M 6 WideField

M 6, the butterfly cluster is a bright, open cluster that is easily visible in the constellation Scorpius. M6 is an extremely easy to observe cluster: it is located halfway between the tail of Scorpio and the arrowhead of Sagittarius; It is clearly visible to the naked eye and even a small pair of binoculars is enough to resolve it in a few dozen stars very close to each other. A 10x50 allows you to see about fifteen concentrated stars, while at higher magnifications the cluster is completely resolved and its components well detached; on the east side, the variable red giant BM Scorpii is clearly visible.

M6 can be observed with some difficulty if the observation site is very northern, while it remains completely invisible at northern European or Canadian latitudes; From mid-temperate latitudes it is possible to observe it for a few hours per night, while from the southern hemisphere it is visible very high above the horizon and on almost all nights. The best time to observe it in the evening sky is between April and September.