Messier 73

Messier 73, also known as M73 or NGC 6994, is a small grouping of four stars in the constellation Aquarius, discovered by Charles Messier in 1780, who noted at the time that it might simply be a cluster of stars caught up in nebulosity. Later study showed the four stars are not physically associated and lie at differing distances from Earth, making M73 an asterism, a chance alignment as seen from Earth, rather than a genuine star cluster, though its status was debated for much of the twentieth century.