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Open star cluster

The Butterfly Cluster

Also M6 · NGC 6405

Open in OuranosCompare its size
The Butterfly Cluster — Kitt Peak, visible light
Kitt Peak, visible light. Credit: N.A.Sharp, Mark Hanna, REU program/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Source

An open cluster in Scorpius whose outline suggests the shape of a butterfly.

Measured

Distance
1,590 light-years
Size
about 12 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Scorpius
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 40m 06s, Dec −32.22°

How far, from the Sun

1,590 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light1,590 years
  • Voyager 1's speed28.3 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h17.2 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Estimates of its age run from about 50 to 100 million years.
  • Its most conspicuous star, the variable BM Scorpii, is an orange K-type supergiant.

Where this comes from

  • Kharchenko et al. 2005, A&A 438, 1163 (487 pc)

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.