M9 (NGC 6333)
Apparent Magnitude: 7.9
Distance: Aprox: 25,800 light-years
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Star Count: Aprox 250,000
Diameter: 90 light-years
Messier 9 is one of the nearest globular clusters to the centre of the Milky Way. It lies at an approximate distance of 5,500 light years from the galactic centre. As a result, it appears a bit flattened due to the gravitational influence of the Milky Way core pulling it slightly out of shape. The cluster is moving away from us at the very high velocity of 224 km/s.
Taken 7/6/18 in Grand Rapids, Ohio by Russell Kille on a CPC 1100 with Hyperstar @ F2 and ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera