NGC 6603

Open Cluster
NGC 6603, Collinder 374, Raab 129, OCL 36
Integrated Visual Magnitude: 11.1
Apparent Diameter: 5'
Distance: 9000 ly
Actual Diameter: 13 ly

Minimum requirements to view: 8-inch telescope under country skies

Located in the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24), NGC 6603 lies in as beautiful a star field as you will find anywhere. Buried among the brighter stars is a jewel of an open cluster, NGC 6603. It looks much like M11, except as if it were placed farther away, making it appear smaller and fainter.

The majority of the visible stars are between 11th and 12th magnitude, but that's part of its charm. The impression is one of a tiny pile of stardust lying on a floor of scattered diamonds, for like M11 it resides in a spectacular starfield. Flanking NGC 6603 is a grouping of 7th magnitude stars that bear a remarkable resemblance to the Hyades!

The field in an 18-inch f/4.5 at 94x. North is down and east is to the right.

Millennium Star Atlas Vol III Chart 1368
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 15
Uranometria 2000 Vol II Chart 339

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