Caldwell 78
Star cluster in Corona Australis · 12,000 light-years
🔭 Explore Caldwell 78 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 78 images →| Type | Star cluster |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Corona Australis |
| Right ascension | 18h 08m 02s |
| Declination | −43° 43′ |
| Object distance | 12,000 light-years |
| Apparent magnitude | 7.3 |
| Apparent size | 7.5′ (arc-minutes) |
| Approx. true diameter | 26.2 light-years across |
| Also known as | C78 · NGC 6541 |
Caldwell 78 is a star cluster (NGC 6541) in Corona Australis — a family of stars bound by gravity. It appears as number 78 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 7.5 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 7.3, it is a rewarding binocular and small-telescope target.
Although it appears about 7.5′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 26.2 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.
Observing Caldwell 78
Caldwell 78 lies in the constellation Corona Australis and is best placed in the evening sky around June. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. It is best placed for observers in the southern hemisphere, and sits low for those far north. It is a comfortable target for binoculars and small telescopes.
See Caldwell 78 in Universe Finder
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Sources
- Position, magnitude and angular size from the OpenNGC catalogue (Mattia Verga).
- Object identity cross-referenced with SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg).
- Image credits and the original observation source are linked with each photograph.
Related objects
- Pleiades — star cluster
- Hercules Cluster — star cluster
- Small Sgr Star Cloud — star cluster
- Messier 25 — star cluster
- Messier 103 — star cluster