Caldwell 93 — Globular Cluster in Pavo
NGC 6752
About C93
Description
NGC 6752 is the third-brightest globular cluster in the sky (after Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae), located about 13,000 light-years away in Pavo. At magnitude 5.4, it is visible to the naked eye and spans 20 arcminutes.
Observing Tips
A superb globular visible to the naked eye from dark sites. Binoculars show a bright, granular ball. Any telescope resolves the outer regions into streams of individual stars. A 6-inch scope provides a stunning view at 80-120x. Best from southern locations in summer and autumn.
History
Discovered by James Dunlop on June 30, 1826 from Australia. It is one of the nearest globular clusters and has been the subject of intensive study, including Hubble observations of its white dwarf population.
Fun Facts
NGC 6752 has undergone core collapse, resulting in an extremely dense center. Millisecond pulsars discovered in its core are among the fastest-spinning objects known. The cluster also contains one of the first known planetary systems in a globular cluster — a pulsar with a planet-mass companion.
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] = -1.54 — these stars formed from gas about 35× poorer in iron than the Sun.
7Concentration class
Shapley-Sawyer class I — extremely centrally concentrated core.
Explore
8
Classification Decoder
Discover
9
Light Travel Time Machine
10
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: en:NASA, en:STScI, en:WikiSky. License: Public domain. (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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