4
Angular Size 10.2′
Cl, B, L, lC, st 7...10

Position & Identifiers

RA 16h 18m 54.0s
Dec -57° 53' 60.0"
Constellation Nor
Catalog NGC 6087

Visibility

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Eyepiece View

108x TFOV: 0.5° Lim. mag: 13.3
N E

NGC 6087 · 10.2′ diameter · N up, E left

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About NGC 6087

Description

NGC 6087 is a bright open cluster in Norma, about 3,300 light-years away. It contains about 40 stars within 12 arcminutes, with the brightest member being the Cepheid variable star S Normae, which pulsates between magnitudes 6.1 and 6.8 over 9.75 days.

Observing Tips

A fine cluster for binoculars and small telescopes. The bright Cepheid S Normae stands out at the cluster's center. Monitoring its brightness changes over a week is a rewarding project. Best from southern locations in summer.

History

Discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1751 from South Africa. S Normae was discovered as a Cepheid variable by Roberts in 1895 and is one of the most accessible Cepheid variables for amateur observation.

Fun Facts

S Normae's membership in this cluster was crucial for calibrating the Cepheid period-luminosity relation, since the cluster's distance provides an independent distance measurement for the Cepheid — a key rung on the cosmic distance ladder.