NGC 6242 is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation Scorpius. It can be viewed with binoculars or a telescope at about 1.5° to the south-southeast of the double star Mu Scorpii.[3] This cluster was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752 from South Africa.[5] It is located at a distance of approximately 4,350 ly (1,335 pc) from the Sun,[2] just to the north of the Sco OB 1 association.[6] The cluster has an estimated age of 77.6 million years.[2]
| NGC 6242 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 6242 Credit: DECaPS | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 16h 55m 30.7s[1] |
| Declination | −39° 28′ 26″[1] |
| Distance | 4.35 ± 0.53 kly (1.335 ± 0.163 kpc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.4[3] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 9′[3] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Estimated age | 77.6[2] Myr |
| Other designations | NGC 6242, Cr 317[4] |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Scorpius |
A microquasar with the designation GRO J1655-40 is located in the vicinity of NGC 6242 and is moving away from the cluster with a runaway space velocity of 112±18 km/s. It may have originated in the cluster during a supernova explosion ~2.2×105 year ago.[7]
References
External links
Media related to NGC 6242 at Wikimedia Commons- NGC 6242 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
- SEDS – NGC 6242
