Globular cluster
Messier 4
Also M4 · NGC 6121
One of the closest globular clusters to the Sun, a ball of old stars near Antares.
Measured
- Distance
- about 6,030 light-years (published estimates 5,970–6,100)
- Size
- about 70 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Position (J2000)
- RA 16h 23m 35s, Dec −26.53°
How far, from the Sun
About 6,030 light-years. To cross it:
- Light6,030 years
- Voyager 1's speed107 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h65.1 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- At about 6,000 light years, it is among the closest globular clusters to the Sun.
- Hubble dated its oldest white dwarfs to about 12 billion years.
- A planet of about 2.5 Jupiter masses orbits a pulsar and white dwarf pair inside it.
How it was found
- Philippe Loys de Chéseaux discovered it in 1746.
Where this comes from
- Baumgardt & Vasiliev 2021, Gaia EDR3 (1.85 ± 0.02 kpc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.