Combination of 15, 1 minute exposures. SBIG ST-9E CCD.
16" f/10 schmidt-cassegrain telescope with an f/6.3 focal reducer.
| Object Type | Globular Cluster |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Magnitude | 7.8 |
| Size | 12.0' x 12.0' |
With the rising of Ophiuchus comes globular season. The vast majority of globular clusters are concentrated between 16h and 23h RA. In Ophiuchus alone, Messier catalogued 5 globular clusters, most of which are visible to the naked eye under dark skies. M9 is one of the fainter ones, at around magnitude 7.8. Although I have never managed to sight it without optical aid, it is easily visible in binoculars, some resolution is achieved with an 8" telescope.
M9 is situated about 3 degrees south-east of eta ophiuchi in a rich portion of the Milky Way. As a result there are numerous other deep-sky objects in the vacinity and the region well repays any time spent observing.
