Globular cluster
Messier 22
Also M22 · NGC 6656
A bright globular cluster in Sagittarius, one of the nearest to Earth.
Measured
- Distance
- about 10,760 light-years (published estimates 10,630–10,890)
- Size
- about 100 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Position (J2000)
- RA 18h 36m 24s, Dec −23.90°
How far, from the Sun
About 10,800 light-years. To cross it:
- Light10,800 years
- Voyager 1's speed191 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h116 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- In 2012 radio astronomers found two stellar-mass black holes inside it.
- Its mass is about 470,000 times the Sun's.
How it was found
- It was one of the first globular clusters discovered, by Abraham Ihle in 1665.
Where this comes from
- Baumgardt & Vasiliev 2021, Gaia EDR3 (3.30 ± 0.04 kpc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.