Globular Cluster NGC 6235

History

This globular cluster was discovered by William Herschel on 26 May 1786 using his selfmade 18.7-inch reflecting telescope of 20-foot focal length. He listed it as faint nebula II 584 with the notes: «Pretty bright, considerably large, gradually brighter in the middle, easily resolvable, undoubtedly stars.» [464] John Herschel observed the cluster from the Cape of Good Hope on 24 May 1835 (sweep 588), listed it as h 3653 and noted: «Pretty compressed; small; 2'; rather triangular than round; much brighter in the middle; resolved into stars of 14...16 magnitudes.» [11]

Physical Properties

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 6235
TypeGCL (X)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)16h 53m 25.4s
Declination (J2000.0)-22° 10' 36"
Diameter5 arcmin
Visual magnitude8.9 mag
Metric Distance11.500 kpc
Dreyer DescriptionpB, cL, iR, rrr, st 14…16
Identification, RemarksWH II 584; h 3653; GC 4246; GCL 48; ESO 586-SC5

Finder Chart

The globular cluster NGC 6235 is located in the constellation Ophiuchus. On 6 June it in opposition with the Sun and is therefore highest in the sky at local midnight. For Switzerland this means the best season for observation is in the months from January to October.

Ophiuchus: Globular Cluster NGC 6235
Finder Chart Globular Cluster NGC 6235
23:09
02:51 | 21°
06:32
Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ~6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ~20 mag. Times are shown for timezone UTC, Latitude 46.7996°, Longitude 8.23225°, Horizon height 5°, Date 2025-04-14. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 10°

Abell 40
Barnard 47
Barnard 51
Barnard 59
Barnard 64
Snake Nebula
Barnard 72
Blue Horsehead Nebula
IC 4592
IC 4603
Rho Ophiuchi Nebula
IC 4604
IC 4605
IC 4634
Messier 4
Messier 9
Messier 19
Messier 62
Messier 80
Minkowski 3-9
NGC 6144
NGC 6284
NGC 6287
NGC 6293
NGC 6304
NGC 6316
NGC 6342
NGC 6355
NGC 6356
Little Ghost Nebula
NGC 6369
Sh 2-9

References

  • [11] Results of astronomical observations made during the years 1834, 5, 6, 7, 8, at the Cape of Good Hope ... : being the completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825; Herschel, John F. W.; London: published by Smith, Elder and Co., 1847; DOI:10.3931/e-rara-22242
  • [149] SkySafari 6 Pro, Simulation Curriculum; skysafariastronomy.com
  • [160] The STScI Digitized Sky Survey; archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form
  • [277] Historische Deep-Sky Kataloge; Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke; klima-luft.de/steinicke; 2021-02-17
  • [464] Catalogue of a second thousand of new nebulae and clusters of stars; with a few introductory remarks on the construction of the heavens; William Herschel; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1 January 1789; DOI:10.1098/rstl.1789.0021