Globular Cluster NGC 6366

NGC 6366
NGC 6366: Section of the colorized DSS2 [147]

History

This globular cluster was discovered on 12 April 1860 by the German astronomer August Winnecke using his private 3 inch Merz refractor while he was working at Pulkowo Observatory south of St. Petersburg. [277]

Physical Properties

NGC 6366 is a metal-rich Galactic globular cluster and the fifth closest to the Sun. Its kinematics suggests a link to the galactic halo, but its metallicity indicates otherwise. A presence of second generation stars is not evident. [590]

Revised+Historic NGC/IC Version 22/9, © 2022 Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 6366
TypeGCL (XI)
Right Ascension (J2000.0)17h 27m 44.3s
Declination (J2000.0)-05° 04' 34"
Diameter13 arcmin
Visual magnitude9.5 mag
Metric Distance3.500 kpc
Dreyer DescriptionF, L, vlbM (Auw 36)
Identification, RemarksGC 4301; GCL 65

Finder Chart

The globular cluster NGC 6366 is located in the constellation Ophiuchus. The best observation time is in the months February to December.

Ophiuchus: Globular Cluster NGC 6366
Finder Chart Globular Cluster NGC 6366
16:17
21:26 | 38.1°
02:36
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 2025-07-14. [149, 160]

Objects Within a Radius of 15°

Abell 41
Barnard 64
Palomar 7
IC 1276
Messier 9
Messier 10
Messier 12
Messier 14
Twin Jet Nebula
Minkowski 2-9
Box Nebula
NGC 6309
NGC 6342
NGC 6356
NGC 6426
NGC 6517
NGC 6539
NGC 6604
Sh 2-54

References

  • [147] Aladin Sky Atlas, Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS); aladin.unistra.fr
  • [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
  • [590] Chemical analysis of eight giant stars of the globular cluster NGC 6366; Arthur A Puls, Alan Alves-Brito, Fabíola Campos, Bruno Dias, Beatriz Barbuy; Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 476, Issue 1, May 2018, Pages 690–704; DOI:10.1093/mnras/sty267