Caldwell 78 — Globular Cluster in Corona Australis
NGC 6541
About C78
Description
NGC 6541 is a bright globular cluster in Corona Australis, about 22,800 light-years away. It is a moderately concentrated cluster spanning about 13 arcminutes with an integrated magnitude of 6.6.
Observing Tips
Visible as a bright, round glow in binoculars. A 6-inch telescope begins to resolve the outer edges at 100x+. An 8-inch scope provides a fine view with many stars resolved around a dense unresolved core. Best in summer from southern locations.
History
Discovered by Niccolb Cacciatore in 1826 from the Palermo Observatory in Sicily. It is one of the nearer and brighter globular clusters in this part of the sky.
Fun Facts
NGC 6541 has a low metallicity, indicating it is one of the older globular clusters in the Milky Way, formed early in the galaxy's history when fewer heavy elements were available.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
3Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
4
Eyepiece View
5
Best Magnification
6Metallicity
[Fe/H] = -1.81 — these stars formed from gas about 65× poorer in iron than the Sun.
7Concentration class
Shapley-Sawyer class III — extremely centrally concentrated core.
Explore
8
Classification Decoder
Discover
9
Light Travel Time Machine
10
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: NASA Hubble Space Telescope. License: CC BY 2.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
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