Globular Cluster NGC 6287 with Dark Clouds
NGC 6287
This globular cluster was discovered by William Herschel on 21 May 1784 and cataloged as II 195. He noted the following: «Pretty bright, considerably large, irregularly round, little brighter in the middle.» [463] John Herschel listed it as h 3666 and made the single observation from the Cape of Good Hope on 24 May 1835. He wrote: «Globular cluster; irregular round; gradually pretty much compressed in the middle; 3' diam; barely resolved into stars 16...18m.» [11]
| Designation | NGC 6287 |
| Type | GCL (VII) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 17h 05m 09.4s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -22° 42' 27" |
| Diameter | 4.8 arcmin |
| Visual magnitude | 9.3 mag |
| Metric Distance | 9.400 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | globular, cB, L, R, gpmCM, rrr, st 16 |
| Identification, Remarks | WH II 195; h 3666; GC 4269; GCL 54; ESO 518-SC10 |
Barnard 47 and 51
In 1919 Edward. E. Barnard found on photographs he made several irregular dark clouds near cluster NGC 6287 and listed them as B 47 and B 51 in his work «On the Dark Markings of the Sky». [239, 609] In 1962 Beverly T. Lynds published her «Catalogue of Dark Nebulae», a compilation of 1802 nebulae that she found on photo plates of the «National Geographic Palomar Observatory Sky Atlas». [473]
| Name | Type | RA (J2000.0) | Dec (J2000.0) | Size ['] | Identifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard 47 | DNe | 16h 59m 36s | -22° 35' 00" | Barnard 47; LDN 1792 | |
| Barnard 51 | DNe | 17h 04m 42s | -22° 12' 00" | 19 × 8 | Barnard 51; LDN 15; TGU H2171 P15; [DB2002b] G0.43+11.37 |
Finder Chart
The globular cluster NGC 6287 with the dark clouds is located in the constellation Ophiuchus. They are on 9 June in opposition to the Sun. From Switzerland it can best be seen in the months January to October. At a distance of circa 1° 12' towards northwest there is the tiny planetary nebula IC 4634.
