Celestial Objects

Messier 72

Star Clusters

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Messier 72." Accessed September 2, 2026. https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-72.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Messier 72. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-72

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-messier-72,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Messier 72},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/messier-72},
  note = {Accessed September 2, 2026}
}

Messier 72, also known as M72 or NGC 6981, is a globular cluster of stars in the constellation Aquarius, discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1780. It lies roughly 53,000 to 55,000 light-years from Earth, making it one of the more distant globular clusters in Charles Messier's catalogue.

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