M54 (NGC 6715)
Apparent Magnitude: 8.37
Distance Aprox: 87,400 light-years
Constellation: Sagittarius
Star Count Aprox: 1 million+
Diameter: 306 light-years
M54 is an extragalactic globular cluster. While M54 is easy to locate, even large amateur telescopes cannot resolve it into individual stars, and binoculars and small telescopes reveal only a round, hazy patch of light. The best time of year to observe the cluster is during the months of June, July and August, but it never rises high above horizon for northern observers.
Messier 54 was the first globular cluster discovered to belong to a different galaxy. in 1994 scientists discovered that M54 most likely belonged to the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (SagDEG), one of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way that will eventually be captured and eaten by our galaxy.
The only other extragalactic globular cluster listed in Messier’s catalogue is Messier 79, located in the constellation Lepus. It belongs to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, another satellite of the Milky Way.
Taken 7/7/18 in Grand Rapids, Ohio by Russell Kille on a CPC 1100 with Hyperstar @ F2 and ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera
