My Astrophotography – Messier 56

Messier 56 (Globular Cluster) / NGC 6779

• Roughly 13.7 billion years old, meaning its stars formed very early in the history of the universe ~ a big ball of ancient stars.
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• Its orbital behaviour suggests it may have been captured from a dwarf galaxy during early Milky Way mergers.
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• Scale comparison – M56 is twice size of M13’s core. (Messier 13)
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• Magnitude +8.3, making it visible through medium-sized amateur telescopes or binoculars under dark skies.
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• Object Name
  M56

• Object Type
  Globular Cluster

• Constellation
  Lyra

• Magnitude
  +8.3

• Distance
  32,900 light-years

• Age
  13.7 billion years old

Telescope:

Mount:

Accessory:

Celestron 8-inch Edge HD

ZWO AM7 (equatorial mount)

ZWO ASIair Plus / PixInsight

Camera:

Guiding:

Filter:

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooling

ZWO ASI1290MM

2″ Optolong L-Pro

• Date:
  Saturday 12th September 2026

• Moonlit:
  Waxing Crescent 1 days old
  Magnitude: -5.0
  Moonlit: 3%

• Total:
  60’s x 20 subs = 20 minutes
  

Object :-

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Object :-

Other name :-

Type :-

Magnitude :–

Distance :-

Constellation :-

Right Ascension :-

Declination :-

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M56

NGC 6779 / Mel 220

Globular Cluster

+8.4

32,900 light years / 84 light years across

Lyr (Lyra / The Lyra)

19h 16m 36s

+30° 11′ 00″

Enlarge on click the map.

(Click the map above for a large view.)