✨ Messier 68 – A Sea of Ancient Stars ✨

✨ Messier 68 – A Sea of Ancient Stars ✨

🔭 Scope & details:

Lights: 72x300" (LRGB)

Telescope: Planewave CDK24

Camera: QHY 600M

Filters: LRGB Astrodon

Date: 27/01/2025

Floating about 33,600 light-years away, Messier 68 (M68) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Hydra. With an apparent magnitude of 7.8, it shines faintly in the night sky, just beyond naked-eye visibility, but through a telescope it reveals a dazzling swarm of stars—over 100,000 suns bound together by gravity.

This stellar city is nearly 12 billion years old, making it one of the most ancient residents of our galaxy. Its stars, mostly faint and old, paint a living picture of the early Milky Way, a frozen relic from a time when our galaxy was still in its youth.

📍 Constellation: Hydra

💡 Type: Globular Cluster

🌌 Distance: ~33,600 light-years

🔭 Apparent Magnitude: 7.8

📐 Coordinates: RA 12h 39m 27s | Dec –26° 44′ 38″

A glowing pearl adrift in cosmic darkness, M68 reminds us of the timeless beauty and resilience of the universe. 🌌✨

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#Astrophotography #GlobularCluster #Messier68 #M68 #Hydra #Cosmos #DeepSky