Andromeda
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Globular cluster

NGC 6397

Also Caldwell 86

Open in OuranosCompare its size

One of the two nearest globular clusters to the Sun, in Ara.

Measured

Distance
8,089 light-years
Size
about 60 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Ara
Position (J2000)
RA 17h 40m 42s, Dec −53.67°

How far, from the Sun

8,090 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light8,090 years
  • Voyager 1's speed144 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h87.3 billion years

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

Facts

  • Its nearness lets telescopes see its faintest white dwarfs and red dwarfs.
  • It holds about 82,400 times the Sun's mass in stars (Baumgardt's globular cluster database).

Where this comes from

  • Baumgardt & Vasiliev 2021, MNRAS 505, 5957 (2.48 kpc)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.